This year marks the 11th edition of the annual ‘Stretch to the Future’ design competition sponsored by RadiciSpandex Corp, maker of RadElast spandex.  Headlining the event program as the honouree designer judge will be Tadashi Shoji, designer to A-list celebrities and socialites across the USA. 

RadiciSpandex will once again partner with the Fashion School at Kent State University where judging will take place on 21 April at the School’s New York City satellite studio.

Leading the judging process, Tadashi will be joined by textile executives, fashion journalists from trade and consumer publications and members from The Underfashion Club., which returns as sponsor of the competition’s lingerie award.  

Kent State Fashion School’s junior class will submit their designs in the swimwear, activewear, lingerie and eveningwear categories.  A winner from each category will be announced along with a Grand Prize winner culled from all categories.   

Tadashi Shoji will be the recipient of this year’s RadiciSpandex ‘Stretch to the Future’ Honoree Designer Award.   “I’m very honoured to accept RadiciSpandex’s invitation to be this year’s ‘Stretch to the Future’ celebrity judge,” said Tadashi. “Seeing what inspires today’s young designers continues to enlighten me.”

“We are truly honoured that Tadashi Shoji has accepted the key role as celebrity judge on this our eleventh year for the ‘Stretch to the Future’ competition,” states Kim Hall, Marketing Manager at RadiciSpandex Corp. “Mr. Shoji is acclaimed for elegant and singular designs that have earned him accolades from fashion influencers and journalists alike.  We are very excited to have a designer of his stature lead the judging process.”

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 elastane manufactured by RadiciSpandex Corp. 

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 the honour include Betsey Johnson, John Varvatos, Nicole Miller, Dana Buchman, Nanette Lepore, Marc Bouwer and former CFDA President Stan Herman.

Tadashi Shoji is the founder and chief designer of Los Angeles-based Tadashi Shoji.  Tadashi Shoji has been widely recognized for his original designs and innovative collections. The Tadashi label is carried in more than 4,000 major department and specialty stores world-wide including Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales and Macy’s. Internationally, the brand is available at high end retailers such as Isetan, Epoca the Shops, and Anniversaire Omotesaando.

The Tadashi Shoji brand also maintains its own retail operations with two signature boutiques in the United States— one in South Coast Plaza, CA and the other in Forum Shops at Caesars in Las Vegas.