Fashion Week may still be a month away, but some designers took to the runway on Wednesday night. Cotton trade and promotion agency Supima gathered a crowd of fashion buyers, editors, and stylists at Gotham Hall for a competition to market the versatility of U.S.-grown cotton. Showcasing outfits from 21 emerging designers—selected at an open call and tasked with creating two looks each from 10 yards of fabric—the event also employed cotton as its decor.
"It’s about rethinking the entire fashion system, from the fabric to the fashion,” said Buxton Midyette, vice president of marketing for Supima. “Up to now the runway has been the domain of silks, taffetas, and organzas. So we’ve partnered with designers, leveraging their creativity and talent to show the world the potential of Supima fabrics. They are not just for T-shirts—you can also produce gorgeous evening wear.”
Swatches of fabric from the mills adorned four boards that decorated both sides of the hall. Metal-framed towers with cascading vines of raw cotton flanked either side of the runway, which was lined with buds of raw cotton. Mannequins dressed in winning designs from a competition held last year sat near the entrance.
California-based independent producer Marc Burton worked with Think PR to execute the event. Midyette said Supima started planning shortly after last year’s event and wasn’t deterred by the economic downturn. It’s more important than ever, he said, for fashion to be durable and cost effective, as people are selective with their purchases.
“After the buying binge of the past decade, people have full closets and are not going to go out shopping again if they see the same items being presented. They need newness,” Midyette said. “We feel we can play a role in that. Supima cotton has a performance and value aspect that we’d like the market to know about.”
At the end of the evening, a panel of seven fashion directors, professors, and executives awarded designer Kimenna the top prize for design; Karen Sabag won the award for execution.
