A runway photo of a model wearing the UEDA fashion design winner's design next to designer Ayumi Takahashi

Faculty

FIDM Textiles & Materials Manager Serves as a Judge for UEDA College of Fashion Competition in Japan

When UEDA College of Fashion’s president and several instructors paid a visit to FIDM’s Innovative Materials collection in 2017, they invited Textiles & Materials Manager Kristine Upesleja to teach classes about innovative materials and serve as a judge at their annual fashion design runway show. After traveling to Osaka for three consecutive years, Kristine’s visits were halted due to the pandemic. Kristine recently served as a virtual judge for UEDA’s fashion drawing and fashion design competitions, choosing between 450 drawings and 240 fashion designs.

A photo of Kristine Upesleja is projected at UEDA's fashion design competition event

“I took on the position of our beloved Nancy Riegelman as a fashion drawing judge," Kristine said. The educator said the judging experience is fascinating because it means merging into a completely different culture and adjusting her Western aesthetic perspective.

A projected fashion illustration from the UEDA fashion drawing competition

“I learned a lot about Japanese fashion history and culture and I'm impressed by the combination of tradition and contemporary design,” Kristine said. The winning garment, designed by second year student Ayumi Takahashi, employed Japanese Tatsuno leather and features a playfully structured laser-cut top and airy white fabric, a juxtaposition Kristine found to be an interesting combination.