Kim Shui, Allina Liu And Terrence Zhou Named CFDA 2025 AAPI Design Grant Finalists 

As New York Fashion Week prepares to launch the global fashion calendar next week, the CFDA is falling in step, amplifying voices that represent the industry’s future. The organization, in partnership with Genesis House, has unveiled the three finalists for its third annual AAPI Design + Innovation Grant: Kim Shui, Allina Liu, and Terrence Zhou. The prestigious program champions Asian American and Pacific Islander designers who are redefining American fashion through bold innovation and authentic storytelling rooted in cultural identity.

Launched in 2022, the initiative provides financial backing, mentorship, and global exposure to AAPI designers. Each of the 2025 finalists will receive a $40,000 grant, access to CFDA resources, and guidance from a powerhouse advisory board. They’ll also travel to Seoul this fall for a cultural immersion trip designed to spark creativity ahead of their final presentations at Genesis House in February 2026. At that showcase, one designer will secure an additional $60,000, bringing their total award to $100,000.

For designer Allina Liu, this year marks a major milestone as she prepares to debut her first official collection at New York Fashion Week for Spring/Summer 2026. Liu’s work often merges corsetry, delicate smocking, and floral motifs with a romantic yet subversive edge. Inspired by her Chinese heritage and provocative Asian artists, she balances intimacy with armor, crafting garments that feel both fragile and defiant. Her collections, featured in publications such as Vogue, WWD, and NYLON, showcase an aesthetic that balances softness and strength. This is evident in bustiers with raw seams and ruched dresses reimagined with sculptural elements.

Kim Shui also returns to the NYFW schedule this September with her Spring/Summer 2026 collection. Known for her cutouts, bold fabrics, and unapologetic celebration of the female gaze, Shui continues to redefine what it means to be an American woman in fashion. Her designs blend Eastern influences with sensual, body-conscious silhouettes that radiate confidence and visibility. Shui’s bold aesthetic has attracted high-profile attention, with Blue Ivy Carter recently wearing a custom piece during Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour, cementing the designer’s reputation as a go-to for celebrities who want to make a statement.

Next up is Terrence Zhou, the mastermind behind Bad Binch TongTong, who has built his reputation on turning fashion into performance art. His collections have featured balloon-shaped gowns, feathered constructions, and sculptural silhouettes that provoke. Zhou’s theatrical vision explores humor, sensuality, and existential themes, resulting in garments that blur the boundaries of fashion, sculpture, and spectacle. His audacious work has appeared on stars like Cardi B, Kim Kardashian, and Jennifer Coolidge, who have worn his pieces for magazine covers and viral editorials. 

With powerhouse mentors including Steven Kolb (CFDA), Wen Zhou (3.1 Phillip Lim), and Public School’s Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne guiding their journey, this year’s cohort follows in the footsteps of 2024’s standout cycle, where Olivia Cheng’s sustainability-driven Dauphinette claimed the top prize alongside fellow finalists Bach Mai and Kozaburo Akasaka. As Liu, Shui, and Zhou prepare for their Seoul trip and February presentations, the showcase will reveal which designer joins this growing roster of AAPI talent reshaping American fashion.

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