Announcing the National Winners of The Art Institutes Passion for Fashion Competition 2012

NEW YORK, April 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Art Institutes schools are pleased to announce Mary Lum of Cornelius, Oregon and Jessica Lazarus of Boca Raton, Florida as the grand prize winners of The 2012 Passion for Fashion Scholarship Competition. The competition, sponsored by The Art Institutes, provides the opportunity for fashion-savvy teens throughout the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico to submit an entry to compete for the chance to earn up to a half-tuition scholarship to study Fashion Design or Fashion Marketing & Merchandising and Fashion Retail Management.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120403/NE81744-a )

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120403/NE81744-b )

Lum's "Vintage to Runway" evening gown entry takes the Victorian Era to the edge. Her dress has 19th century underpinnings that convert into an innovative urban eveningwear garment made out of an exceptionally lightweight microfiber taffeta. As grand prize winner in the Fashion Design category, Lum earns a half-tuition scholarship to study at The Art Institute of Portland.

Lazarus' entry, entitled, "TimeLine," is a business concept for vintage fashion merchandising. TimeLine offers a visionary way to shop for vintage and vintage-inspired looks. In Lazarus' concept, items are chosen from thrift shops all around the world to satisfy her customers' unique styles. As grand prize winner in the Fashion Marketing & Merchandising and Fashion Retail Management category, Lazarus earns a half-tuition scholarship to study at The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale.

In addition to the half-tuition scholarship, the grand prize winner in each category receive a VIP trip to New York City including a "meet and greet" at the Seventeen magazine offices, lunch with a Seventeen Style Pro, a $500 shopping spree at DKNY with a Seventeen Style Pro, and a $500 gift card to shop in New York City.

The national panel of judges for The Art Institutes Passion for Fashion Competition 2012 included: Claude Brown, Fashion Design/Fashion Marketing & Management Academic Director at The Art Institute of California — Los Angeles; Suede, Project Runway Season 5 contestant and designer; Leanne Marshall, winner of Project Runway Season 5 and fashion designer; Warren Satchel, Director of Accessories at Indigo Canada; Elise Goldberg Santiago, Fashion Accessories Design Consultant; Erica Levine Ryan, owner of ELR Media Group, which specializes in public relations for the fashion industry; and Patty Hughes, a fashion show producer who has appeared as a fashion expert on The Rachael Ray Show.

"We are privileged to provide fashion-minded students with an opportunity that combines creative expression with an educational scholarship. Entries have become more and more artistic every year. Students put their hearts into these creations and that kind of passion will carry them into very rewarding careers in their futures," said Brown, who served as head judge for The Art Institutes Passion for Fashion Competition 2012.

Second place winners in the Fashion Design and Fashion Marketing & Merchandising and Fashion Retail Management categories each earn a $5,000 tuition scholarship. In the Fashion Design category, the second place winner is Elysia Wadley, representing The Art Institute of Colorado. In the Fashion Marketing & Merchandising and Fashion Retail Management category, second place is Acalia Jones, representing The Art Institute of Virginia Beach, a branch of The Art Institute of Atlanta.

Third place winners in the Fashion Design and Fashion Marketing & Merchandising and Fashion Retail Management categories each earn a $4,000 tuition scholarship. In the Fashion Design category, the third place winner is Mollie Trudeau, representing The Art Institute of Tucson. In the Fashion Marketing & Merchandising and Fashion Retail Management category, the third place winner is Cassie Hankins, representing The Art Institute of California — Orange County.

For more information on The Art Institutes Passion for Fashion Competition, visit www.artinstitutes.edu/passion4fashion or http://www.multivu.com/players/English/51392-art-institutes-passion-for-fashion.

The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu) is a system of more than 45 educational institutions located throughout North America. The Art Institutes schools provide an important source for design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals. Several institutions included in The Art Institutes system are campuses of South University. OH Registration # 04-01-1698B; AC0165, AC0080; Licensed by the Florida Commission for Independent Education, License No. 1287, 3427, 3110, 2581. See aiprograms.info for program duration, tuition, fees, and other costs, median debt, federal salary data, alumni success, and other important information.

SOURCE The Art Institutes