Selected by a panel of industry judges, Gina (Zinan) Guo from Drexel University was named the winner of the 2019 Supima Design Competition during New York Fashion Week.
For her winning Supima collection, Guo was inspired by the phenomenon of nature and the environment. She uses sculpture and engineered printing together with coral bleaching coming together to tell a story of sustainability.
Growing up in Beijing, China, Gina (Zinan) Guo was struck by the fashion bug at age 12 when she saw a collection of Vera Wang wedding dresses. With a talent for drawing and crafting already evident and the support of her parents, Guo was set on combing her talents with her love of fashion and made the decision to become a fashion designer.
After graduating no.1 in her class at Beijing Daxel High School, Guo went onto attend Drexel University where she studied Textiles for Fashion Design, Fashion Drawing and Professional Portfolio. Guo’s design specialty focuses on women’s formal wear where she is able to express her vision through artwork and sculpture to create elegant, vintage designs with a modern aesthetic.
Courtesy Supima
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 05: A model walks the runway at the 12th Annual Supima Design Competition at Pier 59 Studios during New York Fashion Week on September 05, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by JP Yim/Getty Images for Supima)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 05: A model walks the runway at the 12th Annual Supima Design Competition at Pier 59 Studios during New York Fashion Week on September 05, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by JP Yim/Getty Images for Supima)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 05: A model walks the runway at the 12th Annual Supima Design Competition at Pier 59 Studios during New York Fashion Week on September 05, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by JP Yim/Getty Images for Supima)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 05: A model walks the runway at the 12th Annual Supima Design Competition at Pier 59 Studios during New York Fashion Week on September 05, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by JP Yim/Getty Images for Supima)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 05: A model walks the runway at the 12th Annual Supima Design Competition at Pier 59 Studios during New York Fashion Week on September 05, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by JP Yim/Getty Images for Supima)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 05: Designer Gina (Zinan) Guo speaks on stage during the 12th Annual Supima Design Competition at Pier 59 Studios on September 05, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by JP Yim/Getty Images for Supima)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 05: Designer Gina (Zinan) Guo celebrates with Supima’s Buxton Midyette and host Blair Eadie on stage during the 12th Annual Supima Design Competition at Pier 59 Studios on September 05, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by JP Yim/Getty Images for Supima)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 05: Designer Gina (Zinan) Guo walks the runway during the 12th Annual Supima Design Competition at Pier 59 Studios on September 05, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by JP Yim/Getty Images for Supima)
Started in 2008, the annual Supima Design Competition was created to give runway exposure to emerging talent and was modeled on the legendary 1954 Wool Secretariat competition that launched the careers of the then-teenaged Yves St. Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld.
Since its start, former Supima Design Competition winners have gone on to launch their own labels, show at New York Fashion Week, and secure jobs with top international labels including Michael Kors, Marchesa, Ralph Lauren and Phillip Lim.
The founder of FashionWindows, Mari Davis began her career as a software developer but a twist of fate brought her to the fashion world. Mari is currently the Editor-in-Chief of FashionWindows. Contact Mari Davis at mari.davis@fashionwindows.net
