See it and Sell it First at ASI Show Orlando – January 4-6, 2025.   Register Now.

Strategy

Fashion Faceoff: Judges Assess Kimberly McLinden's Work

Last month, we invited the three Fashion Faceoff judges to view the athleisure mini-collections created by contestants at Moore College of Art & Design. Though we won’t be revealing the winners of our contest until the August issue of Wearables, we’d like to share some of the judges’ reactions to the contestants’ work.

Kimberly McLinden created sports luxe looks in stark black and white. She says she was aiming for a “clean and sleek design with sharp lines” that would appeal to a more luxury market. Her Vantage apparel look depicts a gold embroidered rose, and a snaking vine covered in thorns.

The judges appreciated McLinden’s black-and-white color scheme and were particularly impressed with the white leather jacket in the women’s athleisure look. “The white leather shows great transition from sketch to garment, maintaining the aesthetic and proportion of the original sketch,” says Pamela Ptak. Conrad Booker liked the digital print on the lapels of the men’s jacket, noting that it was a fun “graphic play on tie-dye.”

In the Vantage look, judge Savannah DeVore says she likes the placement of the embroidery on the front and back of the hoodie and the detail of the thorns emerging from the front pouch.