Mark your calendar: The next generation of designers is set to debut on September 5 as the 17th annual Supima Design Competition returns to New York Fashion Week. Supima, the nonprofit brand that promotes the use of American-grown Pima cotton, organizes the annual runway competition to introduce up-and-coming designers to the fashion industry.
This year, six students, each nominated by a leading design school in the U.S., will compete for the chance to win $10,000. Phillip Lim, creative director and co-founder of 3.1 Phillip Lim, will host the live show and select the winner alongside a prestigious panel of judges. Bibhu Mohapatra, CFDA award winner and evening wear designer, will return for the 10th year as a mentor to the finalists.
Each finalist will be challenged to create a womenswear capsule collection using five premium Supima cotton fabrics, including velveteen, twill, shirting, jersey, and denim. “For many finalists, it’s their first experience using cotton, and the high-quality and performance of Supima fabrics is a real revelation, opening up so many opportunities for unique manipulations, constructions, and silhouettes,” says Buxton Midyette, vice president of marketing and promotions at Supima. “They bring no preconceptions about Supima to the competition. Because of that, they’re able to reinvent the fabrics and really embrace and elevate Supima beyond its normal uses.”
Midyette refers to the entire process as a “mini MFA program” for the finalists, with weekly deliverables to help them stay on track and 360º mentoring from Mohapatra to help them successfully create their collection for the runway show. “I never cease to be astonished at the creativity the finalists bring to the Supima Design Competition,” Midyette says. “While they all start with the same five fabrics, no two collections are vaguely alike. Just when I think I’ve seen it all, they astound me with their talent and innovation.”
The finalists are Emma Joan Foley from Parsons School of Design, The New School, Jules Gourley from School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Henry Hawk from Rhode Island School of Design, Marina Lamphier from Drexel University, Mina Piao from Fashion Institute of Technology, and Lizzy Truitt from Kent State University.
The runway presentation will be live-streamed on Supima’s social media channels on September 5 at 1 p.m. ET, and will be available to view on supima.com the following day.
Editor’s note: If you missed the livestream, be sure to view the full show and see Emma Joan Foley from Parsons School of Design take home the coveted prize.
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