'Public School' Wins Vogue/CFDA Fashion Fund

We've had them on our radar for a while, and we were right to expect big things for Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne, the creative duo behind the street-smart menswear label Public School: The pair won the Vogue/CFDA Fashion Fund on Monday evening, taking home a cash prize of $300,000 to grow their business.

The runner-ups were Marc Alary, of Marc Alary Jewelry, and womenswear designer Juan Carlos Obando, who won $100,000 each.

We can't say we didn't see it coming. Public School has earnt numerous industry accolades in the past year, from receiving the Swarovski Award for Menswear in June, to seeing a huge turnout for their Spring/Summer 2014 presentation at New York Fashion Week last September.

From The Pages: Public School, In Session

We sat down with them last August in the wake of their nomination. Then, they talked about that they would do if they were to win the prize:

What would you do with the money if you win?

Maxwell Osborne: It goes into the business to hire key people, to grow the business in the right way. That's after we go on vacation for $299.000...
Dao-Yi Chow: ...And get our watch picked out! (laughs). The cash investment is mostly going to be infrastructure-based, and will enable us to make key hires to keep growing the brand.

How do you see your brand grow?

DYC: There'll be product extensions initially. We just launched denim last season, so it would help us develop the denim line. We also would like to start working on accessories. Somewhere down the road it's gotta be women, but I don't know how far. That's the ultimate goal. With having our own retail shops.

What was it like to meet Anna Wintour?

MO: Oh! That was crazy. That was awesome.
DYC: I had met her before, actually, but when we met again, she thought she had met Max before.
MO: Yeah, she was like 'We've met before', and I was like, 'Uh, ok? Pleased to have met you.'
DO: She's just fashion royalty.

Read More: 5 Questions To Public School