FIT’s Lili Shi Wins Supima Design Competition

Supima Design Competition 2018: Runway from Supima on Vimeo.

The 2018 winner of the 11th annual Supima Design Competition is Lili Shi, who graduated this past June from FIT.

Shi’s work, and that of six other finalists, was presented on Thursday, September 6 at Supima’s spring 2019 runway show. Each finalist, a 2018 graduating senior at their school — including Academy of Art University, Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Kent State University, Parsons School of Design, Rhode Island School of Design, and Savannah College of Art and Design — presented a capsule collection of five women’s wear looks featuring the unique characteristics of Supima cotton.

Shi received $10,000 from Supima to jumpstart her career and will show her collection during Paris Fashion Week later this month.

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Shi, who has both a Fashion Design and Fine Arts degree from FIT, creates work that incorporates elements of fine art, including representations of famous art works, as well as self-portraits. Her Supima collection’s theme is “interconnection,” inspired by Daoist philosophy, which also reflects her Chinese background.

“My fine arts background helps me see fashion as a bridge, as a way of connecting art and functionality that helps express an understanding of one another,” Shi said. “I believe in creating garments that have a certain sense of originality and timelessness, where everything from the design to the fabrication is well considered.”

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