A Visit to the H&M Showroom

Last week, we were invited to visit the H&M showroom in NYC to view the collection of 25 year old, Jia Hua, one of the eight finalists in the running for the H&M Design Award. Hua is the first design student from the U.S. to ever be included in the Design Awards and is a finalist for the People's Prize.

Her collection mixes traditional craft techniques with contemporary sportswear combining different materials ranging from chiffon to mesh. "My collection is a mixture of couture hand crafting technique with contemporary sportswear, focusing on fabric, color, and comfort", says the designer from Parsons. So what inspires such creativity? Art from talents such as Dan Flavin, Mickalene Thomas, and Caroline Lauren.

The winner of the 2014 Design Awards will receive 50,000 Euros (about $68,000) and a chance to present their winning collection on January 28th during Mercedes-Benz Stockholm Fashion Week. The winner will also develop pieces from the winning collection to be sold at selected H&M stores this fall.

This year’s H&M Design Award 2014 jury includes designer Erdem, actress Michelle Dockery, and style expert Michelle Harper, as well as Serena Hood, executive fashion editor of Vogue UK, Sara Maino, senior fashion editor of Vogue Italy, Ann-Sofie Johansson, H&M’s head of design, and Margareta van den Bosch, H&M’s creative advisor.

The competition is tough, but I don't doubt that Jia Hua will be able to win, but she can only do so with your help. To cast your vote for Hua and to learn more about the other designers go to designaward.hm.com! As a bonus you could win a trip for two to Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Stockholm 2014!