Project OR – Promoting Young Design Talent

Most people are familiar with the reality TV show Project Runway. The Outdoor Retailer trade show in Salt Lake City has spun off its own version – Project OR – a student design competition that celebrates the functionality, originality and design of outdoor recreation clothing.

Five design students from around the country were hand-picked from top design programs to produce a garment prototype from scratch within 48 hours.

Once initial garment design sketches were completed, based on a design brief supplied by a panel of industry judges, contestants started cutting and sewing using the latest fabrics, zippers and other clothing components provided by participating supplier exhibitors.

I was pleased to be selected to interview the designers and offer suggestions and answer questions as they worked toward completing their garments. It gave me a close-up look at the how contestants worked at their individual stations equipped with sewing machines, cutting tables, pressing equipment and tools, to build their final prototypes.

Project OR Winter Market competitors were filmed in a reality-competition type format. Video footage can be seen on the Outdoor Retailer website.

As the Outdoor Industry ages I hope that it  can attract young and fresh design talent like the students in Project OR. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a design program that specifically taught students about the technical aspects of the fabrics used in outdoor apparel and how to best design for them? No school program seems to focus on the functional aspects of laminates vs. coatings, finishes, wicking etc. as it applies toward outdoor clothing. They’d come into our industry ready to rock and roll!

These photos have just become available thanks to Chip Smith of Soar Communications.