The fourth annual Supima Design Competition 2011, emceed by Rachel Zoe, awarded $10,000 to first prize winner to Jusil Carroll.
Of the eight finalists, Jusil was also my pick, with a high-waisted gown and matching vest with leather embellishment as my favorite look of the entire competition.
This year's finalists were chosen from America's leading design schools - MaRu Jung and Dara Rosen of Pratt Institute, Rachel Pullman and Connie Weng of Rhode Island School of Design, Marlow Larson and Lorena Cuevas of Savannah College of Art and Design and Amy Bittner and Jusil Carroll of Fashion Institute of Technology.
The Supima Design Competition required each designer to rethink familiar fabric conventions: lustrous wovens used as high-end shirting, fine jersey, sturdy denims, corduroys and twills that make up premium jeans and sportswear.
Designs were judged on originality, execution, and ability to reinvent Supima, America's luxury cotton.
Here are my favorites from each of the designers:
Jusil Carroll
Left: Sleeveless cocktail dress with draped skirt, constructed of dyed twill with leather shoulder harness
Right: Sleeveless, high-waisted evening gown with layered skirt and self train, constructed of dyed and digitally printed shirting, worn with a matching digitally printed vest with leather embellishment
Left: Sleeveless evening gown with architectural hip detailing and self train, constructed of bleached and hand-painted denim with leather embellishment Right: Sleeveless, high waisted evening gown with draped skirt and self train, constructed of dyed and digitally printed draped jersey, worn with matching vest with leather embellishment
MaRu Jung
Left: Strapless cocktail dress of bleached, dyed, painted and stamped denim embellished with painted lace and beading
Right: Cocktail dress with elbow-length sleeves, constructed of bleached, dyed, and painted corduroy embellished with sequins and beads
Dara Rosen
Left: Denim dress with pin-tucked bodice and cotton rope embellishment
Right: Evening dress constructed of bias-cut corduroy with hand-pleating details and cotton rope embellishment
Rachel Pullman
Left: Sleeveless, full-skirted cocktail dress of dyed corduroy with self-belt and foil embellishment at hemline
Right: Sleeveless evening dress with plunging neckline, constructed of dyed jersey with black foil embellishment
Connie Weng
Left: Draped evening gown constructed of engineer-printed shirting, with leather halter
Right: Draped jersey evening gown constructed of engineer-printed jersey
Marlow Larson
Left: Bracelet-sleeved evening dress with elongated side and back godets, constructed of ink-painted and tea-dyed shirting
Right: Strapless evening dress with elongated back godet, constructed of corduroy
Lorena Cuevas
Left: Evening gown with extended-shoulder detail and removable top skirt, constructed of corduroy with hand-painted and embroidered embellishment Right: One-shoulder evening gown with diagonal standing collar, constructed of dyed denim with hand-painted and embroidered embellishmentAmy Bittner
Left: Strapless cocktail dress in olive twill with gold lace accents, worn with boned corset and cape-shoulder shrug constructed from self-fabric cording
Right: Sleeveless gown in violet shirting worn with cage corset constructed from self-fabric cording
Photos by Alexander Michael, LUXEPIC
- Kim Weling
