Taku Yhim, a graduate of Parsons School of Design, The New School, was named the winner of the 15th annual Supima Design Competition.
Yhim and seven other finalists from top design schools nationwide showcased their creativity and design talent with eveningwear capsule collections created entirely with Supima cotton fabrics on Sept. 10 during a live runway presentation at The Gallery at Spring Studios in tandem with New York Fashion Week.
The event was co-hosted by designer Christian Siriano and model and entrepreneur Coco Rocha. The group of young, emerging designers were tasked with creating five looks using five types of Supima fabric–shirting, twill, denim, jersey and velveteen.
Supima said it was a difficult decision with so many exceptional designs to consider, but this year’s judges determined that Yhim was to take home a prize of $10,000 along with industry recognition and visibility for the entire group of 2022 finalists.
Collections were carefully evaluated by a panel of judges that included Siriano and Rocha, along with Ann Caruso, Avril Graham, Cipriana Quann, Claire Thomson-Jonville, Edward Barsamian, Fern Mallis, Freya Drohan, Godfrey Deeny, Jeffrey Taylor, Jerome Lamaar, Kelly Augustine, Lisa Lockwood, Luke Meagher, Mickey Boardman, Shibon Kennedy and Tyler McCall. Siriano and Taylor are also both former Design Competition winners.
Eveningwear designer Bibhu Mohapatra joined for his eighth year as mentor to the finalists, providing insight, support and advice to each contestant. The 2022 finalists included Candice Tianyu of the Academy of Arts University, Chan Kyoo Hwang of Drexel University, Fabian Renteria of the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Bryan Barrientos of the Fashion Institute of Technology, Antonia Bruno of Kent State University, Yhim, Hu Jun Yi of Rhode Island School of Design and Michelle Sumin Suh of the School of Art Institute of Chicago.
Related Stories
Supima is known as America’s luxury cotton. Founded in 1954, the Supima brand, short for “Superior Pima,” designates an elite variety of Pima cotton sustainably grown only in the West and the Southwest U.S. It is prized by designers and discerning consumers who value its resilient strength, lasting color and indulgent softness.