Fila announced today that two finalists have been selected for their tennis dress design contest which was held on the brand’s Facebook page. The contest offered "real people" the unique opportunity to work in the specialized world of performance tennis fashion.
The finalists are Samantha Swank, a recent Fashion Design graduate from Art Institute of Philadelphia, and Annabelle McDonald, a film and television producer from Ohio living in Brooklyn, New York. Their designs are pictured here.
A Fila Sponsored WTA Tour Player will Wear the winning dress at the Sony Open in March 2013.
The final round of competition will be held in Fila’s New York office where Swank and McDonald will present their ideas and inspiration for the submitted design to Fila’s apparel team.
The winning designer will remain in New York to begin the product development process for their design and oversee production along-side Fila’s Vice President of Apparel, Danny Lieberman. They will return to New York the first week of September for a fitting of the dress on a to-be-named pro. Perhaps most exciting will be watching their design in action in Miami.
“Nearly four decades of tennis design experience has taught us that inspiration can be found in the most unexpected places," said Lieberman, " so it was almost expected that Fila develop the first citizen-designed tennis dress to be worn in tournament competition by a top ranked WTA Tour player.”
The winner will be announced Friday July 20 on Fila's Facebook page.
Which one do you predict will win?
Today, July 20, the Fila apparel team chose Samantha Swank as the contest winner. Here's what they had to say:
"[Samantha Swank] loves everything about the process and it shows. She expressed gratitude she feels not only for being chosen but also for the exposure she will get to how it works in the ‘real world.” She shared with the team what inspires her, a connection she feels to making clothes and how she comes from a family that has always encouraged her to follow her heart."
Congrats Samantha! We'll be sure to feature your finished dress.
Posted by: Karin | July 20, 2012 at 05:53 PM