August 31, 2012
Winners of 4th Annual Fur Free Fashion Competition Announced
Mark Thompson READ TIME: 4 MIN.
Washington D.C. - Born Free USA's 4th Annual fffashion
Winners of the competition were announced today by Adam Roberts, Executive Vice President of Born Free USA, after a celebrity judging panel made their final decisions.
According to Roberts, "The mission of our fur free competition
Judges for the competition were: Sharon and Kelly Osbourne; design and couture legend Elizabeth Emanuel best-known for creating Princess Diana's wedding gown; actress, bestselling author and beauty expert Victoria Principal; Melissa Rivers, host of fashion events on TV Guide Channel and Fashion Police on E!; Tony Award-winning costume designer and Hollywood stylist Marina Draghici; Julia Barr, two-time Emmy Award winning actress (Brooke on All My Children); Brita Belli, editor of E/The Environmental Magazine; eco-model, activist and green living expert Summer Rayne Oakes, and fashion stylist and journalist Devon Poer.
To compete, a call for designers went out in January 2012 asking entrants to create a woman's or man's coat, shirt, pants, dress, skirt or suit and submit their entry by April 15, 2012 to Born Free USA.
Prizes include cash, coverage in E Magazine, and featured attention on Born Free USA's website. More at www.bornfreeusa.org/fffashion.
2012 Winners
The Green Award (for the most environmentally friendly design): Macungie, PA native and Marist College student Rachel Lichtenwalner for her "Shell-Inspired Smocked Dress." She said, "I was inspired by the texture of seashells and their natural beauty, so I created a smocking technique that was reminiscent of a sea shell texture.
The top of the dress is custom smocked and all sewn by hand." The fabric is 100% fair trade organic cotton. About this design, judge Summer Rayne Oakes said ""I enjoyed her attention to hand-detailing. The texture of the ruffled detailing is reminiscent of sea shells without making it too figurative. The one-shoulder and asymmetrical hemline also add a nice touch."
Born Free USA
Born Free USA brings to America the message of "compassionate conservation" -- the vision of the U.K.-based Born Free Foundation, established in 1984 by Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna, stars of the iconic film Born Free, along with their son Will Travers, now CEO of both organizations.
Born Free's mission is to end suffering of wild animals in captivity, conserve threatened and endangered species, and encourage compassionate conservation globally. More at: www.bornfreeusa.org
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A long-term New Yorker and a member of New York Travel Writers Association, Mark Thompson has also lived in San Francisco, Boston, Provincetown, D.C., Miami Beach and the south of France. The author of the novels WOLFCHILD and MY HAWAIIAN PENTHOUSE, he has a PhD in American Studies and is the recipient of fellowships at MacDowell, Yaddo, and Blue Mountain Center. His work has appeared in numerous publications.