New Show Keeps Tabs on the Fashion Fund Finalists

Amateurs need not apply. The race is on for the 2013 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund winner, and a new Ovation show, The Fashion Fund, is about to let you in on the action. You no longer have to wait around, biting your nails and wondering who the next Alexander Wang will be — you can actually watch the candidates duke it out with studio visits, a Vogue photo shoot, and a presentation at New York Fashion Week.

The Fashion Fund, along with a show called Vanity Fair Confidential, is Condé Nast's first attempt at capturing a television audience to supplement declining print sales. Will this show succeed in a world where Project Runway is still king? Ovation's chief creative officer Robert Weiss hopes so: "This is the real deal. There have been a lot of fashion competition series on television, but nothing comes close to matching the authenticity and talent found in The Fashion Fund." Might this be little dig at the celebrity-laden Lifetime show?

Authenticity and talent are exactly what fans of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund competition have come to expect, as they've watched the competition produce couture stars like Proenza Schouler and Joseph Altuzarra. In fact, the great thing about the Fashion Fund is that it's such a purely talent-based competition. Finalists are chosen with exceptional care, and the competition is long, grueling, and boasts a $300,000 prize at the end. As we all know, reality television has a way of skewing perspectives and creating drama for the sake of drama. Hopefully Condé Nast can hold The Fashion Fund to the same classy standard to which they hold Vogue.

The Fashion Fund launches on Ovation in December.