All Posts Tagged With: "Fashion Competitions"

We’ve been following Shoe Star, a shoe design challenge by Nine West. Check out the competition so far.

It’s Down to Six: Sketch Challenge Raises the Stakes

By Lindsay E. Sammon and Clair Windsor

The first shoe has dropped in the FN Shoe Star competition.

Nervous energy filled the air on Feb. 6 as the seven FN Shoe Star finalists lined up in the Nine West design studio to face the first elimination round of the six-month-long competition. The students had five minutes to present their five sketches to the judging panel: FN’s Michael Atmore, Nine West’s Fred Allard, FIT’s Ellen Goldstein and guest judge Giuseppe Zanotti. Inspiration, technical execution and on-trend styling were the main elements up for critique.

“The talent we are looking for has to have their finger on the pulse of fashion today,” said Nine West creative director Allard. “They did well in what could have been an intimidating situation.”

According to Atmore, judging the inspiration boards — which ranged from the Amazon rainforest to Japanese kimonos — and sketches was no easy task. “We had to judge on their concept and execution — and in many cases, one element was stronger than the other. Once they’re in the real world, they’re going to have to deliver on both,” he said.

The judges’ closed-door deliberation lasted nearly 30 minutes and, in the end, Lana Klemeyer was eliminated.

Six finalists remain, and only one thing is for sure: One of them will be the FN Shoe Star.
After the jump see the designs (including a shoe inspired by ice cream) and see who was eliminated.

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Todays the last day of maurices Project Handbag challenge. We got over 100 entries from all over the country. There’s still time to submit so feel free to click on the giant maurices button that’s on the top of our site.

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Just call it Project Runway for Feet…

Who has what it takes to become the footwear industry’s next up-and-coming designer? Footwear News and Nine West, in association with New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, are putting seven promising designers to the test in the first Shoe Star contest.

Over the next six months, the seven finalists will compete against each other in a series of six challenges testing their ability to think outside the box and create innovative designs that will keep them in the running to win the 2008 Shoe Star title.

A panel of industry professionals, including FN’s editorial director Michael Atmore, Nine West’s creative director Fred Allard, FIT’s professor and chairperson of the accessories design program Ellen Goldstein and a rotating list of celebrity judges, will critique each challenge, eliminating one contestant each round until the winner is announced at the Fashion Footwear Association of New York’s tradeshow in June.

In addition to the 2008 Shoe Star title, the winner will gain a coveted spot on the Nine West design team to work on the spring ’09 footwear, handbags and accessories collections. As the contest progresses, FN will be documenting the competition online and in print, while Ninewest.com will feature video highlights from each week’s judging round.

These seven student designers have secured a place in the competition, but only one of them will become the next Shoe Star.

Ryan Baker
Age: 22
Hometown: Rochester, N.Y.
Though he already stands out among the all-female Shoe Star roster (which includes his older sis, Kristen), Baker is confident that his designs will set him apart. “I have a very technical eye,” said Baker who is most inspired by designer Michael Ditullo. “My designs reflect a useful utilitarian appeal. I like knowing that the design is functional.”

Melissa Cordero
Age: 22
Hometown: Staten Island, N.Y.
Melissa Cordero admits to having a “slight obsession” with athletic footwear design. “I’ve worked with [athletic footwear] in retail and in design,” said Cordero. “The challenge of their designs, from color to function, always fascinates me.” Cordero credits Stella McCartney’s collaboration with Adidas as being her greatest inspiration. Cordero has interned for Betsey Johnson, Daniel M. Friedman & Associates and is currently interning for Tommy Hilfiger Footwear.

Kerry Norton
Age: 21
Hometown: Little Silver, N.J.
Kerry Norton designs shoes that stand out. “The designer I admire most is Betsey Johnson,” said Norton. “I am inspired by her use of color, materials and [her] creativity.” Norton recently interned with jewelry designer Stacy Lapidus and, this month, will begin an internship with Ralph Lauren in the small leather goods and accessories division.

Lana Klemeyer
Age: 27
Hometown: Shohola, Pa.
Her love of salsa dancing has inspired Lana Klemeyer to design heels that are not only fashionable but also comfortable and functional. Klemeyer admires the work of Bottega Veneta designer Tomas Maier because, she says, the collection “conveys feelings of romance and mystery through its use of clean lines, color combinations, weaving, pleating and varied textiles.” This spring, Klemeyer will be interning with Ruthie Davis.

Melanie Maggio
Age: 21
Hometown: Harrisonburg, Va.
Whether she is working with footwear, apparel or handbags, Melanie Maggio keeps her designs classic. She says she likes the chic, modern designs of Michael Kors, adding that his collections are unique and fresh. And last fall, Maggio interned in the handbag division of Michael Kors. “It was a great opportunity to see the handbags as sketches and then, three months later, as actual bags,” said Maggio.

Kristen Baker
Age: 24
Hometown: Rochester, N.Y.
Kristen Baker is always on the lookout for design influences. “Most of my inspiration comes from paintings, sculptures, street art, architecture, prints and nature,” said Baker, who most admires Alexander McQueen and Yoshi Yamamoto. The designer has a background in fine arts and jewelry and also gained editorial experience during an internship at Nylon magazine.

Karen Hsieh
Age: 21
Hometown: Taipei, Taiwan
Karen Hsieh is passionate about footwear. “I love shoes,” said Hsieh. “Designing them, [wearing] them, even making them.” Hsieh says her strength as a designer comes from her unique color combinations. Hsieh admires the designs of Pierre Hardy and says he often brings a “shock wave” to the fashion world through his work.

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