YMA HOME Welcome to YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund (YMAFSF) YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund is committed to advancing the fashion industry by encouraging talented and enterprising young people to pursue careers in design, merchandising, retailing and business disciplines. We are an all-volunteer non-profit association that donates 100% of the net proceeds from our annual YMA Geoffrey Beene Scholarship Dinner and from our generous benefactors and sponsors to YMAFSF programs. We regard our scholarship grants as a worthwhile investment in the future of our industry. We additionally offer subsidiary services to YMAFSF scholars including opportunities to intern at the industry’s most prestigious companies, and career mentoring provided by prominent senior executives who serve on our board of governors. Our overriding goal is to insure that our industry will continue to be populated by dedicated, capable, talented and creative individuals. Mission Statement: "The YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund is dedicated to facilitating the entry of talented students into the Fashion Industry, wholesale and retail, in both creative and business capacities. While our principal form of support is through Student Scholarships, we also offer Mentoring and Internship Programs." Pictures from the 2008 YMA Geoffrey Beene Scholarship Fund Dinner are now on line. Click here to view the gallery. To visit our generous partner's website, please click on the Geoffrey Beene logo. LINK: http://www.ymafashionscholarshipfund.org/gallery2.html ABOUT YMA In 1937, the Young Men's Apparel Association of the Men's Apparel Industry (YMAMAI) was created as an industry networking organization. Its aim was to encourage young hopefuls to meet and rub elbows with industry leaders and in so doing establish beneficial relationships for their futures. After being depleted of members by World War II casualties, YMAMAI was reborn, to rise from its own ashes. There followed a drive to educate the post-war generation in the ways of the apparel industry through seminars and study clinics. Renamed, the Young Menswear Association, or YMA, the organization broadened its scope and in 1971 began productive programs designed to support individual scholars studying for careers in apparel and textile disciplines. The program began with annual scholarship grants of just $500. Over the years YMA steadily increased its grants to $5,000. In 2006 [the] YMA was renamed YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund (YMAFSF) to reflect its focus beyond men’s wear. The organization received a $1 million bequest from the Estate of Geoffrey Beene. In 2007, YMAFSF announced that The Geoffrey Beene Foundation would contribute an additional $2 million over the next five years including Geoffrey Beene National Scholarship Awards of $25,000 to be awarded annually to four outstanding scholars. [Due to this generosity,] the name of YMAFSF’s annual fundraising dinner in New York was changed to The YMA Geoffrey Beene Scholarship Dinner. Through the YMAFSF endowment program Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), State University of New York (SUNY) and North Carolina State University were each endowed with $50,000 in 1997 to encourage students to pursue advanced study degrees. In 1998, Parsons the New School for Design received its first endowment of $30,000 in support of enhanced educational programs. Since the inception of our endowment program, the YMAFSF has established endowments in the names of distinguished former Presidents and Chairmen of our organization, and in support of educational programs at Brandeis University, Cornell University, Philadelphia University, and Pratt Institute. Our scholarship committee is continually working to expand our scholarship program and increase the number of participating schools. Accumulated support is in excess of $5,400,000 to date. For the 2007 academic year, a total of 91 scholars received YMAFSF Scholarships. Since its inception, YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund has provided financial assistance to over 600 college students in pursuit of careers in the fashion industry. Ours is a unique industry program, envisioned to support academic performance of meritorious students and to insure continuity through endowments. For over three decades the YMAFSF and its forebears have successfully brought fresh talent to the fashion industry. PARTNERS (Blind text) SCHOLARSHIPS The YMA Scholarship Requirements & Request Form Download the YMA Request form >>Here. Criteria for Scholarship consideration: * Qualifying students must be enrolled as full time students. * Eligible students can be rising Juniors or rising Seniors with an overall G.P.A. of 3.0 or above in a 4.0 G.P.A. system. (Records or transcript to be submitted). Scholarships are solely merit based. * For consideration a student must submit an essay (no less than 350 words and no more than 500 words) explaining: “Why do you want to be in the fashion apparel industry?” “What are your long term goals?” “What skills do you possess which make you an ideal candidate for the fashion industry?” * Design students must submit a creative portfolio (at least 2 designs or projects). Portfolio not to exceed 8 1/2”x11” folded size. * Business students must submit a project pertaining to merchandising, marketing or finance. Project not to exceed 8 1/2”x11” folded size. * Students will be expected to participate in an interview process with a YMA School Ambassador. This interview will be either by phone or a “face to face” meeting. * Once a student is selected for a YMA Scholarship, the student will be invited to participate in an exclusive YMA Summer Internship Program. * The deadline for receipt of the student’s information is as soon as possible, but no later than January 15, 2008. Educator responsibities: * Nominate and submit no more than 8 scholarship applicants per school. * To send one box per school containing all scholarship materials for each applying student. This should consist of a completed application, academic information (transcript), essay and portfolio or business project. Students are not to submit their scholarship packets individually. The box will then be mailed to: The YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund 36 West 20th Street, 3rd Floor New York, NY 10011 In addition to the hard copies mentioned above, we also request, only the application be submitted electronically to HHarrison@YMAFashionScholarshipFund.org. All materials submitted will be held in confidence and can only be returned if requested in advance. LINK: http://www.ymafashionscholarshipfund.org/Scholarships.html HHarrison@YMAFashionScholarshipFund.org. NEWS (BLind Text) Gallery (fotos) CONTACT US The Young Menswear Association 36 W 20th Street, 3rd Floor New York, NY 10011 Tel: 212-594-6422 Email: HHarrison@YMAFashionscholarshipfund.org THE TREND The Trend The Trend is the YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund's seasonal press release. Click on the links below to read the releases. Summer 2007 (PDF) Winter 2006 (PDF) Summer 2006 (PDF) Fall 2006 (PDF) LINKS: http://www.ymafashionscholarshipfund.org/TrendSummer2007.pdf http://www.ymafashionscholarshipfund.org/TrendWinter2007.pdf http://www.ymafashionscholarshipfund.org/thetrend_summer06.pdf http://www.ymafashionscholarshipfund.org/thetrend_fall06.pdf YMA IN THE NEWS Press Coverage from the 2008 YMA Geoffrey Beene Scholarship Fund Dinner Click here to view an article recently featured on America Online. Click here to view an article recently featured in DNR. Click here to view an article recently featured on Reuters. Click here to view an article recently featured in MR Magazine. Click here to view an article recently featured on LIM College's Web site. Click here to view an article recently featured in Fashion Week Daily. Click here to view an article recently featured on MSN. Click here to view an article recently featured in the New York Times. Click here to view an article recently featured in People. Click here to view an article recently featured in Women's Wear Daily. Click here to view an article recently featured in Metro NY. Click here to view an article recently featured in DNR. Click here to view an article recently featured in Women's Wear Daily. Click here to view an article recently featured in Fashion Week Daily. Prestigious Geoffrey Beene National Scholarship Winners Announced Finalists Take Center Stage at Annual YMA Geoffrey Beene Fashion Scholarship Dinner New York, NY (January 14, 2008) – The annual YMA Geoffrey Beene Fashion Scholarship Dinner announced the four winners of the $25,000 Geoffrey Beene National Scholarship Awards on Wednesday evening, January 9th at the Marriot Marquis in Manhattan. The four scholars were Davia Rabinoff-Goldman of RISD, Nicole Baum of the University of Colorado, Hazel Morley of Parsons and Casey Saccomanno of Philadelphia University. The other four finalists, Chelsea Cornelison of the University of Wisconsin, Kwabena Asiedu of the Wharton School of Business, Jennifer McMasters of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Ilana Pfefer of F.I.T. were given bonus $5,000 scholarships, bringing their total awards to $10,000 each. This was the first year for the competitive Geoffrey Beene Scholarship, which was underwritten by the Geoffrey Beene Foundation. The YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund grants dozens of $5,000 scholarships each year to students from all over the country deemed to have the potential to work and succeed in the apparel business. The evening also included awards for a number of fashion industry luminaries; Rick Leto, the CEO of Mervyn’s until just weeks ago, and Kenneth Cole, the CEO of Kenneth Cole Productions, were honored with AMY awards. Jay and Patty Baker were given an AMY award for lifetime achievement in recognition of their charitable giving. In an unexpected highlight of the evening, the Bakers and the Geoffrey Beene Foundation announced additional matching gifts totaling $170,000 to bring the amount raised at the event to over $1.3 million, making it the most successful dinner to date. YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the fashion industry through scholarships, mentoring and internship programs, in support of emerging talent and future leaders. Links: http://www.ymafashionscholarshipfund.org/Press Pages/AOL.jpg http://www.ymafashionscholarshipfund.org/press_DNR2008.pdf http://www.ymafashionscholarshipfund.org/press_reuters2008.html http://www.ymafashionscholarshipfund.org/press_MR2008.html http://www.ymafashionscholarshipfund.org/press_lim2008.html http://www.ymafashionscholarshipfund.org/press_FDW2008.html http://www.ymafashionscholarshipfund.org/press_MR2008.html http://www.ymafashionscholarshipfund.org/Press Pages/msn.jpg http://www.ymafashionscholarshipfund.org/Press Pages/NYTIMES.jpg http://www.ymafashionscholarshipfund.org/Press Pages/PEOPLE.jpg http://www.ymafashionscholarshipfund.org/Press Pages/WWD.jpg http://www.ymafashionscholarshipfund.org/Press Pages/metro_ny_12_5_07.jpg http://www.ymafashionscholarshipfund.org/Press Pages/dnr_12_10_07.jpg http://www.ymafashionscholarshipfund.org/Press Pages/wwd_12_10_07.jpg http://www.ymafashionscholarshipfund.org/Press Pages/fashion_wire_daily_mrketplace.com__12_6_07.jpg