CABCoFA Student Mickey Wilson Named 2026 Virgil Abloh™ “Post-Modern” Scholar

The Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts is proud to celebrate Mickey Wilson (they/them/theirs), a Fashion Design major at Howard University, who has been named to the 2026 Class of Fashion Scholarship Fund (FSF) and Virgil Abloh™ “Post-Modern” Scholars—a highly competitive national cohort of just 160 emerging creatives selected for their vision, rigor, and cultural impact.

“I am honored to be named a 2026 Virgil Abloh™ ‘Post-Modern’ Scholar,” Wilson shared. “I’m incredibly grateful to the Virgil Abloh™ Foundation for this opportunity. This will allow me to grow as a designer, connect with a community of other visionary creatives, and continue pursuing my dream of building an inclusive fashion brand inspired by my mom.”

Currently a junior in the BFA Fashion Design program at Howard University, Wilson’s work reflects a clear commitment to inclusivity, storytelling, and cultural dialogue. Their academic and professional trajectory already spans New York Fashion Week and Milan Fashion Week, where they have represented Howard University and supported designers through backstage production, casting, and exhibition styling—experiences that ground their creative vision in both concept and execution 

That synthesis is powerfully evident in Wilson’s FSF design case study, Freedom of Expression: Wear the Story, a speculative Spring/Summer 2026 capsule that imagines a collaboration between TELFAR and The New York Times. The project reframes journalism as wearable, community-centered art, using fashion as a site of authorship, protest, and truth-telling. Drawing inspiration from newsprint, protest aesthetics, and gender-inclusive silhouettes, the collection positions clothing as both cultural archive and call to action—especially for Gen Z and millennial audiences navigating identity, misinformation, and visibility 

Through the Virgil Abloh™ Foundation, Wilson plans to fully immerse themselves in the opportunity ahead. “As a member of the Class of 2026 VAPM Scholars, I plan to participate in every opportunity they send my way. I want to use these new connections to grow my skills and learn from my peers,” they said. “I hope that by the end of the year, I will have developed a foundation of everything I’ll need to thrive in my senior year and beyond.”

At its core, Wilson’s work aligns deeply with the ethos of both CABCoFA and the Virgil Abloh™ Foundation—that creative excellence and cultural responsibility are not separate pursuits, but intertwined ones. “I am deeply thankful for the Virgil Abloh™ Foundation’s support of emerging Black creatives and opening doors for us to make our mark on fashion and culture,” Wilson added.

We are proud to celebrate Mickey Wilson’s achievement and excited to watch their vision continue to unfold—here at Howard University and far beyond.