Student

DEBUT Students Andrea Alarcon and Robin Giles Win 2020 Fashion Scholarship Fund

Congratulations to DEBUT Students Andrea Alarcon and Robin Giles for winning the Fashion Scholarship Fund case study based competition in Design and Product Development. They were recognized for this achievement earlier this week at the 83rd Annual FSF Awards Gala at the Hilton Hotel Grand Ballroom in New York City.

The FSF honored fashion industry leaders, the Co-Founder and CEO of Rent the Runway, Jennifer Hyman as “Fashion Revolutionary of the Year;” partner of fashionABLE, Minka Kelly as “Social Impact Trailblazer of the Year;” and CEO of Centric Brands, Jason Rabin as “Business Visionary of the Year.”

Scholarship applicants were asked to research and develop a plan for either the design, merchandising, analytics or supply chain component of a creative collaboration between a fashion apparel, accessories, footwear, home or beauty retailer or brand and a collaborator that is not currently in the fashion apparel, accessories, footwear, home or beauty business. Recent examples were given including Dolce & Gabbana x SMEG, Calvin Klein and the Warhol Foundation, and the adidas x Parley collection.

In the Design and Product Development case study, Andrea Alarcon and Robin Giles were asked to imagine they were the Chief Creative Officer for either a fashion brand or a retailer of their choice. Their objective was to design an apparel line (men’s, women’s, kids, or gender neutral), accessories, footwear, home or beauty line that represented both their brand or retailer and the collaborator of their choice and present their ideas to their company’s CEO.

The students were judged on the depth and relevance of their research, the creativity and feasibility of their ideas, and the clarity with which they portrayed both. Their case was judged by industry professionals including the YMA FSF Board of Governors, YMA FSF Mentors, and YMA FSF Alumni.

The mission of the Fashion Scholarship Fund is to advance the fashion industry by encouraging gifted and enterprising young people to pursue careers in design, merchandising, retailing, and business, ensuring the industry will continue to attract dedicated, capable, and creative individuals.

Under the direction of FIDM Department Chair Roni Miller, FIDM is one of the Fashion Scholarship Fund’s partner schools. FSF supports a portfolio of 60+ colleges and universities that include “both the top retail, design and fashion programs in the country and many of the most respected business schools.” They provide scholars with access to the most prestigious network of senior executives across the fashion industry.