Emma Joan Foley of Parsons School of Design Wins Supima Design Competition

Emma Joan Foley, a graduate of The New School’s Parsons School of Design was the winner of the 17th annual Supima Design Competition, taking home a cash prize of $10,000.

Held Thursday at the Prince George Ballroom in New York, the live fashion show featured the collections of six finalists. In addition to Foley, they were Marina Lamphier from Drexel University; Mina Piao from Fashion Institute of Technology; Lizzy Truitt from Kent State University; Henry Hawk from Rhode Island School of Design, and Jules Gourley from School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

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“I’m still processing what I just witnessed; the storytelling, the innovation, the execution,” said host Phillip Lim, creative director and cofounder of 3.1 Phillip Lim, before the show. “I’m announcing it now, you will be served.”

Each of these schools nominated one of its top graduating seniors as a finalist for the Supima Design Competition. The students then engaged in a months-long mentorship program through Supima, culminating in a showcase of eveningwear capsule collections that highlights the unique characteristics of Supima cotton. Supima fabrics used were shirting, twill, denim, jersey and velveteen.

The six designers were judged on originality, execution and ability to showcase Supima.

For the 10th year in a row, the students were mentored by designer Bibhu Mohapatra. Lim, along with Buxton Midyette, vice president of marketing and promotions for Supima, did the introductions, and Lim announced the winner at the end, decided by a jury of industry executives.

Foley’s Supima collection explored the interplay between perceived and physical forms, drawing inspiration from body schema and the theoretical grotesque, according to her show notes. Foley, who hails from Minneapolis, was inspired by her mother’s career in shoe design and a lifelong passion for art. She received her BFA in fashion design at Parsons, having studied at Parsons Paris and Central Saint Martins, which helped shape her design approach that emphasizes fabric manipulation and the fluid integration of 2D and 3D techniques.

Midyette told WWD, “The 17th year of the Supima Design Competition was one for the record books. It was another incredible display of talent and creativity. The winner this year, Emma Joan Foley of Parsons, stunned the judges with bold colors and dramatic silhouettes punctuated with corsetry and fittings made with the 100 percent Supima cotton that she coated and manipulated to achieve the structure and suppleness of leather.”

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