RadiciSpandex, producer of RadElast brand spandex, revealed the winners of the eleventh annual Stretch to the Future design competition held with the junior class at the Fashion School of Kent State University, on April 21.

Serving as the event’s honouree designer judge, was celebrated eveningwear designer Tadashi Shoji, who accepted the Stretch to the Future Award from RadiciSpandex Marketing Manager Kim Hall during the judging session held at the Fashion School’s New York City design studio.

Tadashi led a diverse judging panel of apparel industry experts, including members of the charitable organization The Underfashion Club, which sponsored the contest’s lingerie award. The panel included Kristy Chen, the competition’s Grand Prize winner in 2005, who is now an assistant designer at the contemporary label Doo.Ri. Scholarship winners were selected in the categories of eveningwear, activewear, swimwear, lingerie and a Grand Prize overall.

Sarah Ineson, a 20-year-old native of West Hartford, CT, emerged as the Grand Prize and Eveningwear Winner for her one-shouldered gown created in black stretch fabric donated by Darlington Fabrics. Amanda Heslinga, of Stow, OH, won the activewear prize with her two-piece design featuring a black bandeau top embellished with pink bands and matching pant made of fabrics from Darlington and Guilford Performance Textiles.

Alexandria Petrus, of Hartville, OH, took the honours in lingerie for a bra-and-panty set made of fabrics from Darlington, McMurray, Hornwood and Ames Textiles. Finally, Madelyn Winfield, a native of Zelienaple, PA, earned the swimwear prize for a one-piece suit made of fabrics donated by Darlington and Sextet Fabrics and a cover-up constructed in Polartec fabric.

This year’s winners were selected from a field of 53 students who competed with garments designed in stretch fabrics containing RadiciSpandex RadElast spandex donated by Ames Textiles, Cyberknit Fabrics, Darlington Fabrics, Eagle Fabrics, Guilford Performance Textiles, Markbilt Technical Fabrics, McMurray Fabrics, Polartec, Prescott Finishing, Rentex, Royal Lace, Sextet Fabrics, Swisstex, TDB Tecidos and Tweave LLC.

In addition to Tadashi and Chen, the judging panellists included Kim Hall, RadiciSpandex Marketing Manager, Camille Block, Intimate Apparel Specialist, Virginia Borland, New York Correspondent, Textile World, Linda Corby, Sales Representative, Darlington Fabrics, Jacky Clyman, Executive Vice President, Cockpit U.S.A., Marie Dekens, Account Manager, Sourcing Solutions, Angela Farina, Women’s Apparel Designer, Under Armour, Ruth Finley, Publisher, Fashion Calendar, Britt Meadows, Specialty Products Sales Representative, Guilford Performance Textiles, and Norman Szychter, Director of Fabric Development and Compliance, Aeropostale, Inc.

Created in 1999, the Stretch to the Future Design Scholarship Competition inspires the creative development of design students while educating them about the technical aspects of garment construction using fashion fabrics containing a highly technical fibre such as RadElast by RadiciSpandex. Each year, RadiciSpandex invites a well-known designer to head up the Stretch to the Future judging panel of apparel industry experts. Previous recipients of this honour include Betsey Johnson, Dana Buchman, Nicole Miller, Nanette Lepore, Carmen Marc Valvo and Marc Bouwer, among others.