Jeremy Scott to Host 16th Annual Supima Design Competition
Jeremy Scott will host the 16th annual Supima Design Competition, where eight finalists from the nation’s leading design schools will compete for a $10,000 prize. The show will take place during New York Fashion Week on Sept. 7 at 3 p.m.
“I’ve been happy to be a small part of helping bring new talents to the larger public’s awareness on the past two seasons of Amazon Original’s ‘Making the Cut.’ So it was a great honor to be asked to host the Supima Design Competition’s Sweet 16. How could I say no? I look forward to seeing all the finalists’ work,” said Scott, who is the creative director of his namesake label and former creative director of Moschino.
More from WWD
The Supima Design Competition supports emerging talent by enlisting graduates from top design universities across the country. This year’s finalists include Amber Kuia, Academy of Art University; Carla Pierini, Drexel University; Alexander Ziemba, Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising; Hee Jin Hwang, Fashion Institute of Technology; Wendy Weng, Kent State University; Tianze Wu, Parsons School of Design, The New School; Sahara Clemons, Rhode Island School of Design, and Mariana Espinosa, School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
These finalists are selected to partake in a months-long mentorship program through Supima, the nonprofit luxury brand that promotes the use of American-grown Pima cotton worldwide. The mentorship program culminates in a showcase of eveningwear capsule collections created with Supima cotton fabrics. The 16th annual competition provides the students with visibility and a chance at a financial prize of $10,000 awarded to the winner to support their fashion industry career kickoff.
Scott will emcee the live runway show and be joined by this year’s panel of judges, which includes more than 20 industry veterans, tastemakers, editors, designers and stylists.
“Jeremy Scott is the personification of the Supima Design Competition. He has dedicated his career to supporting emerging designers and brings that sense of mentorship to the Supima Design Competition. Who better to host the Supima Design Competition and give insight to this talented group of newly minted designers than Jeremy who has already walked their path and can challenge them to push the boundaries of creativity. He’s a true inspiration,” said Buxton Midyette, vice president of marketing and promotions at Supima.
All eight finalists will present their final designs during the New York Fashion Week runway presentation, where the jury will determine this year’s winner. The winner will be announced live during the Supima Design Competition runway show, which will also be available to livestream on Supima’s Instagram page.
Once again, CFDA Award-winning eveningwear designer Bibhu Mohapatra will join the Supima Design Competition for his ninth year as mentor to the finalists.
Best of WWD
