2010 International Student Designer Competition Rules
Miami International Fashion Week™ will host the 3rd annual International Student Fashion Designer Competition as organizers search the world for the best new student designers to participate in a fashion showcase on opening night.
Student Designers specializing in men's wear and women's wear (day and evening) will be reviewed for acceptance in the showcase. The season your submissions should be designed in is "Spring." Five student designers will be chosen to participate by our panel of judges.
The International Student Designer Showcase will take place March 18, 2010 at MIFW at Midtown in Miami's trendy Wynwood Art District. The show will be attended by local, national and international press, buyers, celebrities and VIP guests as your newest designs are presented to the world. One student designer will be chosen as the "Top International Student Fashion Designer of the Year" and presented with an award at the closing Miami Moda & Music Awards® show on March 21, 2010. The judge's decision is final.
The winner will also receive the following:
1. Name, school and headshot included in the Hall of Fame on the official MIFW web site
2 .A cash prize donated by the Miami Fashion Week Foundation Scholarship Fund
3. A one-hour mentoring session with Mercedes Gonzalez, President of Global Purchasing Group in NYC
For student designers to be eligible for participation in the showcase, the following requirements must be met:
1. Student designer must be currently enrolled in a fashion design, fashion merchandising or fashion management program anywhere in the world.
2. Student designer must be able to produce one outfit for the showcase and provide shoes and accessories for the model.
3. If you meet the requirements, students are requested to submit three (3) sketches in JPEG (72 DPI) or PDF format including fabric swatches for each garment, a biography in English and copy of your student ID by email to studentdesigner@miamifashionweek.com.
4. Deadline for submissions is January 15, 2010. Finalists will be posted on the web site February 1, 2010.
About the Judges:
Mercedes Gonzalez, President of Global Purchasing Group, Mercedes has been a buyer in the garment industry since 1988 after graduating from New York University where she earned her degree in economics. She worked with one of the largest buying offices at the time, Frederick Atkins and participated in private label for such stores as Dillard’s and Harvey Nickels of England. In the last 20 years Mercedes has worked with some of the most important buying offices in the country and has helped to open or restructure hundreds of stores in the United States and abroad, including the inaugural Sears store in Panama.
Regularly featured in industry publications, such as Women’s Wear Daily, Mercedes also teaches workshops on successful retailing at industry trade shows such as MAGIC and WSA and at regional markets in Atlanta, California and Dallas, and was an adjunct professor at N.Y.U. School of continuing education. She sits on the board of the Fashion Merchandising Department at the University of Arkansas and at the University of Nebraska. She is invited around the world from Chile to China to speak to retailers and manufacturers on entering the US market. She has been featured on the “Today Show”, as a retail expert has given presentations to the International Fashion Group, and has two award winning videos in the New York Public Library website on retailing. www.globalpurchasinggroup.com
Robin Fleming, with a degree in marketing and public relations from DePaul University, as a leading Stylist and President of La Casa Hermosa, Robin has created an international lifestyle brand based in South Florida. As the site of fashion magazine editorial layouts, specializing in custom pageant gowns, couture bridal looks, and special event dressing, Robin is a master in dealing with designer and high-end lables at both wholesale and retail levels as LCH selects only the best in each category and at every price point to represent. As a specialist in the world's top beauty pageants and special occasion dressing, Robin and La Casa Hermosa have been profiled in multiple industry publications, such as Savvy Magazine, Supermodels Unlimited, Four Points, The Beauty Insider, Wellington Magazine, Palm Beach Post, Palm Beach Rox Television & Radio, the Today Show, the Travel Channel, You Tube, PNB.com, TFTJ.com, and Pageantry Magazine. Robin is also President of the International Alliance of Speciality Fashion Retailers. www.lacasahermosa.com
All costs of the showcase including professional models will be paid by MIFW. Finalists for the showcase are responsible for their own travel costs and all costs associated with the production of the outfit. All student designers submitting sketches will be invited to attend the showcase and the trends, retail and business seminars hosted by MIFW during the event. All inquires should be emailed to info@miamifashionweek.com.
