Open call for Supima's fashion competition |
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| Tuesday, 18 November 2008 | |
 Phoenix-based Supima, the promotional organization for the US cotton industry, is again to hold a design competition for emerging talent. Modeled on the legendary 1954 Wool Secretariat competition that launched the careers of the then-teenaged Yves St. Laurent and
Karl Lagerfeld, Supima has structured a contest that will give runway exposure and publicity to emerging talent while functioning as a design laboratory for its partner mills and licensees.
"We've found that there's an amazing depth of talent out there," said Buxton Midyette, Supima's New York-based vice president of marketing, "and at the same time, there's more need for it than ever. Fashion is an industry that, by definition, thrives on innovation." Among the select 25 of candidates, Supima will be looking for young talented fashion students, designers starting out in their career as well as seasoned designers all eager to showcase their work in a live runway show for an audience of buyers, editors, retailers and other industry heavyweights. The contest begins with an open call at the Thompson Hotel in SoHo on November 20 and 21. Contestants are asked to bring a women's evening wear sketch, portfolio, résumé, and garment that they've designed and sewn. Entries will be judged in part on how they capitalize on the strength and softness of Supima cotton. Approximately 25 finalists will then be given 10 yards of a top-quality Supima fabric to execute their sketch, followed by fittings on professional models. The contest will culminate in a live runway presentation held on January 14 at Gotham Hall in front of an audience of buyers, editors, and stylists. Image: Supima |
The design competition follows the Supima strategy to put industry talent to work rethinking the possibilities of fashion, beginning with fibers and fabrics.