Meet The Creatives Behind Supima Cotton’s Annual Design Competition

Since its launch in 2008, the annual Supima Design Competition has become an incredible destination for up-and-coming designers to showcase their work before officially entering the fashion industry. Sponsored by USA-grown luxury cotton brand Supima, the contest challenges participants to create a five-piece womenswear capsule collection using premium Supima cotton fabrics, including shirting, velveteen, jersey, twill, and denim. Throughout the course of the competition, contestants have the opportunity to cultivate a support network and make industry connections.

Modeled after the 1954 Wool Secretariat competition, which launched the careers of many celebrated designers, the Supima Design Competition initially kicked off as a local contest. Now an international showcase with a presence at multiple fashion weeks across the world, the Supima Design Competition attracts the top graduates from the leading design schools in the United States.

This year’s finalists include rising talent from FIDM, FIT, the Academy of Arts University, Drexel University, Kent State University, Parsons School of Design, Rhode Island School of Design, and School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Each participant is supported by a team of mentors led by CFDA award winning designer Bibhu Mohapatra, and are then assessed by an illustrious panel of judges. This year, the list includes fashion designer Jeremy Scott, PAPER Magazine legend Mickey Boardman, Fashion Week founder Fern Mallis, celebrity stylist Kelly Augustine, and Fashion Network Global Editor-in-Chief Godfrey Deeny, among others. The winner, who will be announced on September 7, takes home a $10,000 cash prize, as well as exposure to fashion media, influencers, and industry execs.

Keep scrolling to meet the eight talented finalists and learn more about their work.

Wendy Weng

Born in New York City and now based in Ohio, recent Kent State University graduate Wendy Weng was only 11 years old when she drew her very first fashion figure. For her Supima collection, she worked with colors and textures inspired by nature's ability to regenerate after destruction. Weng points out that the Supima fabric works easily with laser cutting. “In the design process, I’ve experimented with laser cutting to create organic shapes and patterns, and then ombre dyed fabrics to create a transition between growth and destruction,” she says. Her final result boasts an earthy palette, leaf-like textures, and draped silhouettes.

Tianze Wu

Growing up in China, Tianze Wu became exposed to the world of fashion through his father, who is a designer himself. “I still vividly remember the awe I felt when I witnessed a fashion show live for the first time during my childhood, which sparked my great interest in the world of fashion design,” he says. For his Supima collection, the Parsons School of Design graduate took inspiration from his own thesis collection, which he says expresses the industrial aesthetic and Bauhaus furniture. “In the Supima collection, to convey the concept of natural fabrics, I have incorporated many natural elements, including my designed prints and fabrics dyed with the Chinese intangible cultural heritage plant tie-dye techniques,” he explains. Because Supima’s fabric is made of 100 percent cotton, Wu says it’s ideal for natural dyeing.

Sahara Clemons

Sahara Clemons, a Charlottseville, Virginia native and Rhode Island School of Design graduate, found herself interested in fashion design’s storytelling abilities. Due to her eczema, cotton plays an important role in her daily life, too, and the material serves as the inspiration for her Supima collection. “Two years ago I had a serious eczema breakout, which really shifted my perception of myself and my body,” she explains. “Prior to my breakout, fashion was a form of play, but then it became a way to cover up my skin. In my Supima collection, I wanted to speak to my experience with self acceptance and appreciation.”

Mariana Espinosa

Mariana Espinosa became interested in fashion as a young girl growing up in San Antonio, Texas. After being diagnosed with scoliosis, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago graduate had to wear a back brace, restricting her to a uniform of T-shirts and elastic-waist jeans. The experience taught her which cotton T-shirts lasted the longest, and made her aware of the confidence and validation clothing can bring. For her Supima Design Competition collection, Espinosa looked to Chicana futurism — a term coined by Catherine Ramirez — merging Mexican excellence with science fiction. “Seeing Mexican culture celebrated in this imaginative form challenges oppressive narratives held in modern-day society. By exploring how culture continues through time and place, I highlight my family's efforts in understanding and preserving Mexican culture,” she says.

Hee Jin Hwang

With a father who worked as a sculptor and a grandmother who ran a textile business, Hee Jin Hwang was always surrounded by art. “I always wanted to get involved in ‘art’ in my life, and I found fashion is closely related to human life, as well,” the Fashion Institute of Technology grad explains. Her Supima collection, which she describes as “whimsical and avant-garde,” is actually inspired by the images floating in her head — mostly influenced by her father and her upbringing in South Korea. “Fine art, sculptures, [and] installations that I've been seeing made an image in my head and that became my design inspiration,” she says. Hwang’s collection plays with vivid colors, balloon-like shapes, and polka-dot patterns.

Carla Pierini

Growing up in Venezuela, Carla Pierini says that making the most of her resources was the standard. “This idea of ‘sustainable design’ has been present in my life since I was little; I wasn’t aware this wasn’t the norm for other people,” she says. The Drexel University graduate says that her entry for the Supima Design Competition features a five-piece evening wear collection that tells the story of an immigrant through textile manipulations — using Supima cotton, of course. “I have written papers about [cotton], developed yarns with it, refused to learn how to knit petroleum-based yarns in my knitwear class and instead learned absolutely all about cottons,” she says. “I would say that out of all the clothes I have conceptualized and sewn at school, 85% are fully made from cotton.”

Amber Kuia

The Taiwanese-born designer Amber Kuia was interested in fashion from a very early age, seeing all the fabrics, textures, and romantic elements on the runway. As she grew up, the Academy of Art University grad started thinking about what she could actually do with fashion. “To me, it’s not just dressing well and being pretty, it’s actually a tool to bring an intangible concept into reality,” she explains. Her Supima Design Competition capsule collection, which takes its inspiration from the natural environment of Taiwan, is a new challenge for the designer, due to the fact that she’s creating a style and silhouette with which she doesn’t have much experience. “I’m a very cautious person and usually do precise constructions, but this time I brought a more abstract approach to resonate with my theme,” she says. Her final designs feature bold, flowing silhouettes that play with earthy colors.

Alexander Ziemba

Clothing has always fascinated California native and FIDM graduate Alexander Ziemba. Initially, he was interested in learning how to tailor his own clothes and recreate designer pieces that he couldn’t afford, but his interest later evolved into a passion. For his Supima collection, Ziemba pulled inspo from the concept of subjective memory and romanticism. “The collection plays with the concept that an individual's recollection of the past is influenced by their personal experience, and often the lines between reality and memory blur,” he says. “The collection is a capsule of distorted nostalgia, a small dedication to our innate ability to romanticize that we can no longer possess or return to.” As a result, Ziemba’s capsule blends ruffles, ruching, and floral patterns to create dramatic silhouettes.