Twenty lucky design students are getting an opportunity to show the world what they’re made of — they have been selected as semi-finalists in Cotton’s 24 Hour Runway Show Design Contest hosted by CottonUniversity.org. The top 10 winning designs will then be featured in Cotton’s 24 Hour Runway show on Saturday, November 8, 2014.
The 20 semi-finalists were given six weeks and $100 to bring their sketches to life, preparing a “back-to-school” outfit constructed of 95 percent cotton fabrics. The 10 winners, hand-selected by a panel of industry judges, including Kimberly Sussman, head stylist for Cotton’s 24 Hour Runway Show and Samantha Black, contestant on Project Runway Season 11 and Project Runway All Stars Season 4, will be announced the week of October 13.
The winning designs will strut down the runway during the show’s 11 a.m. “Back-to-School” hour on Saturday, November 8. Being featured at the world’s longest fashion show will give the aspiring designers an opportunity to show their designs to an audience of nearly one million viewers. The 10 finalists will also be awarded an all-expenses paid trip to Miami to experience the show in person.
“Through Cotton Incorporated’s Cotton University™, we work with student designers from all over the country. We’re proud to give these talented students an opportunity to showcase their work in a truly unique way,” said Mark Messura, Senior Vice President for Global Supply Chain Marketing at Cotton Incorporated. “This is a very competitive race to the runway, so we will see strong national student talent alongside established brands. It’s exciting to see what this next generation of cotton designers will share with the world!”
Cotton’s 24 Hour Runway Show returns to South Beach for a third edition and will be live-streamed online beginning Friday, November 7, at 8 p.m. EST, through Saturday, November 8 at 8 p.m. EST on TheFabricOfOurLives.com, PEOPLE.com, InStyle.com, Entertainment Weekly’s EW.com, Essence.com, SouthernLiving.com and RealSimple.com. The non-stop 24-hour event will take place on 8th Street and Ocean Drive and will feature “The Moments of Our Lives,” celebrating a different “cotton moment” every hour. A unique look will be featured each minute for a total of 1,440 cotton looks.
With more than 8,500 registered members, Cotton University™ is a valued education tool for industry professionals, students and faculty. It provides valuable resources to help users achieve their professional goals while elevating the understanding of cotton textiles and connecting with industry peers throughout the world.
