Project OR approaches
Project OR, a three-day student design competition is to run in conjunction with Outdoor Retailer Winter Market, which will be held January 22-25 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Project OR has handpicked five design students from top design programmes around the country to produce a garment prototype that is original, an innovative use of performance and eco-friendly materials, and has a practical application for the outdoor market.
Once initial garment designs are complete on the first day, contestants turn their drawings into products using the latest fabrics, zippers and other clothing components provided by participating supplier exhibitors. With sourcing complete, contestants spend the remainder of the 48-hour deadline at their work station (equipped with sewing machines, cutting tables, pressing equipment and tools) building their final prototypes.
Project OR Winter Market competitors will be filmed in a reality-competition type format that begins with an initial design brief and follows them through the conception, sourcing, production and final presentation stages of the competition.
A panel of judges, comprised of OR-selected designers and industry trend-setters, will review each contestant's final prototype and presentation on Saturday, January 24. The winning student will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2009. In addition, show attendees will vote on the contestants’ final prototypes and the one with the most votes will win the People's Choice award.
The contestants are: Curt Sousa from The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising; Luba Lowry from the Savannah College of Art and Design; Lucy Brooks from the Fashion Institute of Technology; Ron Rod from Colorado State University; and Stephanie Sandstrom from the California College of the Arts.
