Colorado State University Student Winners of Tommy Hilfiger T-Shirt Design Contest Announced

Two Colorado State University students’ T-shirt designs recently were selected as top designs by Tommy Hilfiger in a contest for CSU students. Two of Nigel Joseph’s designs were chosen as the top two of three winning designs. The third design was created by Athena Caddel.

The contest, also sponsored by the Outlets of Colorado, challenged CSU students in the Department of Design and Merchandising to create garments to a brand image and specifications. Winners of the contest were announced March 29 at the annual student Apparel Design Show. The Tommy Hilfiger designs were judged in New York City last week by the company’s executives. The company chose three top designs out of 52 designs submitted by CSU students; the contest included only CSU students.

“This contest offers students an opportunity to see how their creativity and skills will compete on a national, top-designer level,” said Carol Engel-Enright, design and merchandising internship coordinator who ran the contest.

The top-placed design was awarded a $500 cash prize, the second-place design received $250 cash and the third design received $100 cash. The awards are part of a $5,000 gift to the department from the Outlets of Colorado. The gift also will be used to purchase equipment and further the department’s resources to teach fashion trend forecasting and product development.

Students who competed in the contest were asked to create T-shirts within parameters set by the Tommy Hilfiger company. Parameters included creating T-shirts using the colors red, white and blue and creating an innovative, new twist on the classic, preppy style embodied by Hilfiger clothing. The T-shirts could be designed for either men’s or women’s lines.

Joseph is a senior merchandising student and will graduate in May. He is a CSU track athlete. Caddel is a junior apparel design and production student.

The Department of Design and Merchandising is part of the College of Applied Human Sciences. 2011 marks the 25th anniversary of the formation of the college.

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