Kent State graduate Wendy Weng represented Kent State’s School of Fashion in the 2023 Supima Design Competition at New York Fashion Week Sept. 7-13.
The Supima Design Competition, launched in 2008, is an international showcase competition designed to help rising fashion designers display their work and step into the industry, according to its website . The competition consists of eight selected designers who are required to create a line of evening wear using Supima’s cotton fabric.
Originally from Lancaster, Ohio, Weng graduated from Kent State in May of 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in fashion design.
“For this competition, we were supposed to use five fabrics: twill, velveteen, jersey, denim and shirting,” she said. “We have a whole process we have to go through. May is designated to design. June is for muslins, and in July, we send our muslins to a fitting and do a try on and any tweaking we need. We start constructing our final garments in August, and then we have a month to finish everything.”
For the competition, Weng designed a clothing line with the theme of nature’s destruction and regeneration. The inspiration came from her fascination with nature’s cycle, she said.
“I find it very interesting how nature is able to go through different kinds of destruction,” she said. “So it goes from a lively plant to the stage of destruction, and it gets burned down. Then it becomes dead, with no life, and then it comes back to become a bigger force or a bigger tree. Things like that I find really interesting.”
The line begins with a long dress inspired by a lively plant, featuring green and brown colors resembling a healthy tree. It is followed by a shorter brown and white dress, presenting the process of decomposition. The third dress is designed with shades of brown, portraying nature when it “dies.”
The fourth dress presents nature coming back to life, with lighter shades of brown, and intricate ruffles resembling dried up leaves. The fifth and final dress reverts to green colors, showing nature’s ability to return to life.
The Supima Design Competition fashion show occurred Sept. 7, where designer Carla Pierini took home the winning $10,000 prize.
Weng spent her time in New York meeting with the other designers, prepping her line and meeting new people in the fashion industry.
The designers could meet and learn from the notable designer and competition host Jeremy Scott. Weng also got to speak to reporters from the fashion publications Women’s Wear Daily and Harper’s Bazaar.
The competition helped Weng learn more about herself and which direction of fashion design she should go in, she said.
“At the very beginning I was very lost, like should I go towards ready-to-wear, or if I should go towards more couture?” she said. “But I realized there’s a nice mix in between.”
Weng believes the competition will be a big highlight on her resume, and she hopes to find a designer job in New York City.
“It was like a dream come true,” Weng said. “I was able to create a collection with barely any limitations and have a great team of mentors to help problem solve. I even got to participate in New York Fashion Week as a designer, this is a big accomplishment for any small designer.”
Kelsie Horner is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].
