Hasta La Ideas

Altuzarra and Gurung are on a roll, having each won 2010 Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation awards and made the shortlist for this year’s Fashion Group International Rising Star Awards, as did Loden Dager’s Marlow (Altuzurra went on to win for womenswear). Meanwhile, Gurung is already tight with the CFDA as one of a dozen designers selected to be the inaugural tenants of the CFDA Fashion Incubator, and Geller was just inducted into the organization as a member, which may make him a less appealing candidate to receive a prize meant for “emerging designers.” Reid is coming off his win as GQ‘s Best New Menswear Designer in America, an award that Geller took home last year. One name that we’re particularly disappointed to see missing from the finalist list? New York-based designer Matthew Ames, whose architectural, quietly luxurious womenswear is a breath of fresh air amidst so much tattered Rodarte redux.

The finalists were chosen by an 11-member committee that includes representatives from the CFDA, Vogue (including editor-in-chief Anna Wintour), top retail execs, and established designers. The group will reconvene later this month to meet with finalists to review their current collections and to conduct in-depth interviews before dropping in for a site visit to the studio of each designer. Also in store for the finalists is a “special design project” underwritten by Ann Taylor and come October, a Los Angeles fashion show of the resulting creations. Winners will be announced in New York City on the evening of November 15. The prize money ($200,000 for the winner and up to $50,000 each for two runners-up) is intended to help develop each designer’s business in areas such as marketing, public relations, production, and sales.

Previously on UnBeige:

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.