Fifteen FIDM Students recently traveled to Cotton, Incorporated headquarters in Cary, North Carolina as finalists in two scholarship competitions sponsored by the company, which focuses on building the market for cotton through research and promotion.
Participants in the “Demands of Denim” competition were challenged to create a denim design using fashion-forward finishing and dyeing techniques. Over a period of six months, the participants attended workshops to expand their knowledge of denim--from the marketplace and trend forecasting, to construction, fit, dyeing and finishing techniques.
Students who participated in the “Original Surface Embellishment & Visual Effects on Cotton” competition were challenged to create or use a cotton fabric and apply an innovative surface technique that could be adapted into a completed product. Students were educated in a variety of dyeing techniques such as tie-dye, shibori, discharge and embellishment techniques such as embroidery, fabric surface manipulation, felting, macramé, and crochet.
“The unique [part] of the trip was greater interaction between industry professionals and the students. Since most of the participants were new to industry, we were awestruck by the facilities and infrastructure which goes into converting raw cottons through yarn process, fabrications and converting design into final product,” said FIDM Graphic Design Student and "Demands of Denim" finalist Sivakumar Swaminathan. “The visit was not only informative but also a strong motivational factor for all the participants to indulge in the creative field of fashion business without any preoccupations.”
Congratulations to all of the Cotton, Incorporated scholarship competition finalists, and good luck in the final round. We'll announce the winners to both schollarship competitons at the end of the month. Watch this space for details.
