At the Eighth Annual Supima Design Competition, seven talented contestants competed for $10,000 by creating evening wear out of Supima cotton. The show, hosted by Former Miss America Olivia Culpo, began with a few short videos discussing Supima cotton and the goal of the competition for both the contestants and those hosting the event.

Many contestants expressed their hope for name recognition, practice, the chance to receive free fabric for a collection as well as mentorship from Supima designers. Supima spoke of their hopes to heighten the profile of up and coming designers. Karen Dang, of the Academy of Art University, Nnamdi Agum of the Fashion Institute of Technology, Paige Meacham of Kent State University, Leetal Platt of the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Lauren Nahigian of the Pratt Institute, Julia Han of the Rhode Island School of Design and Kate McKenna of the Savannah College of Art and Design were the final contestants.

Their collections came from diverse inspiration, some citing their choice of carefully placed ruffles to be inspired by landscaping, and others receiving inspiration from the color of indigo in the south. The collections were diverse and vibrant, and rich uses of color were anything but scarce.

Standout pieces included Platt’s structured twill jumpsuit, Nahigian’s forest green denim bell-bottom jumpsuit with laser cut flowers and beading, and a hand painted corduroy strapless mermaid dress from McKenna. As the collections graced the runway it was clear that these young designers had not only great ambition, but fantastic talent and training. Each collection had a voice that held strong with every look.

It is without a doubt that anyone can assume these designers have bright futures ahead of them, but ultimately the award was given to Kate McKenna for her remarkable hand-painted, structured collection.

Laura Anne Tucciarone is contributing writer. Email her at [email protected]