Emma Joan Foley wins 17th annual design competition

And the winner is Emma Joan Foley, a Midwesterner who won the 17th Annual Supima Design Competition after a joint runway show at New York Fashion Week on Thursday night.

Born in Minneapolis, part of a twin city with St. Paul that is divided by the Mississippi River, Foley graduated from The New School, Parsons School of Design in New York. And like her hometown, Foley’s collection was a blend of two key elements: a brave understanding of the possibilities of using Supima cotton and her forceful inspiration, medieval armor and 17th-century court dress.

The annual Supima Design Competition, held every year, is a unique award that pits six graduate students with bachelor's degrees selected from leading American design schools against each other.

Each designer showed five looks made from denim, shirting, jersey, twill or American Supima velvet, the cashmere of cotton grown by some 300 farmers in the American Southwest. Each young talent participated in a joint show at the Prince George Ballroom in downtown Manhattan.

“I am very grateful. I had a great time working on this collection. It was a great privilege to expand on my Parsons thesis and continue that influence. Thank you very much,” Foley smiled.

In any case, it was a vintage competition and one of the most notable Supima shows of all. Also impressive was Henry Hawk of the Rhode Island School of Design, who focused on workwear, referencing late 19th-century San Francisco, making him a designer destined for a fine career in hipster sportswear.

A meeting of Catholic education and churches permeated the exhibition by Jules Gourley of the School of Art Institute of Chicago, whose gothic shapes, tulip sleeves and brutalist cut made a powerful statement.

Next up, Marina Lamphier, a graduate of Drexel University in Philadelphia, showed off her youthful sailing on the Great Lakes, with an elegant nautical display that incorporated flags and naval symbols. And a timely display, as the latest America's Cup began last week in Barcelona.

The desire to confront the demons of youth was evident in the clothes of Mina Piao of the Fashion Institute of Technology, who spoke of the “toxicity” of professional success demanded of all second-generation Americans. Her voluminous clothes, delicately crafted and finished with clever mistakes, made a real impact.

Finally, Lizzy Truit from Kent State University, originally from a family farm in Alabama, showed a romantic fashion based on quilting techniques.

The winner took home a $10,000 prize after a jury vote chaired by designer Phillip Lim, who will present his next show on Sunday in the Meatpacking District.

“After this show, the future of fashion seems very secure,” enthused Lim, who addressed the audience alongside the award’s initiator, Buxton Midyette, Supima’s vice president of marketing and promotions.

Lim headed a panel of experts that included Fern Mallis, Avril Graham, Mickey Boardman, Freya Drohan, Gilles Dennis, Lida Lockwood and myself.