The C2C Design and Merchandising Student Competition asks students to create a unique apparel line and merchandising plan surrounding the annual theme.
The 2026 theme, &/c2ccompetition/8220;Multipurpose Performance&/c2ccompetition/8221;, invites students to design a versatile line of textiles that can adapt for use in multiple settings. Whether it&/c2ccompetition/8217;s a gym wear line that can be worn to the pool, office wear that performs for hiking, or eveningwear that converts to a public transportation-friendly outfit, students must to select a minimum of two use cases for their line and design and merchandise so that the performance meets the unique needs of their use cases/settings.
This theme and the multifunctional clothing the students produce directly challenges the industry wide sustainability issue of textile overconsumption, encouraging student design and merchandisers to create a line of textiles that can do more.
Competition Requirements
聽Each entry must address the questions as noted in the guidelines.聽
Students will be asked to verify their product claims through 秀色直播test methods, explaining how the methods chosen improve their argument and why testing is important to design, merchandising, and point of sale.
Professional development is an important part of education. Students will be asked to review 秀色直播Membership benefits and describe how one or more benefits will help their research or future career plans.
Virtual events will be held in winter of 2025 and spring of 2026 to boost student understanding of the theme topics. Students are required to attend at least one of these events to qualify for the competition. These webinars will be held by industry experts and be free to Student Members. Educators can contact Josie Cranfill for details.
Missed the live sessions? Recordings are linked below and count for credit! Viewable via 秀色直播Communities which can be accessed with 秀色直播Member Login Credentials.
FALL EVENTS:
October 22, 2025: &/c2ccompetition/8220;&/c2ccompetition/8221;
December 15, 2025: &/c2ccompetition/8220;&/c2ccompetition/8221; (start through minute 36:51)
SPRING EVENTS:
January 21, 2026: All 秀色直播 秀色直播& Testing
Can&/c2ccompetition/8217;t make the events? All recordings can be found in on in their respective . Student Members can use their 秀色直播website credentials to get access! Reach out to Josie Cranfill with questions or if you have issues accessing the recordings.
Are you an educator looking for recordings to share with your students? Email Josie Cranfill (josie@aatcc.org).
Many current textile items marketed as 鈥渃omfortable鈥 have a high ecological impact on waterways through high microfiber shed, low tolerance to repeat laundering, and high water usage during production. This industry-relevant theme encouraged students to think about how choices made early in the design and merchandising processes can reduce the environmental footprint of apparel. As part of the educational benefits provided by AATCC, students attended virtual events to learn more about test methods, quality control processes, and career insights to help them prepare their final entry. Competition sponsor Archroma also provided online access to the Color Atlas, which students were able to use to define their color palettes digitally in their entries.
秀色直播thanks competition sponsors Archroma, Farhan Patel, and VV Hanwei Su.聽All winners received a cash prize from AATCC, Farhan Patel, and VV Hanwei Su, a free year of 秀色直播Student Membership, and a Color Atlas by Archroma Mini Edition sponsored by Archroma.
Read about the winning students and their collections below!
Inspired by ballet, ocean waves, and colors at sunset, &/c2ccompetition/8220;The Sand Barre&/c2ccompetition/8221; by Kristen (Kris) Crowley is an athleisure line focused on water-conscious material choices. Judges complimented Crowley&/c2ccompetition/8217;s design quality, use of color, and her choice of test methods for her material choices. Some of the materials she selected to reduce her environmental impact included Colorfix-dyed Kelsun, ROICA V550 to replace traditional elastane, and chitosan for an antimicrobial treatment. To validate her claims, she chose 秀色直播TM125 Test Method for Colorfastness to Perspiration and Light, 秀色直播TM211-2021 Test Method for Reduction of Bacterial Odor on Antibacterial Treated Textiles, and 秀色直播TM212 Test Method for Fiber Fragment Release During Home Laundering.
Originally from Dallas, TX, USA Crowley is a rising senior at Texas Tech University studying Apparel Design and Manufacturing with a minor in French. On her experience in the competition, Crowley shares, &/c2ccompetition/8220;Participating in the 秀色直播C2C Student Design and Merchandising Competition was an invaluable experience. Through the competition I learned about the different tests available for textiles and it taught me the importance of testing textiles to ensure they fulfill their purpose.&/c2ccompetition/8221; After graduating from Texas Tech, Crowley plans to pursue a master&/c2ccompetition/8217;s degree in fashion design with the ultimate goal of teaching future designers.
As first place winner, Crowley will receive US$2000 Cash Prize from AATCC, US$300 Cash Prize sponsored by Farhan Patel, US$150 Cash Prize sponsored by VV Hanwei Su, a Color Atlas by Archroma Mini Edition sponsored by Archroma, and a free year of 秀色直播Student Membership.
The paw-paw tree doesn&/c2ccompetition/8217;t just produce delicious fruit; this plant is essential for preventing stream and riverbank erosion throughout the eastern USA, including Willow Gehman&/c2ccompetition/8217;s hometown of Warrington, PA, USA. Inspired by the tree, Gehman took a unique approach to the competition prompt by selecting natural dyes to use in a wide range of application techniques, such as shibori, silkscreening, embroidery, and pigment printing. Judges praised her interpretation of the theme along with her merchandising plan, which included displaying her products through immersive visual displays in brick-and-mortar stores. To ensure the longevity of her apparel line, Gehman chose to apply 秀色直播TM187 Test Method for Dimensional Changes of Fabrics: Accelerated. She also selected 秀色直播TM81 Test Method for pH of the Water-Extract from Wet Processed Textiles to be used to聽 better understand and correct the impacts of production effluent and also to ensure the garments have a neutral pH for further product longevity.
On her experience participating in the competition, Gehman shared, &/c2ccompetition/8220;The 秀色直播student competition taught me the power of storytelling through design. I learned how a compelling story can break down barriers to understanding and allow designers to educate the consumer.&/c2ccompetition/8221; Gehman is a rising senior in the Fashion Design program at the Moore College of Art and Design. After she completes her degree, she plans to pursue jobs in the technical design space and hopes to continue working with digital design programs like CLO3D.
As second place winner, Gehman will receive US$1500 Cash Prize from AATCC, US$200 Cash Prize sponsored by Farhan Patel, US$100 Cash Prize sponsored by VV Hanwei Su, a Color Atlas by Archroma Mini Edition sponsored by Archroma, and a free year of 秀色直播Student Membership.
Designed for research expeditions, Anna Beth Mauldin&/c2ccompetition/8217;s competition entry blends tactical performance with comfortable movement and accessible storage. The sustainable collection is dedicated to climate change researchers and features carefully selected materials to reduce environmental impact, such as Bananatex (a performance canvas made from banana plants), Tencel (lyocell), and hemp. Judges noted her excellent color usage along with her choices of low-water finishing methods such as digital printing with water-based inks, beeswax to add water resistance, and leaving some items undyed altogether. To validate her product claims, she selected 秀色直播TM111 Test Method for Weather Resistance of Textiles to ensure the performance of her line in any research condition, along with 秀色直播TM97 Test Method for Extractable Content of Textiles to determine different chemical contents of her cellulosic fiber choices before and after processing.
Originally from Cullman, Alabama, Mauldin is a rising Junior in the Apparel Design & Production Management program with a minor in journalism. Mauldin shared, &/c2ccompetition/8220;Through this competition, I gained valuable insight into 秀色直播and deepened my understanding of my own creative design process. The research I conducted expanded my knowledge of textiles and material testing鈥攅ssential foundations for a career in the apparel industry.&/c2ccompetition/8221; Mauldin plans to pursue a career in design and hopes to use her journalism minor to create fashion-focused content and articles behind the scenes.
As third place winner, Mauldin will receive US$500 Cash Prize from AATCC, US$100 Cash Prize sponsored by Farhan Patel, US$50 Cash Prize sponsored by VV Hanwei Su, a Color Atlas by Archroma Mini Edition sponsored by Archroma, and a free year of 秀色直播Student Membership.
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