VCU Students are Finalists in Worldwide Design Competition

By Tom Gresham and Sabrina Walters

Two fashion design students in Virginia Commonwealth University's Department of Fashion Design and Merchandising were selected as finalists in the 2008 American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists competition. 

The designs of Casey Bianco, who is from Lynchburg, Va., and Jessica Lee, who is from Newport News, Va., were chosen from the approximately 140 submissions from students pursuing art degrees across the United States. The competition was developed by Concept 2 Consumer Interest Group and the Computer Integrated Textile Design Association to encourage innovative product development.  

Bianco was one of five finalists chosen in the apparel product design category for her eco-friendly design titled "Natural Beauty." Her Japanese inspired print designs celebrate the natural world with a graphic, bold and playful look. Bianco also was awarded a trip to Bradford, England, to compete for the Society of Dyers and Colourists Global Design competition this month.

Lee was one of five finalists in the fabric product design category, in which she displayed all of the colors of nature in her "Iris" design.

Ten finalists were chosen from 25 different institutions worldwide. The finalists are required to submit story boards and final products for judging in May. Winning entries will receive cash awards of $1,000 for first place and $500 for second place in each category. 

The Fourth Annual C2C/CITDA design competition features two main categories – interior/outdoor design and apparel design. The competition challenges art, interior design and fashion merchandising graduate and undergraduate students to create an original collection of coordinating textile designs that celebrate eco-friendliness and include all the colors of nature using the theme "Earth Day/Every Day."

The competition also promotes the creation of appropriate fabric designs focusing on color, texture, visual appeal, aesthetics, reproducibility, functionality and the opportunity for recycling.

For more information, contact Karen M. Videtic, chair and associate professor of fashion design and merchandising at VCU, at (804) 828-5431 or Kristen Caskey, associate professor of fashion design and merchandising, at (804) 828-1699.