Photo Caption: Chicago fashion students and designers were featured in the Chicago Tribune’s coverage of the Driehaus Awards for Fashion Excellence.
The Chicago Tribune featured the Driehaus Awards for Fashion Excellence in a Sunday article titled “The Stitching Hour,” highlighting how the competition gave Chicago fashion students a powerful reason to keep creating, refining, and stitching late into the night.
The article spotlighted the 11th annual Driehaus Awards for Fashion Excellence, where students from Chicago-area fashion schools presented original collections and competed for recognition, cash prizes, and real-world exposure.
One featured student, Maribel Dinwiddie, created a collection inspired by the colors of a sunset sky. Her work earned third place and a $1,500 prize. Laura Lanzerotte, a graduate of Dominican University in River Forest, won second place and $2,500 for her collection inspired by the Robert Frost poem “The Road Not Taken.”
The top honor went to Kendra DeKuiper, a Columbia College fashion program graduate, who won first place for her collection inspired by Albert Camus’ “The Stranger.” Her award included a $5,000 prize to help launch her fashion collection online while working at CB2.
The Chicago Tribune article also emphasized the broader mission behind the awards: giving students real-world fashion show experience, industry exposure, and a platform to begin building their careers. The Driehaus Awards helped connect emerging designers with Chicago’s fashion community while supporting the next generation of creative talent.
Original article published by the Chicago Tribune on Sunday, May 27, 2012. Source: “The Stitching Hour” by Wendy Donahue, Tribune Newspapers.
