Gucci Changemakers award recipient Antonio Finamore-Phillips (’23 Fashion Design)

The Gucci Changemakers scholarship is part of the luxury fashion brand’s effort to empower social change.

Otis College of Art and Design and its Fashion Design program are honored to announce that Antonio Finamore-Phillips (’23 Fashion Design) is one of 12 students out of 400 finalists to win a $20,000 scholarship from the luxury brand Gucci North America through its Changemakers program. Launched in 2019, Gucci Changemakers North America is a social impact initiative focused on increasing inclusion and diversity within the fashion industry and across communities and cities. Funding is provided to students—offering the opportunity to pursue their unique path within the design and fashion industries, including through mentorship and virtual internship opportunities with Gucci America—as well as community organizations focused on increasing inclusion and diversity across communities and within the fashion industry. Finamore-Phillips’s work will be included in a multimedia exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) in early September. 

To date, Gucci has awarded over 50 students with almost $1 million dollars in scholarships as well as over 40 nonprofit organizations with almost $2 million dollars in grants.

Work by Antonio Finamore-Phillips“We applaud Antonio Jovantae Finamore-Phillips’s incredible accomplishment, winning the distinguished 2022 Gucci Changemaker award. Antonio is dedicated to finding practical solutions to address current challenges in sustainable fashion design. Whether it be recrafting or the creative practice of upcycling, Antonio’s talent, commitment, and work ethic position him at the vanguard of a revolution in sustainable initiatives,” says Fashion Design Chair Jill Zeleznik. “This scholarship will inspire Antonio’s trajectory and academic goals, and provide revitalized confidence during his senior year and future endeavors.”

Of the Changemakers program, Antoine Phillips, Vice President of Brand and Culture Engagement at Gucci America, said: “It has been an honor leading Gucci Changemakers North America as we continue to set the industry standard for impactful and creative community focused initiatives. These talented young people and nonprofit organizations inspire the Gucci community every single day to dream bigger than ever before. Through this work, we are focused not only on amplifying their stories of impact, but inspiring lasting change through the power of arts and culture.”

The 12 scholarship recipients come from diverse backgrounds and are pursuing various careers within fashion and design at undergraduate colleges and universities. They will each receive an academic scholarship for up to $20,000 in addition to mentorship and virtual internship opportunities through Gucci America.

The 12 talented and deserving recipients of this year’s 2022 Gucci North America Changemakers Scholarship program are:

  • Antonio Finamore-Phillips, Otis College of Art and Design
  • Cassius Palacio, University of Southern California
  • Dekaye Hailu, University of California, Los Angeles
  • Doreen Pierre, Parsons School of Design
  • Dorothy Pallanes, Drexel University
  • Exodus Broussard, Loyola Marymount University
  • Jalynn McDuffey, Florida A&M University
  • Madison Grant, Xavier University of Louisiana
  • Mahlon West, Howard University
  • Miles Richards, College of Creative Studies
  • Nathan Batra, The Savannah College of Art and Design
  • Theodora Etokimo, Toronto Metropolitan University

As part of the Changemakers Program, Gucci also offers mentorship opportunities. This year, all awardees will have the opportunity to participate in the Gucci Program for Scholars, a six-week-long virtual summer program that helps to educate students on various career paths available within the fashion industry. The program includes fashion industry education, engagement with all departments across Gucci North America, Gucci corporate mentor assignment, and skill building workshops.

As a focus city for the Gucci North America Changemakers program, Gucci has created a deep connection with Detroit and its pervasive culture and community. In honor of the brand’s new location in Downtown Detroit and in partnership with 2020 Changemakers grantee Design Core, Gucci is honored to spotlight the talented and creative Changemakers scholars and Design Core designers with a multi-media exhibition at MOCAD in early September.

The next round of applications for both the Gucci North America Changemakers Impact Fund and Scholarship Program will open in Fall 2022.

For more information about the Fashion Design program at Otis College of Art and Design, please visit this link.