Awards

GRAND PRIZE COMPETITION AWARDS

THE KEN DOWNING BEST OF SHOW AWARD  sponsored by Fashion Group Foundation of Dallas (FGFD)

  • Award:  $10,000 cash scholarship.
  • Eligibility Requirements:  The winner will be selected from among the top five finalists in each competition category
  • Judging:  Ken Downing, Senior Vice President and Director for Neiman Marcus, will choose the winner of who is deemed to have the most outstanding piece of work entered in the competition. The finalists should be prepared to be interviewed by Ken Downing prior to the awards ceremony.

DIRECTOR’S CHOICE sponsored by FGFD

  • Award: $2,500 cash scholarship for the first runner-up to the Ken Downing Best of Show Award.
  • Eligibility Requirements: Refer to the Best of Show Award.
  • Judging: The director of FGI Dallas Board along with industry experts from the FGI Board will choose a runner-up from the 5 finalists of the Best of Show award. The finalists should be prepared to be interviewed by the director of the Dallas Board prior to the awards ceremony.

PARIS AMERICAN ACADEMY COUTURE AWARDS (2 awards for 2019) sponsored by PAA with support from FGFD

  • Award 1: Opportunity to study at the Paris American Academy (PAA) in Paris, France, during the SUMMER SEMESTER following the Scholarship Competition. Includes tuition for the summer semester at PAA, accommodations in Paris, round-trip airfare and a spending allowance.
  • Award 2: Opportunity to study at the Paris American Academy (PAA) in Paris, France, during the FALL SEMESTER following the Scholarship Competition. Includes tuition for the fall semester at PAA, accommodations in Paris, round-trip airfare and a spending allowance.
  • Eligibility Requirements: Candidates for these awards are selected from the highest-scoring Apparel Design categories. Only junior and senior year students from a four-year college or university and second-year students from a two-year program are eligible for the Couture Awards. The winner must hold or acquire a valid passport to accept this award. Preference is given to upper-level students who have demonstrated outstanding performance in their fashion design curriculum.
  • NOTE: the winner of this award MUST NOT have won any previous PAA awards.
  • Judging: The director of the Paris American Academy or a designated representative from the PAA will choose the winner and will be judged on the quality of the garment’s construction and high fashion design creativity. Construction is particularly important in being considered as a finalist for the PAA Couture Award.

BEST OF SEWING AWARD sponsored by City Sewing

  • Award: A sewing machine.
  • Eligibility Requirements: The winner will be chosen from among the top three finalists in each Apparel Design category.
  • Judging: Industry experts from the FGI Board and Members-At-Large will choose the winners based upon the quality of the garment’s construction.

NHA KHANH APPRENTICESHIP sponsored by Nha Khanh

  • Award: Opportunity to work under the guidance of Khanh Nguyen of Nha Khanh on her Spring 2020 collection and learn all aspects of the business from development through production and into marketing, sales and, ultimately, retail placement. Specifically, the winner will create a piece to be included in the collection and take that garment from a sketch to a finished product; be part of developing the season’s look book; attend industry events; and work with the sales and marketing team in New York to prepare for New York Fashion Week presentations.
  • Eligibility Requirements: Candidates for this award will be hand-selected by the designer and her team, and must be available between June and September.
  • Judging: Khanh Nguyen and her team will choose the winner.

APPAREL DESIGN COMPETITION CATEGORIES

BRIDAL/EVENING GOWN sponsored by Tootsies with support from Fashion Group Foundation of Dallas (FGFD)

  • Award:  $2,500 cash scholarship for 1st place; $1,000 cash scholarship for 2nd place; $500 cash scholarship for 3rd place
  • Garments Eligible for Submission: Traditional and contemporary bridal dresses; bridal party dresses; special occasion dresses including evening/ bridal pant suits, tea length dresses, cocktail dresses and ball gowns.
  • Judging: Representatives from Tootsies along with industry experts from the FGI Board and Members-At-Large will choose the winners based upon the criteria outlined below.

DALLAS MARKET CENTER (DMC) RUNWAY CHALLENGE: LITTLE BLACK DRESS sponsored by the Dallas Market Center with support from FGFD

  • Award: $2,500 cash scholarship for 1st place; $1,000 cash scholarship for 2nd place; $500 cash scholarship for 3rd place
  • Garments Eligible for Submission: Black dresses appropriate for the office; cocktail parties; and/or desk-to-dinner.
  • Judging: Representatives from the Dallas Market Center (DMC) along with industry experts from the FGI Board and Members-At-Large will choose the winners based upon the criteria outlined below.

WOMEN’S SPORTSWEAR sponsored by Sharon Young, Inc. with support from FGFD

  • Award: $2,500 cash scholarship for 1st place; $1,000 cash scholarship for 2nd place; $500 cash scholarship for 3rd place
  • Garments Eligible for Submission: Women’s contemporary sportswear garments.
  • Judging: Representatives from Dallas-based sportswear manufacturer, Sharon Young, industry experts from the FGI Board and Members-At-Large will choose the winners based upon the criteria outlined below.

MENSWEAR sponsored by FGFD

  • Award:$2,500 cash scholarship for 1st place; $1,000 cash scholarship for 2nd place; $500 cash scholarship for 3rd place
  • Garments Eligible for Submission: Men’s contemporary sportswear ranging from related weekend attire to garment appropriate for a professional environment or social event.
  • Judging: Industry experts from the FGI Board and Members-At-Large will choose the winners based upon the criteria outlined below.

MERCHANDISING AND BUSINESS PLANNING COMPETITION CATEGORIES

DIGITAL STORE PLANNING AND DESIGN with support from FGFD

Award: $2,500 cash scholarship for 1st place; $1,000 cash scholarship for 2nd place; $500 cash scholarship for 3rd place

Submissions must include the following components:

1. Cover page containing the student’s name, degree-seeking title, academic year, and a self-created logo (do NOT include school name)
2. Narrative of the store’s concept; goals and objectives; target market; and key factors to success.
3. Digital rendering of the storefront with visible name/marquee
4. Technical floor plan with legend
5. Collage of lighting, wall coverings/color, and flooring materials appropriate for target market
6. Collage of mannequins / mannequin alternatives and fixtures appropriate for target market
7. Collage of merchandise being sold in retail space appropriate for target market
8. Submissions must be in a digital format with the following requirements:
9. The graphical software used to create each component of the submission must be compressed and saved as a .pdf file.
10. Content should be formatted for widescreen 16:9 (landscape only). If using a cell phone to produce content, shoot photos in landscape (horizontal) layout. ***NEW***
11. Continuous page layout (multiple files will not be accepted)
12. Entries are limited to 9 pages

Judging:  A panel of local industry experts will judge the entries.

DIGITAL FASHION MERCHANDISING PORTFOLIO  with support from FGFD

Award: $2,500 cash scholarship for 1st place;  $1,000 cash scholarship for 2nd place;  and $500 cash scholarship for 3rd place.

Submissions must include the following components:

1. Cover page containing the student’s name, degree-seeking title, academic year, and a self-created logo (do NOT include school name)
2. Narrative that details the student’s career aspirations and clearly explains how the portfolio’s content support his/her aspirations, i.e. a compilation of a students’ work in a merchandising curriculum
3. The portfolio itself – (up to six examples)
4. Closing page (optional)
5. Submissions must be in a digital format with the following requirements:
6. The graphical software used to create each component of the submission must be compressed and saved as a .pdf file.
7. Content should be formatted for widescreen 16:9 (landscape only). If using a cell phone to produce content, shoot photos in landscape (horizontal) layout. ***NEW***
8. Continuous page layout (multiple files will not be accepted)
9. Entries are limited to 9 pages

Judging: A panel of local industry experts will judge the entries.

SCHOLARSHIP DISBURSEMENT

Please contact fgidallas.office@gmail.com for information.