Supima stages Design Lab, looks forward to next Hyères

Supima, in a smart response to the pandemic, staged its annual celebration Design Lab entirely online on Thursday, as the organization looked forward to its next participation at this month’s Hyères Festival.

For 2020, Supima Design Lab – in its third edition - featured a wide selection of ideas and creations, showcased in a 20-minute video on Supima.com.

First up was the Supima Design Competition where all six finalists got to show their ideas before a virtual French garden, La Notre, with a white tech topiary. Led by this year’s winner Amanda Forastieri, all finalists attend fashion and design schools in the United States, from Parsons School of Design to FIT.

Next came a pick of talents from Hyères, the single most important competition for graduate talent in Europe for fashion and photography, of which Supima has become a key sponsor.

Ten young designers from Hyères showed ideas, ranging from Katarzyna Cichy’s enveloping all-white jumpsuit to Andrea Grossi’s remarkable biker jacket and pants printed in the shape of a human torso and finished with the designer’s name in gothic script alongside intense illustrations – a striking example of the material’s unique range.

“Supima is about making connections with just-out-of-school designers with really big companies, like Supima,” explained Jean-Pierre Blanc, the founder and director of Hyères, which also receives sponsorship from the likes of Chanel, LVMH and Chloé.

Finally, the event featured a curated pick of designers: Lutz Huelle, Thierry Colson, Dice Kayek, Jean Paul Knott and On Aura Tout Vu. Again showing great range - from Colson’s mashed up plissé trench to Huelle’s refined men’s shirt dress with leg-of-mutton sleeves for ladies.

“Our brand is about mixing and matching ideas – from streetwear to couture. Supima is really something else. It reacts in lots of different ways. When it is dense it becomes rigid and it keeps shape in a really beautiful way. When not so dense it falls perfectly and takes the light beautifully. It can work for every single garment,” enthused Huelle.

Finally, the event featured a debate on the fabric featuring Blanc; Marc Lewkowitz, president and CEO of Supima; Buxton Midyette, Supima VP marketing & promotions, and the driving force behind the Supima; and the author of this article.

“Supima is in a unique position in the fashion industry. A premium cotton fiber grown in the United States. A unique species with an extra long staple fiber, whose unique characteristics lends itself to fashion, due to its specific durability and sustainability,” explained Lewkowitz.

Supima, the cashmere of cotton, is produced by some 500 family farms in the American southwest in four states – Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas.

Supima will again be active at the next Hyères Festival, pushed back due to the pandemic from May to October 15 to 18.

“Supima was privileged to be able to preview the selection of Hyères designers at the Supima design lab because of the special partnership we have with the festival. They simply worked magic with the Supima fabrics in a series of stunning looks. This, without question, is one of the strongest selections that the festival has had for years and I cannot wait to see their full collections. I am also hoping that my secret favorite will win,” commented Midyette.

Looking ahead, Midyette was excited by the organization’s next event, a virtual Supima harvest symposium to celebrate this fall’s Supima crop which arrives in October and November.

“We look forward to bringing together our family of brands and retailers with our Supima growers for this special event,” he said.

Supima stages Design Lab, looks forward to next Hyères

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