Supima Design Competition 2016 - RunwayA collective runway showing of participating designers from the nation’s top design schools, the ninth annual Supima Design Competition Runway Show was held on September 8, 2016 at the Skylight Clarkson Sq during the first day of New York Fashion Week.

Recent graduates from the nation’s top leading design schools: Duston Jasso from Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Jiyeon Lee from Fashion Institute of Technology, Kara Michelle Kroeger from Kent State University, Jacqueline Zeyi Chen from Parsons School of Design, Jacob Blau from Rhode Island School of Design, Jeffrey Taylor from Savannah College of Art and Design – presented capsule collections of women’s eveningwear made exclusively with donated Supima cotton fabrics from the organization’s partners including AG Jeans, Brooks Brothers and Uniqlo.

Speaking about his entry, Jacob Blau of Rhode Island School of Design said, “I was inspired by today’s new cool girl that wants to dress up and has the means to approach formality, but has few options that appeal to her. Using the 1950s teddy girl and the late 20th century UK rave culture as a research point, I love the exclusivity.”

“The youthful trouble-free glory and the sense of refined decadency of Edwardian fashion these sub cultures used rebellion to shock their parent’s generation. Using my specialty in menswear tailoring, my capsule collection will conjure a romantic yet nonchalant vibe of the new commanding woman who’s always looking for the next party; illustrating this poignantly modern yet historical narrative. Her counterpart guy might mean business and knowing what he’s doing, but she calls the shots,” Blau added.

Started in 2008, the annual Supima Design Competition was created to give runway exposure to emerging talent and was modeled on the legendary 1954 Wool Secretariat competition that launched the careers of the then-teenaged Yves St. Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld. Since its start, former Supima Design Competition winners have gone on to launch their own labels, show at New York Fashion Week, and secure jobs with top international labels including Michael Kors, Marchesa, Ralph Lauren and Phillip Lim.

Photos by Getty Images, courtesy of Supima