Fashion Design Contests, Start-up Opportunities and Castings for 2015

Are you ready for success in 2015? Fashion designers, style entrepreneurs, make this your year to win. Here are this month’s open calls for wearable tech, handbag design and reality shows. The prizes for success are so much better than a cash grab, they can make your career or make you a star!

Have you idolized Diane Von Furstenburg and know you are the perfect ambassador? The second season of House of DVF is now casting. This is perfect if you are tv-friendly, passionate and not fazed by cattiness. The open casting call and application for House of DVF is here.

The Independent Handbag Designer Awards competition has been covered on this blog for several years. Past winners have their collections featured in InStyle magazine and sold in Bloomingdale’s. The 2015 just launched in the New Year. There are multiple handbag design categories to enter that range from green or social responsible to best made. You have until April 25, 2015 to get your application for the Independent Handbag Designer Awards in.

Wearable tech is the fastest growing category of design right now. Vogue Talents are collaborating with Wowcracy’s Call the Tune to seek new crowdfunding projects in wearable tech. A senior editor of vogue Italia will choose the top three to interview for the publication. Hurry! Deadline for this project is January 20, 2015.

Are you a textile designer? Shopping favorite ASOS is collaborating with the Textile foundation to host a textile design competition with the theme "Chinese Whispers". Winners will be awarded a cash prize for the design and will be developed into an exclusive ASOS collection. Apply to the Chinese Whispers Textile Design Contest before January 11, 2015.

Are you the next fashion design contest star? Are you ready to show the world your talent at the casting call? Good luck and remember we knew you when!

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Designer Casting Calls: Henri Bendel Open-See, NY NOW A+ Open Call

Are you the next beauty or accessories superstar on the retail style scene? One of my favorite boutiques Henri Bendel is having its legendary casting call this Friday.  For years, the famous "Open See" day has discovered many of the hottest designers around today.  Buyers at high end department stores are notoriously difficult to get an appointment with.  This event gives a diplomatic opportunity to all emerging designers to have their work seen, purchased and presented to the public at one of the most prestigious retailers in NYC.  Are you ready for your closeup?  More informaion on how to apply to the Henri Bendel Open-See here.


The NY Now lifestyle trade show is seeking top new designers and design students to present in February.  Chosen talents will gain big exposure to the design and manufacturing community  (and hopefully buyers) when then are exhibited at the "Accent on Design" presentation at the show.  Deadline is December 2, 2013.  More information here.

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Design Diet Coke's T-Shirt for Taylor Swift

Fashion designers, graphic designers and stylish soda fans... Diet Coke is announcing season 2 of its hunt for young designers to design their next t-shirt to be sold at Target.  The winner nets $10 000 in cash, sees their design in Target stores and travels to Nashville to meet music star Taylor Swift.

One of my favorite designers, Rebecca Minkoff is judging the finalists.  You can check their site for inspiration and investigate what past winners have done.

Hurry! You have 9 days to enter!  

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Design for Fab.com and Michael Bastian

Design talents! Two new opportunities for you. First, super design-savvy marketplace Fab.com is on a hunt for great new designers.  They have a jury seeing people at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair.  Bring your samples, your portfolio, your plans or ideas for this competition.  You need to impress judges like Fab's founder and chief design officer Bradford Shellhammer or Dan Rubinstein, editor in chief of Surface magazine among others.  They want to see things that are "high quality and be a functional object made through handcrafted, high-tech and/or experimental processes." 

To register,  send your name and country to designforus@fab.com.  Then show up at the ICFF show at New York City's Jacob K. Javits Center  (must be registered to attend) on May 21st, 1 PM to 3 PM.   If you register for the show today, you can skip the $60 fee.  

BOFFO is a project that brings fashion designers, architects, artists and other disciplines together for pop-up collaborations.  The latest a competition to design and produce a retail installation in collaboration with fashion designer Michael Bastian.  Your base is a shipping container on Pier 57 near the Hudson River.  

Enter the competition here.

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Design Contest: Stitch Collective Handbag Design

Stitch Collective is a New York-based handbag line that collaborates with independent designers to develop their collection. They produce all their handbags in their New York factory and sell direct to consumer online which helps keep costs low.

For December, they have a design challenge for designers to  “design a bag born to rule the city streets.”

Contest Details:

“As many city dwellers do, we’ve been searching high and low for the perfect handbag — the one that will get you from lunch dates to the office, from errands to happy hour. We want to be able to toss in all of the city’s daily essentials and take it with us. It should be worthy of street-style stars and simultaneously practical. We want luxury and sensibility to keep up with a flexible metropolitan lifestyle. Keep in mind color, material and silhouette to create a sartorial treat both timeless and original.”

On January 1, consumers and fans will get to vote on the handbag design. In February, the winner will be announced and featured on their website.

The winning bag will go into production and the designer will receive $500 along with exposure and mention of their name.

Sketches should include the following details in jpeg or pdf format and be emailed to sketch@stitchcollective.com.

• Front, side and back view in black and white with dimensions listed
• One front view in color
• Design can include material, hardware and any other specs

The design challenge is open to U.S. residents and submissions are rolling until noted on their website.

Good luck!!!

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Vile and Valiant Fashion Design Contest

Calling all indie designers! Trendy Chicago boutique Vile and Valiant is holding a fashion design competition for the most fabulous dress.. Open to up-and-coming designers who have already made the dress and would be ready for it to be displayed.

According to their website, the Pret-a-porter contest is looking for dresses that " push the boundaries of fashion and creativity while creating beautiful, wearable pieces of clothing."  

You need to fill out an application, send up to 5 photos, describe your materials and your concept for entry.  The grand prize winner will win $1000, runners up will receive gift certificates for the store.

Good luck!

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House of Waris Design Competition

Fashion Incubator inductee, the House of Waris, is heading for the Highline.  What this means for you is that Waris Ahluwalia needs a designer for his pop-up shop to house his jewelry collection.

Your budget will be $5000.  The winning designers will be responsible for building and installing the set-up for Building Fashion, a premier NYC cultural event this fall.  You will be working closely with Mr. Ahluwalia to collaborate on the perfect design.

Judges consist of luminaries from architecture, fashion and design.  Winners will be featured in a multitude of design websites and magazines.  

Miss this one?  The Building Fashion project is a series of design challenges with different fashion designers.  Subscribe and see which project is for you!

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