Vera Wang to present first Solstiss-Academy student award in New York
Vera Wang will name America's Top Fashion Student in New York on Oct. 23.
Wang will present the first Solstiss-Academy award in person at the inaugural Solstiss-Academy Award Soiree. The event runs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in New York, known as Villa Albertine, according to WWD. It is held under the patronage of French Embassy cultural counselor Mohamed Bouabdallah.
The evening pairs a runway show with a prize-giving. Students from each of the 10 participating schools will show a creation on the runway. Wang will then present the Solstiss-Academy Award. The room is set for 200 invited guests.
The winning creation was chosen for creativity and innovative use of Solstiss lace. Solstiss, the lace house founded in Caudry, France, put its own fabric at the centre of the brief. The choice was made by a panel including Frederick Anderson, Bonnie Young, Terry Singh and Epperson, along with Fern Mallis, Nicole Fischelis, Maryanne Gritz and Francois Damide of Solstiss.
Damide, president and chief executive of Solstiss, founded the Solstiss-Academy in 2023. The parent house traces its ateliers in Caudry to 1879. Since launch, the programme has donated more than $150,000 worth of lace and technical support to more than 140 participating students.
That support carries through to the prizes. The programme awards more than $100,000 worth of lace to winning students each year, according to WWD. In practice that means free material plus hands-on help with how to cut, handle and finish it. For students, lace is a demanding test of pattern-making and sewing skill.
This year's partners are Parsons School of Design, Savannah College of Art and Design, Pratt Institute, Rhode Island School of Design and Otis College of Art and Design. The list also includes Academy of Art University in San Francisco, University of Redlands, ASU-FIDM, Istituto Marangoni Miami and Kent State University. The Fashion Institute of Technology has signed up to join the programme for the upcoming academic year.
What makes this stand out is the focus on making. The spotlight is not only on the finished look but on the cloth behind it. For fans, this means a rare chance to see student work, mill craft and a working designer share one stage.
