2022-2023 Student Award Winners
NFLPA Social Justice T-Shirt Student Design Competition
Sponsor: National Football League Players Association (NFLPA)
Challenge: Design an inspiring social justice t-shirt.
Participants: Open to all FIT students.
Outcome: 1st Place: Siara Mencia (Textile/Surface Design BFA); 2nd Place: Siamara Thomas (Fashion
Business Management AAS); 3rd Place: Tammantha Merchant (Graphic Design BFA).
Contact: Illustration and Interactive Media Department Chair Daniel Shefelman ([email protected])
Articles: NFL Players Association and the Social Justice Center at FIT Unveil Student's Winning
T-Shirt Design
FM 422 (Merchandise Strategies Capstone Project)
Sponsor: Dick's Sporting Goods
Challenge: Create a brand merchandise strategy plus marketing development of the strategy idea
for Dick's Sporting Goods.
Participants: Open to FIT students enrolled in the Fashion Business Management's Spring 2023 FM
422 (Merchandise Strategies Capstone Project Course).
Outcome: 1st Place Winning Team: Ryan Bao (Fashion Business Management BS), Carly Burstein
(Fashion Business Management BS), Hunter Tribus (Fashion Business Management BS),
Hendry Zaldana (Fashion Business Management BS); 2nd Place Winning Team: Natalie Cueva
(Fashion Business Management BS), Bujung Kim (Fashion Business Management BS), Joyce
Li (Fashion Business Management BS), Jonathan Maria (Fashion Business Management BS),
Anne Nganga (Fashion Business Management BS); 3rd Place Winning Team: Franklin Distelzweig
(Fashion Business Management BS), Maeve Johnston (Fashion Business Management BS),
Hayden Williams Markley (Fashion Business Management BS), Raye Parks (Fashion Business
Management BS).
Contact: Fashion Business Management Professor Todd Blumenthal ([email protected]) and Fashion Business Management Professor Pebel Eloa Segura ([email protected]), Fashion Business Management Professor Dawn Halbrooks Robertson ([email protected]).
IHG US Open Tennis Ball Dress Student Design Contest
Sponsor: IHG Hotels & Resorts
Challenge: FIT students from Fashion Design Program were challenged to design a tennis ball dress
which would incorporate tennis balls/ tennis ball material, be wearable by a model,
and embraced the IHG and US Open tennis tournament brand.
Participants: Open to all 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th semester Fashion Design Students.
Outcome: 1st place: Daniel Bochkov (Fashion Design BFA, Concentration: Special Occasion);
2nd place: D'visqua Daniel (Fashion Design BFA); 3rd place: Zihan Hong (Fashion Design
BFA, Concentration Special Occasion).
Contact: Fashion Design Professor Michael Kaye ([email protected]).
“Raise A Tote To GlioLeo!” Shelby Kennedy's GlioLeo GBM Tote Bag Student Design Contest
Sponsor: GlioLeo Glioblastoma Foundation
Challenge: Design a stylish and practical tote bag for people with disabilities, particularly
those with diminished function and strength in their hands and fingers.
Participants: Undergraduate students at FIT's Footwear and Accessories Design Program.
Outcome: 1st Place: Elena Tucci (Footwear and Accessories Design One-Year AAS); 2nd Place:
Andrew Kaefer (Footwear and Accessories Design Two-Year AAS); 3rd Place - Keum Joo
Woo (Footwear and Accessories Design BFA).
Contact: Fashion Design Professor Tom Scott ([email protected]).
Articles: Raise a Tote to Glio Leo with FIT
MadaLuxe Upcycling Student Design Contest
Sponsor: Madaluxe Group
Challenge: Take Madaluxe Group’s damaged and unsellable, luxury products (bags, shoes, clothes,
scarves, and other accessories) and design either a complete “look” OR a sculpture
(e.g., home décor, furniture, etc.).
Participants: Fashion Design & Footwear and Accessories Design students.
Outcome: 1st Place: Tobey Archibald (Fashion Design AAS); 2nd Place: Margaret Benedict (Fashion
Design AAS); 3rd Place: Julia Nordahl (Fashion Design AAS).
Contact: Fashion Design Apparel Professor Nicole Benedetto ([email protected]).
QI-Collective Incubator Brand Accelerator Student Contest
Sponsor: QI-Collective
Challenge: Students were challenged to think like the architects and designers and be entrepreneurial
in designing a digital 3D Metaverse Collection.
Participants: Open to all 5th and 7th semester Fashion Design Students.
Outcome: 1st Place Team - Yully Wang (Fashion Design BFA) and Ping Edmunds (Fashion Design
BFA); 2nd Place - Pranita Gurung (Fashion Design BFA); 3rd Place - Hsu Sheng Ai (Fashion
Design BFA) and Yi Hsin Lu (Fashion Business Management BS).
Contact: Fashion Design Apparel Professor Nicole Benefield ([email protected]).
With Love Halston Student Design Contest
Sponsor: With Love Halston
Challenge: Influenced by the Halston Archives, the students were tasked to develop, customize,
style, reshape, and deconstruct the past, bringing it into a contemporary sustainable
context and design a garment to fit with the Halston Theme.
Participants: Open to all 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th semester Fashion Design Students.
Outcome: 1st Place: Nuo Cheng (Fashion Design BFA); 2nd Place: Cher Mouradzadegun (Fashion
Design BFA); 3rd Place: Daniel Bochkov (Fashion Design BFA).
Contact: Fashion Design Professor Michael Kaye ([email protected])
Articles: With Love Halston scholarship awards return to FIT, With Love Halston Wraps 2nd-annual FIT Student Scholarship Challenge
Fabriq Labs Web3 NFT Student Contest
Sponsor: Fabriq Labs
Challenge: Design an NFT under the established guidelines.
Participants: Open to all FIT students.
Outcome: 1st Place: Xizhuo Lin (Advertising and Digital Design BFA, Creative Technology Minor,
Psychology Minor); 2nd Place: Lauren Breuer (Production Management: Fashion and Related
Industries BS, Spanish Minor, Creative Entrepreneurship Minor); 3rd Place: Metaverse
Club {Max Barbosa (Advertising and Digital Design BFA, Ethics and Sustainability Minor,
Creative Technology Minor), Randy Castillo (Advertising and Marketing Communications
BS), Morgan Hlaing (Advertising and Digital Design BFA, Psychology Minor, History
of Art Minor), Zhixin Jia (Advertising and Digital Design BFA), Chloe Lee (Fashion
Business Management AAS), Xizhuo Lin (Advertising and Digital Design BFA, Creative
Technology Minor, Psychology Minor), Han Byul Kang (Advertising and Digital Design
BFA), Suebin Kang (Advertising and Digital Design BFA), Isabelle Kwong (Advertising
and Digital Design BFA, 3-Dimensional Design Minor, Creative Technology Minor), Sara
Park (Advertising and Digital Design BFA, History of Art Minor, Creative Technology
Minor), Michael Posso (Seminars Continuing Education)}. Community Prize: Priscilla
Ghaznavi (Entrepreneurship for the Fashion and Design Industries BS).
Contact: Entrepreneurship (Business Enterprise) Department Chair William Reinisch ([email protected]) and Professor Renee Leibler ([email protected]).
Articles: FIT’s First Student NFT Contest, Fabriq Labs Partners with the Fashion Institute of Technology to Launch NFT Design
Competition, Fabriq Labs partners with FIT to launch NFT design competition, Emerging Trends in the NFT and Web3 Space: Reddit’s New Collection, Fabriq Labs’ Competition,
Warranty Services, and AI-Generated Content
MimakiUSA Student Contest for MF522 (Fashion Creation II: Elective Connect)
Sponsor: MimakiUSA
Challenge: This year students taking the class participated in MimakiUSA Student Contest where
MimakiUSA sponsored all the first year MFA students for MF522 (Fashion Creation II:
Elective Connect) class. Mimaki provided printing services and material to each student
to create one garment. One student was selected to win sponsorship for printing of
their senior thesis collection for term Fall 2023-Spring 2024. Students have gained
real-world experience in how to put an original print design into work with a digital
printing service and then realize an actual garment utilizing the print.
Participants: All students enrolled in MF522 (Fashion Creation II: Elective Connect) course.
Outcome: 1st place winner: Ashleen Tuteja (Fashion Design MFA); Runners Up: Bryan Barrientos
(Fashion Design MFA) and Yoon Seo Lee (Fashion Design MFA).
Contact: MFA Fashion Design Professor Jun Juyeon Hong ([email protected]).
NYSR Student Design Rendering Contest
Sponsor: New York Society of Renderers
Challenge: Submit a rendering (any media, hybrid or hand) that best promotes technical excellence
and creativity of student's designs.
Participants: FIT AAS students actively enrolled in the Interior Design program during the Spring
2023 academic semester.
Outcome: 1st Place: Manuela Triana Alviz (Interior Design AAS); 2nd Place: Yurong Tang (Interior
Design AAS); 3rd Place: Danielle Setta (Interior Design AAS); Honorable Mention: Kristen
Lavalle (Interior Design AAS).
Contact: Interior Design Professor Sven Johnson ([email protected]).
Pinnacle Educational Project for ED531 (Presentation Techniques)
Sponsor: Pinnacle
Challenge: Pinnacle has partnered with FIT's Graduate Exhibition & Experience Design Department
to design a pop-up exhibition for deployment to job fairs, gaming tournaments, and
student events at college campuses throughout the United States. The exhibition should
engage and excite students and prospective students around the cultural significance
of Epic Game’s flagship title, Fortnite, and industry-leading game development platform,
Unreal Engine. Students will create a mood board, floor plan, elevations, renderings,
digital model, technical deck, and narrative in collaboration with a world-class experiential
agency and real-world client. Through this process students will learn professional
design and pre-production processes for pre-production of experiential marketing activations
and utilize Epic Game’s bleeding-edge 3D visualization tools.
Participants: All students enrolled in Spring 2023 ED531 (Presentation Techniques) course.
Outcome: All projects were graded by the instructor as part of the class.
Contact: Exhibition and Experience Design Professor Pedro Mota ([email protected]).
The Lands We Live On Exhibition Project for ED 523 (Exhibition Design for the Museum Setting)
Sponsor: Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian
Challenge: This educational project is a joint collaboration between Exhibition and Experience
Design MA Department and Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. The student
objective of this project was to undertake the subject of utilizing content and collections
as determined by the museum so as to understand how exhibits are developed and physically
interpreted within a museum exhibition environment. Students were responsible for
adhering to all rules and requirements of a museum venue, developed by the faculty
instructor in collaboration with the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.
Participants: All students enrolled in Spring 2023 ED 523 (Exhibition Design for the Museum Setting).
Outcome: All projects were graded by the instructor as part of the class.
Contact: Exhibition and Experience Design Professor Brenda Cowan ([email protected]).
Loro Piana Knit Design Award
Sponsor: Loro Piana
Challenge: Come up with a creative interpretation and a prototype of some of the iconic yarns
that encapsulate Loro Piana's renowned excellence.
Participants: Talented students from leading design schools around the world.
Outcome: 1st place: Blake DeWitt (Fashion Design BFA) and Sumin An (Fashion Design BFA).
Contact: Fashion Design Professor Tom Scott ([email protected]).
Articles: Loro Piana Announces Winners of Renowned Knit Design Award
ED542 (Exhibition Design Graphics) Wildlife Conservation Society Graphic Placemaking and Wayfinding Design Project for Central Park Zoo
Sponsor: The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) — Central Park Zoo
Challenge: The objective of this project was to introduce students to experiential graphic design
through an EED Design Partnership collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Society.
The students worked closely with the client team to first document the types of existing
graphics and then create a graphic placemaking and wayfinding design package for the
Central Park Zoo.
Participants: All students enrolled in ED 542 (Exhibition Design Graphics) course.
Outcome: All projects were graded by the instructor as part of the class.
Contact: Exhibition and Experience Design Associate Chairperson Christina Lyons ([email protected]).
FIT Constitution Day Postcard Competition
Sponsor: School of Liberal Arts
Challenge: Students were asked to design the front and back of a postcard (3X5 or 4X6 inches)
that illustrates their beliefs about any part of the United States Constitution.
Participants: Open to all part-time and full-time FIT students.
Outcome: 1st Place: Cindy Choo (Graphic Design BFA, Asian Studies Minor, History of Art Minor);
2nd Place: Tammantha Merchant (Graphic Design BFA); 3rd Place: Samantha Thomas (Graphic
Design BFA, Color Studies Minor, Creative Technology Minor).
Contact: Communication Design Pathways Professor Ronald (Ron) Bacsa ([email protected]).
Macy’s Flower Show Industry-Sponsored Project
Sponsor: Macy's
Challenge: FIT students were challenged to design a window display that embodies and celebrates
the theme of this year's show "Big Dreams Bloom Here" as well as their hopes and
aspirations.
Participants: Open to all 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th semester FIT students.
Outcome: 1st Place Team: Lilliana BIfferato (Graphic Design BFA, History of Art Minor), Killian
Faulkner (Animation, Interactive Media and Game Design BFA), Anum Khawaja (Visual
Presentation and Exhibition Design BFA), Naja McCain (International Trade and Marketing
for the Fashion Industries BS, Ethics and Sustainability Minor, African American and
Africana Studies Minor), Hypnos Molina-Gameos (Illustration BFA); 2nd Place Team:
Alexandria Casella (Visual Presentation and Exhibition Design BFA, History of Art
Minor), Josefine Diaz (Illustration BFA, History of Art Minor), Gregory Guy (Animation,
Interactive Media and Game Design BFA), Maggie Ramos (Animation, Interactive Media
and Game Design BFA), Brandon Sanichar (Graphic Design BFA, Creative Technology Minor,
History of Art Minor); 3rd Place Team: Serena Annucci (Visual Presentation and Exhibition
Design BFA, History of Art Minor), Jiel Joseph (Fashion Business Management BS), Christin
Karam (Toy Design BFA), Danielle Limmer (Graphic Design BFA), Sydney Magrane (Animation,
Interactive Media and Game Design BFA).
Contact: Illustration and Interactive Media Department Chair Daniel Shefelman ([email protected])
Articles: Macy's Flower Show 2023 - FIT, Macy's Flower Show 2023 - Macy's Live, Big Dreams Bloom at the Macy’s Flower Show
CM423 (Cosmetic and Fragrance Product Development Workshop)
Sponsor: Aromatherapy Associates
Challenge: For this project Nottingham Trent University (NTU) Fashion Business Management teams were responsible for driving the process and for
identifying ideas. They worked in collaboration with scent experts from FIT to challenge
conventional thinking, develop better knowledge about fragrance and help shortlist
ideas which effectively addresses the brief.
Participants: Open to FIT students enrolled in the spring 2023 CM423 (Cosmetic and Fragrance Product
Development Workshop) as well as Nottingham Trent University Fashion Business Management
students.
Outcome: All projects were graded by the instructor as part of the class.
Contact: Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing Chair Virginia Bonofiglio ([email protected]).
DRESSX 3D Utopia/Dystopia Imagining Our Future - Student Design Contest
Sponsor: DRESSX
Challenge: Design a digital outfit and 3-D model in an imagined utopic or dystopic future (100+
years).
Participants: All currently enrolled FIT students with 3D modeling experience.
Outcome: 1st Place: Chaeeun Lee (Fashion Design BFA); 2nd Place: Talia Abbe (Fashion Design
MFA); 3rd Place: Heran Zhang (Fashion Design BFA); 4th Place: Brunela Ramirez (Fashion
Design MFA); 5th Place: Jiwon Park (Fashion Design AAS); Audience Award Winner - Cole
Sudduth (Fashion Design BFA).
Contact: Fashion Design Apparel Professor Dobriana Gheneva ([email protected]) or Fashion Design Apparel Professor Andrea Diodati ([email protected]).
MetroPlusHealth Uniforms for NYC’s Healthcare Change Makers Student Design Contest
Sponsor: MetroPlusHealth Plan, Inc
Challenge: Design uniforms that feel comfortable, confident, and cool for four separate sorts
of employee roles at MetroPlusHealth Plan, Inc., (Traveling Transporter, Street Savers,
Community Connector and The Voice), and will reflect the MetroPlusHealth brand, as
well as taking into account working conditions and reflecting cultural awareness of
both the employees and the communities they serve.
Participants: Open to 4th, 5th, 6th, or 7th semester students enrolled in Fashion Design or Technical
Design/Patternmaking Programs.
Outcome: Categories & Winners: Driver – Habin Lee (Technical Design BS), Enrollment – Luhua
Hung (Fashion Design BFA), Community Engagement – Avery Jeon (Fashion Design BFA),
Call Center – Georgina Gianna Dionicio (Fashion Design BFA), Honorable Mention – Community
Engagement – Yuting Fu (Fashion Design BFA).
Contact: Fashion Design Apparel Professor Michael Kaye ([email protected]).
Articles: MetroPlusHealth Announces Eight FIT Student Finalists for NYC Dream Weaver Uniform
Re-Design Challenge, MetroPlusHealth Announces Winning FIT Designs for NYC Dream Weaver Uniform Design
Challenge, Five FIT Students Win Prizes Totaling $21,000 to Outfit Health Care Heroes of NYC
Health Plan
Ralph Saltzman Prize Student Contest
Sponsor: Saltzman Family Foundation
Challenge: Design fabric that would incorporate characteristics of alternative work spaces and
which would meet aesthetic and functional aspirations of today’s employees all while
preserving the boundaries of the corporation.
Participants: Open to 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th semester students enrolled in Textile Development
and Marketing Program.
Outcome: 1st Place: Rebecca Dillenberger (Textile Development and Marketing BS); 2nd Place:
Jonathan Bowman (Textile Development and Marketing BS); 3rd Place: Emily Hubbard (Textile
Development and Marketing BS).
Contact: Textile Development and Marketing, Department Chair Sean Cormier ([email protected]).
FM 422 (Merchandise Strategies Capstone Project)
Sponsor: Francesca's
Challenge: Create a brand merchandise strategy plus marketing development of the strategy idea
for Francesca’s Administrative Management, Inc.
Participants: Open to FIT students enrolled in the Fashion Business Management's fall 2022 FM 422
(Merchandise Strategies Capstone Project Course).
Outcome: 1st place team: Nancy Ades (Fashion Business Management BS), Amanda Diaz (Fashion
Business Management BS), Raysa Montnegro (Fashion Business Management BS), Inbar Zana
(Fashion Business Management BS); 2nd place team: Katyana Avila (Fashion Business
Management BS), Rae Chen (Fashion Business Management BS), Wilfred Hu (Fashion Business
Management BS), Yu Sun (Fashion Business Management BS); 3rd place team: Evan Colacchio
(Fashion Business Management BS), Natalie Durham (Fashion Business Management BS),
Nicole Hanashian (Fashion Business Management BS), Hannah Rongo (Fashion Business
Management BS).
Contact: Fashion Business Management Professor Catherine Geib ([email protected]) or Fashion Business Management Professor Nancy Sheridan ([email protected]).
Saks OFF 5th Pure Navy Student Design Contest
Sponsor: Saks OFF 5TH
Challenge: The students are tasked with creating two full activewear lifestyle looks – one bottom,
one top, one third Layer (bodysuit, jacket, etc) per look. Student submissions included
a storyboard highlighting color palette, fabric and how the designer envisions the
products being worn in daily life.
Participants: Open to all Fashion Design Students.
Outcome: 1st Place: Grace Cooper (Fashion Design BFA); 2nd Place: Cher Mouradzadegun (Fashion
Design BFA); 3rd Place: Ja'Miah Watson (Fashion Design AAS).
Contact: Fashion Design Art Professor Mary Capozzi ([email protected]).
We Stand As One for Mental Health Student Design Contest
Sponsor: WestPoint Home
Challenge: FIT students were challenged to create designs that promote awareness and understanding
of, and care, compassion, and treatment for, mental health illness, in the context
of the fashion and textile industry.
Participants: Open to FIT students enrolled in the fall 2022 Textile Surface Design's TD 207 (Adobe
Illustrator for Textile/Surface Design) class students.
Outcome: 1st Place: Sophia Herrera (Textile Surface Design AAS); 2nd Place: Mia Cunningham
(Textile Surface Design AAS); 3rd Place: Kamryn Matsumoto (Textile Surface Design
AAS).
Contact: Textile Surface Design Professor Professor Ruth Jeyaveeran ([email protected]).
QI-Collective Metaverse Collection Student Design Contest
Sponsor: QI-Collective
Challenge: Students were challenged to think like the architects and designers and be entrepreneurial
in designing a digital 3D Metaverse Collection.
Participants: Open to all 5th and 7th semester Fashion Design Students.
Outcome: 1st Place: Jade Ruiz Saad (Fashion Design BFA); 2nd Place: Jinny Xu (Fashion Design
BFA); 3rd Place: Yully Wang (Fashion Design BFA); Honorable Mention - Miyeon Shin
(Fashion Design BFA).
Contact: Fashion Design Apparel Professor Nicole Benefield ([email protected]).
15th annual $10,000 Supima Design Competition
Sponsor: Supima
Challenge: Design a capsule collection of five women’s wear looks featuring the unique characteristics
of Supima cotton.
Participants: 2022 graduating seniors from Academy of Art University, Fashion Institute of Design
and Merchandising, Kent State University, Parsons School of Design, Rhode Island School
of Design, and Savannah College of Art and Design.
Outcome: FIT Finalist: Bryan Barrientos (Fashion Design BFA).
Contact: Fashion Design Apparel Professor Susanna Moyer ([email protected]).
Articles: Design Competition - Supima Cotton, Bryan Barrientos Honors His Peruvian Heritage in Supima Design Competition, FINALIST 2022 - BRYAN BARRIENTOS
Rizzoli's Windows Student Contest
Sponsor: Rizzoli Bookstore
Challenge: Students were tasked with presenting ideas about how to decorate the window of the
Rizzoli Bookstore on the themes of Fashion or Design by drawing inspiration from works
of art in any field from the 1400 to the 1700.
Participants: Open to all students who have completed a set of History Courses.
Outcome: 1st place: Andrew Sherburne (Fashion Design AAS).
Contact: History of Art Professor Eveline Baseggio Omiccioli ([email protected]).