TOP LEFT: Katie Zorn. TOP RIGHT: Dimmer/D’Vrsi. CENTRE ROW: Cold Mountain style from Kapadia. ABOVE LEFT: Morgan d’Alessandro. ABOVE RIGHT AND RIGHT: Jade Devangelis’ Sculpt Messyah Couture, competing in the avant-garde section.

   The Target Design Vision Award for Women’s Ready to Wear was awarded to 25-year-old Ruth Wilson, who hails from Nottingham, England. Her winning designs included a green candy-striped, cowl neck top paired with a black pleated mini skirt and a cream interwoven neck piece. It truly deserved a win, although she faced stiff competition in the category from Mackage (very beautiful coats) and the clean lines and strong, feminine shape of Katie Zorn’s cape-like red jacket.
   By far, the competition for the Project Global Tradeshow Design Vision Award for Menswear had the strongest, most consistent designs. Leila Azar-Kia and Travis Wells of Dimmer/D’Vrsi’s futuristic coat definitely left a concrete impression on my mind. Gina Smith and Graham Smith of Egami design complex clothing for men that deserve more than just a cursory look. Romain Kapadia of Kapadia is a seasoned veteran whose Cold Mountain, military-style jacket paired with a modern, multi-zippered pant is original and subversive to boot. Oliver Helden’s sophisticated yet understated designs reminded me once again why he received so much praise for his fall 2004 collection, and why he’s worth watching. The $5,000 prize was given to Morgan d’Alessandro (the design team of Matthew Morgan and Alessandro Poddie), whose designs are based on the concept of pairing quality fabrics, hand-tailored top-stitch detailing and a strong European sartorial tradition with edgy, youthful accents that often reference history and art. Project Global Trade Show, the first trade show organizers to focus solely on premium, directional men's sportswear collections, also awarded two free show booths to Oliver Helden and Romain Kapadia.

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