The Judges Text Size S M L


Although online voting will decide the top 6 finalists who will make their way to the runways of Saint Louis Fashion Week, our panel of 5 leaders from the fashion industry and the arts will select the season's top-place finisher and winner of the Bakers Project:Design! prize package.

Click here to purchase tickets for Bakers Project:Design! at Saint Louis Fashion Week.
Click here to purchase a week long VIP pass to Saint Louis Fashion Week.

Jillian Lewis, Designer, Jillian Lewis and Second Runner-Up, Project Runway Season Four

Star of the fourth season of Bravo’s “Project Runway“, on which she placed second runner-up, designer Jillian Lewis launched the Jillian Lewis brand with Lewaa Abdulkhalek in 2005. Best described as bold, sophisticated and quirky, the ready-to-wear line is known for its coats and hand-knitted sweaters and has already received accolades from fashion’s top names, including Roberto Cavalli, Donna Karan and Alberta Ferretti. With a resume that includes CFDA Scholarship recipient, Parsons School of Design graduate and a stint as concept designer and illustrator at Ralph Lauren, Jillian Lewis’ current project—her namesake label—has been featured in such publications as Vogue, WWD, and InStyle.

www.jillianlewisny.com/

image

Bea Crowder, Co-Owner and Vice President of Design and Development, Green Tea Group

Bea Crowder is the Co-Owner and Vice President of Design and Development for Green Tea Group. Green Tea Group is an accessories company that designs and produces fashion accessories to emulate the lifestyle of Lucky Brand Jeans, Modern Amusement and Michael Stars, both in the US and Internationally. She travels around the world several times a year seeking out new inspiration and trends.

image

Michael Drummond, Designer, The Exquisite Corpse and Winner, Project:Design! FW09

Winner of Saint Louis Fashion Week’s Project:Design! Competition last season, designer Michael Drummond has synesthesia, which drives him to use the colors and shapes he sees in music and in sounds. This process inspires him to create organic garments. He has a background in costume design and have worked for theatre companies around the world. With the beliefs that clothing and history go hand in hand and garments reveal their times, he takes elements from fashion history and disperses them into a garment to set a mood; this creates something familiar that one can relate to in the work. He also looks to the future to give his garments something new. He likes things a bit askew, so often tries to make garments a little frightening or ugly; he wants his garments to look like they might walk away if you don't pay attention to them.

www.thexquisitecorpse.com/

image

Mark Ianni, Chief Merchandising Officer for Bakers Footwear Group, Inc

Mark Ianni, Chief Merchandising Officer for Bakers Footwear Group, Inc. oversees the company’s merchandising and buying operations. Prior to his current post, Mark served as the company’s EVP/General Merchandise Manager. Early in his career, Mark was a buyer of footwear for several specialty chains including Bakers, Wild Pair and Précis; these collective experiences have resulted in an amazing understanding of what the customer wants. With more than 25 years in the footwear industry, Mark is among the industry’s best at trend identification and evaluation, line building and merchandise management.

www.bakersshoes.com

image

Robin Verhage-Abrams, Associate Professor, Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, Washington University

Robin VerHage-Abrams designed costumes for over twenty years with companies such as with Henson Associates' Muppets in New York, Hilbery Repertory in Detroit and Opera Theatre St Louis. She now teaches textiles and fashion illustration as an Associate Professor at the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington University. Developing and educating about sustainable textiles is her passion and, she believes, all of our futures.

www.samfoxschool.wustl.edu

top

 

 

Designer Search

Brown Shoes

Click+Upload+Compete+Win

Six Top Finalists Receive:

  • High-profile runway show featuring your line at Saint Louis Fashion Week.
  • Photo and video coverage of your runway show on stlouisfashionweek.com.
  • PR services to promote your line and appearance at Saint Louis Fashion Week.

One Top Winner Will Receive (To Be Decided At Saint Louis Fashion Week):

  • A $20,000 professional, fashion-forward website to showcase your line, created by Christopher Rubin de la Borbolla and Jen Rieger, the creative and technical team behind 963Collective.
  • A $10,000 photo shoot of your collection with top models from NEXT and Mother Model Management, a professional fashion photographer, wardrobe stylist and hair and makeup artists.
  • A Brother Project Runway Limited Edition LB6770 PRW computerized sewing and embroidery machine Project Runway fashion rolling bag.

Media Partners