Vilcek Awards $250K to Immigrant Leaders Transforming Fashion & Culture – Latest Fashion Trends & Style Tips February 18, 2026 at 09:00PM

📰 Vilcek Awards $250K to Immigrant Leaders Transforming Fashion & Culture

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Photo: Courtesy of the Vilcek Foundation

The 2026 Vilcek Prizes in Fashion & Culture recognize individuals who are changing fashion representation through photography, museum curations, historical database development and educational programming. As part of its mission to uplift immigrants working in the arts and sciences, the Vilcek Foundation awarded $250,000 to these immigrant fashion professionals.

Tanya Meléndez-Escalante receives the $100,000 Vilcek Prize for Fashion & Culture for her work as an arts administrator and fashion curator at The Museum at FIT where she develops meaningful exhibitions and programs that reveal the hidden diversity of talent from across Latin America. Originally from Mexico, Meléndez-Escalante has created numerous educational programs built on international collaboration and inclusivity.

The four recipients of the $50,000 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Fashion & Culture are Diego Bendezu, Jalan and Jibril Durimel and Natalie Nudell.

Diego Bendezu receives this prize for his powerful visual storytelling that centers Latin American and immigrant narratives. His rapidly ascending influence is reshaping how the fashion industry sees beauty and cultural authenticity. Originally from Peru, Bendezu's love for photography began when his parents gave him a camera and a camcorder to document his daily life when they left to work abroad in the United States.

Twin brothers and creative partners Jalan and Jibril Durimel are awarded the prize in recognition of their ability to present fashion as part of a broader, evocative exploration of fictitious storytelling, color and light. Born in France to parents from Guadeloupe, the Durimels were raised in Miami and St. Maarten. The various cultures that shaped their upbringing informed their photography practice and inspires audiences to be curious about other people, cultures and clothing.

Natalie Nudell is honored with this prize for her writing, research and database development that preserves the holistic history of fashion in the United States. Nudell was born in Canada to European and Middle-Eastern immigrant parents. A fashion and textile historian at the Fashion Institute of Technology, SUNY, Nudell created the Fashion Calendar Research Database (FCRD), which helps illuminate how underrepresented communities are integral to the foundation of the industry.

The Vilcek Foundation awarded a total of $250,000 to immigrant fashion professionals working in Fashion & Culture fields through its annual prizes program.

Visit vilcek.org to learn more.

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