FIT student wins Joe's Blackbook Design Scholarship

Joe's Blackbook portfolio sketches

The Joe’s Blackbook scholarship was developed to support and nurture the next generation of designers. Students from top design schools across the nation were invited to create a fall 2013 collection based on their personal design aesthetic.

Six finalists were selected, and their projects–a collection of mood, color, fabric, and trim boards; several key looks and sketches; and technical flats, along with an essay that described their work, inspiration, and target audience–were judged by leading industry designers and employers. The judges’ decision was based on creativity, originality, presentation, and strength of concept.

“Sehyun was very excited and surprised to have been selected by such a distinguished group of judges,” said Colette L. Wong, chair of FIT’s Fashion Design department. “She did a wonderful job of representing FIT, the School of Art and Design, and the Fashion Design Department.”

The women’s wear judges were Leah Chernikoff, editor in chief of Fashionista; designer Brandon Sun; Huguette Hubard, vice president of design at Donna Karan; Daryl Kerrigan, founder of Daryl K; Heesung Choi, head of women’s wear at Rag & Bone; and Sharon Lombardo, senior design director of ready-to-wear for Kate Spade.

The Joe’s Blackbook Design Scholarship Competition annually awards two scholarships–one for women’s wear and one for menswear–to be used toward the winning designers’ senior year tuitions. The 2013 menswear winner is Jesse Rhoads from Academy of Art University. The six finalists included FIT Fashion Design student Sarah Conlon.

The Fashion Design program at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) was established in 1944, the year the college was founded. The associate degree program provides students with an essential foundation for creating apparel from sketch to finished garment. In the baccalaureate program, students receive advanced instruction in specialized areas. The program’s close ties to the fashion design industry provide an immersion in current trends and practices.

FIT is a leader in career education in art, design, business, and technology, with a wide range of programs that are affordable and relevant to today’s rapidly changing industries. Part of the State University of New York, the college offers more than 45 majors leading to the AAS, BFA, BS, MA, MFA, and MPS degrees.

Fashion Institute of Technology