Coats & Clark Design Challenge

Thirty fashion students from Kent State University designed, cut, stitched, knitted, quilted and dyed their way through the weekend in a Project Runway-style design challenge. The Second Annual Coats & Clark Design Challenge officially began on Friday, Jan. 29 at 5 p.m. and culminated with an award presentation late in the afternoon on Sunday, Jan. 31.

Sherry Schofield-Tomschin, an associate professor at Kent, emceed the event. The students presented their work to the audience and to the three judges, Elaine Thomas, Natalie Pankewicz and Jessica Paulson, and the judges then deliberated while the audience voted for their favorite design.

The winners were:

Best of Show: Sean Rice
Most Creative Use of Stitching and Trim: Kristy Howard
Most Creative Draping: Aaron Nicholas
Most Creative Patternmaking: Kelly Sizler
Most Creative Fabric Manipulation: Holly Thompson
Best Quality: Kelley Welch
Internship with BurdaStyle: Chelsea Eck
Audience Favorite: Kristy Howard

Prizes, presented by Nancy Jewell, manager of new business development at Coats & Clark, included a $1,500 scholarship from Coats & Clark, various sewing machines from Bernina and Singer, garment steamers and an internship with BurdaStyle.

Monday, February 1, 2010