design:retail, Saks Fifth Avenue to Host Student Window Challenge
Design students offered the opportunity to showcase talents in store windows at Saks Fifth Avenue
NEW YORK, May 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The design:retail Student Window Challenge, a design competition presented in cooperation with Saks Fifth Avenue, will bring together visual merchandising students from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and LIM College in New York on June 5 for the chance to showcase their talents in front of prominent retailers and design firms.
The competition will take place on June 5 at the Saks Fifth Avenue store, and will conclude with an after party and awards ceremony at SnAKS, where student participants will be joined by design:retail readers and various members of the retail design community.
The windows featuring the students' designs will be available for public viewing during the competition from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and for approximately two weeks following the competition.
The winners will be determined by a panel comprised of design:retail editors and members of the Saks' team. The first-place winners will be offered a one-day mentorship with the Saks' visual team, giving them an unprecedented opportunity to follow, watch and assist in the implementation and breakdown of Saks Fifth Avenue's store windows.
A total of six, two-person teams (three teams representing each school) will work independently, but will gain professional insight from Saks' visual directors, who will circulate among participants to provide advice and guidance. The students will not know what materials they have to work with until they arrive on the morning of the competition. Materials will be donated by the event sponsors comprised of key suppliers in the retail design industry.
design:retail Executive Editor Alison Embrey Medina says that during the competition itself, students will be given a window design challenge centered on a specific theme.
"Our student teams will be given just a few hours to create a window presentation using unknown materials, a surprise theme and of course the latest Saks fashion," Medina says. "Each year, we are even more impressed with skillsets and the level of creativity coming out of these schools, and are thrilled to take part in this demonstration of these talented students within Saks Fifth Avenue's prestigious windows."
Additionally, Medina says that the students will gain exposure for their final work both in print and online. Photos of the challenge and final designs will be featured in design:retail magazine and online at designretailonline.com.
To extend the opportunity to students on both coasts, a second competition will take place on July 31 at Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills, Calif., with participants from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM). The awards ceremony and after party will be held at the Denim Bar in the Saks men's department, The Fifth Man.
ABOUT DESIGN:RETAIL – design:retail is the industry's leading resource for tracking trends, products and projects that are crafting tomorrow's most innovative retail environments. From luxury and fashion brands to discount and dollar stores, the magazine focuses on design strategies, technology applications, in-store marketing, new product resources and global trends that collectively build engaging customer environments in the bricks-and-mortar retail world. Store planners, visual merchandisers, retail designers, independent architects and contract designers working with high-volume retail chains, and top designers, planners and architects designing retail sites for consumer-products manufacturers depend on coverage in design:retail for cutting-edge inspiration and information on what is driving retail design into the future. Learn more at www.designretailonline.com.
ABOUT SAKS FIFTH AVENUE -- Saks Fifth Avenue, one of the world's pre-eminent specialty retailers, is renowned for its superlative American and international designer collections, its expertly edited assortment of handbags, shoes, jewelry, cosmetics and gifts, and the first-rate fashion expertise and exemplary client service of its Associates. As part of the Hudson's Bay Co. brand portfolio, Saks operates 41 full-line stores in 22 states, five international licensed stores, 72 Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH stores and saks.com, the company's online store.
Saks Fifth Avenue is proud to be named a J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Customer Service Champion and is only one of 50 U.S. companies so named.
SOURCE design:retail
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