Yesterday evening concluded our TrimLab / HSFI Design Competition when the winners, runner-ups and honorable mentions were announced! The contest itself had begun at the beginning of March. At that time, we choose 7 sketches from those submitted by 25-30 senior students who’s 
designs, unique and creative, all featured the importance and functionality of the zipper. On May 26, 2015 we, along with an esteemed panel of judges, saw the garments brought to life for the very first time. Each design showcased their use of the zipper in a different and original way. Some zippers were added to the garment as hardware or for design purposes and others were included for functionality. Some of the pieces were so versatile that they actually went from a jacket to a short-sleeved blazer!
Our panel of judges consisted of different fashion industry professionals who are close friends to either TrimLab or the contest administrator, and one of the founding fathers, Robert Di Mauro. Nikki Martinkovic is the owner of Nikki Martinkovic Textile Design Studio as well as an associate designer for the brand Milly by Michelle Smith. Jan Klier is a close friend of Tri
mLab’s and is a NYC-based fashion photographer and videographer. He is an active member of both the Fashion Group International and the American Society for Media Photographers. Jerry Kaye, was for 12 years, the Design Director of Perry Ellis. In addition to directing his own menswear line he is preparing the launch of a womenswear line! All of our judges agreed that they were completely blown away by the talent of the students and execution of each garment they created!
Truth be told, all the designs were amazing. It was a hard decision to choose just one, so although we did have only one grand prize winner, each designer left with a consolation prize of their hard work and effort. Models walked the runway as the each designer was questioned by the judges on their expectations, designs and construction problems. It was a true Project Runway-esque fashion show. TrimLab is so proud to be a sponsor of this contest and couldn’t be happier with the results!
trimlab.wordpress.com 