Students Returning to OR Winter Market 2014 for Project OR: The Master’s Competition

Students Returning to OR Winter Market 2014 for Project OR: The Master’s Competition

Join us January 22rd, Day 1, at the Design Center at 3:30-4:30 pm, for introductions, and kickoff celebration

Tarzana, Calif. January 8th 2014 ­– The FabricLink Network (FLN), the leading website for textile networking, education, and sourcing for the textile industry and Outdoor Retailer, will sponsor a Project OR opening celebration. This festive event celebrates the start of Project OR: The Master’s Competition and OR Winter Market 2014’s Design Center. Project OR judges and returning contestants will be honored and introduced for a new competition to take place at the show.

Join Kenji Haroutunian, Emerald Expositionsvice president and Outdoor Retailer show director, and Kathy Swantko, Design Center Sponsor and president of the FabricLink Network, lead a motivational talk as they launch the weeks’ competition. Attendees can warm up with treats and collect some creative ideas by attending this future leading event in the Design Center, beginning at 3:30 pm on Day 1, January 22rd, 2014, in the Design Center. 

The ten Project OR contestants will be introduced by Kathy Swantko, academic liaison for Project OR: The Master’s Competition.The contestants who are back from previous year’s competitions and ready to participate in this top line competition include:

Alycia Gillaspie (Winner Cycle 10), Katy Jessee (Winner Cycle 9), Ron Rod III (Winner Cycle 2), Lindsey Schuyler (Winner Cycle 3), Faith Anderson (Winner Cycle), Amy Dorie (Winner Cycle 7), Margaret Mussman (Winner Cycle 8), Silvia Guttmann (People’s Choice Winner Cycle 6), Jillian Miranda (People’s Choice Winner Cycle 10), Ryanniel Ocampo (Winner Cycle 1).

The judging panel is packed with talented outdoor enthusiasts and represent apparel companies will share their passion and knowledge to the contestants. This season’s judges include Pam Theodosakis, Trendologist – co-founder of Prana; Tobin Teichgraeber – Sr. Head of Product, Americas RCC/PUMA International; Skip Yowell – co-founder of Jansport, and a long-time member of the OIA-Outdoor Foundation and Big City Mountaineers boards.; Haysun Hahn – the Founder of Fast Forward Trending, a global consultancy specializing in design trends and color for consumer products. Celebrity Guest Mila Hermanovski of Project Runway fame, will also join the judging panel for this year’s event. Project OR is honored to have this diverse group of talent and experience serving on as judges for the Master’s Competition.

Visitors will enjoy hot chocolate, coffee and sweet treats, while catching the results of the first round of Project OR: The Master’s Competition. The talented students will present their conceptual drawings and submit their ideas for solving the Design Brief Challenge, which they will receive the morning of Day 1. The Project OR judges will announce the winner of the initial Conceptual Drawing Phase of the competition at 3:00 pm on Day 1. 

“This special Project OR Master’s Competition Kickoff event will be an exciting celebration! Since 8 of the 10 designer now work for major outdoor companies, they have acquired a plethora of design skills and knowledge about the outdoor market, and have become accustomed to working in a pressurized environment that is full of challenges,” explains Kathy Swantko, Founder for the FabricLink Network. “I expect to be blown away by the exciting designs that these five two-person teams create!”

The Design Center and Project OR Master’s Kickoff Party program is a must-see event for all designers and product development individuals attending OR in planning their appointments for the duration of the OR Show, and for anyone interested in learning more about designing and manufacturing product for the outdoor market!

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About the FabricLink Network:

Kathlyn Swantko, a textile advocate and educator, is president and founder of FabricLink.com and TheTechnicalCenter.com, the on-line textile resources that make up the FabricLink Network. FabricLink.com (trade-to-consumer) and TheTechnicalCenter.com (trade-to-trade) provide information about new products and marketing opportunities for specialty textiles, textile-based products and services. The two sites offer; valuable content and technical information, news releases on innovations, fabric descriptions, usage and care, supplier history and contacts. Seven searchable indexes make the FabricLink Network websites the “go to” resources for developers of textiles, fashion designers, and researchers. In addition, the Network offers effective platforms for all businesses, from small niche-based companies to large broad-based textile manufacturers. This gives the ability to reach other businesses within the supply chain and the consumer. Visit the FabricLink Network (www.fabiclink.com and thetechnicalcenter.com) on twitter at FabricLinkNet, and on Facebook at FabricLink.com.

 Kathy Swantko can be reached at (818) 345-7501, or at kgswantko@fabriclink.com.

Communications Contact: Beth Cochran cochran@whatsuppr.com 406.579.7909

About Project OR:

Sponsored by Outdoor Retailer and Bemis and held at the winter show Project OR for 2014 is a design competition that celebrates the functionality, originality and design of outdoor recreational clothing. Over the 48 hours of the show, designers produce original garment prototypes, utilizing innovative performance and eco-friendly materials that have a practical application in the outdoor market. On Day 3 of the show, the Project OR judges will review each contestant’s final prototype and presentation, and announce the final winner. The Project OR student competitors are filmed in a reality- style competition that begins with an initial Design Brief, followed by the creation of a conceptual drawing, the sourcing of materials for the project, the actual production of the garment and the final presentation before a panel of design The People’s Choice Award is awarded, based on OR Show attendee votes for their favorite contestant’s design.

About Outdoor Retailer
Outdoor Retailer (OR) brings together retailers, manufacturers, industry advocates and media to conduct the business of outdoor recreation through tradeshows, product demo events and web-based business solutions. Produced by Emerald Expositions and based in San Juan Capistrano, California, Outdoor Retailer also provides and promotes retailer education, advocacy, responsibility and critical face-to-face business initiatives within the outdoor industry.

Consistently named among Trade Show News Network’s 25 fastest-growing tradeshows by attendance, Outdoor Retailer (outdoorretailer.com) connects approximately 50,000 attendees on a semi-annual basis for its Summer and Winter Market shows, and thousands more through its year-round online resources and platforms.