Supima Names RISD Alumni Yuki Xu Design Competition Winner
Supima and stylist Law Roach on Thursday revealed Yuki Xu, alumni of Rhode Island School of Design, as this year’s Supima Design Competition winner.
Xu and five finalists — Cat Pfingst of Drexel University; Jiarui (Ruby) Cai of Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising; Yitao Li of Fashion Institute of Technology; Alana Tolliver from Kent State University, and Bora Kim from School of Art Institute of Chicago — showcased eveningwear crafted entirely with Supima cotton fabrics for an opportunity to win $10,000. The designers were tasked with producing five looks using Supima fabric, including shirting, twill, denim, jersey and velveteen.
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The designers were mentored by CFDA Award winning eveningwear designer Bibhu Mohapatra and the collections were evaluated by a panel of judges that included Roach, as well as Nicola Formichetti, Fern Mallis, Edward Barsamian, Luke Meagher, Kelly Augustine, Godfrey Deeny, Freya Drohan, Gianluca Longo, Emilia Petrarca, Avril Graham, Claire Thomson-Jonville, Rajni Jacques, Maria Bernad, Tyler McCall, Tati Cotliar, Shibon Kennedy, Jerome Lamaar and the 2016 SDC winner, Jeffrey Taylor.
This year marks the event’s return to a physical presentation as last year’s competition was hosted via Instagram Live and was also hosted by Roach. The previous winner, Amanda Forastieri from Drexel University, also received a $10,000 prize.
“Given some of the challenges we are still facing, we are so proud of this year’s group of finalists,” said Buxton Midyette, vice president of marketing and promotions for Supima, in revealing this year’s competition in August. “They are all extremely talented and have been able to embrace the true meaning of the SDC with their creativity and innovation.”
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