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Cool vs. Cruel 2006 Announces Finalists

November 13, 2006


	© 2006	HSUS/Judah
	This colorful gown by April Ullman at The Art Institute of Seattle is one of the finalists in the 2006 Cool vs. Cruel competition.

A panel of fashion luminaries is poised to select a winning design from among the 13 finalists in the Cool vs. Cruel 2006 fashion design contest.

For the second year, The Humane Society of the United States and The Art Institutes partnered to challenge fashion design students to reinterpret and improve designer fur garments by using animal-friendly alternatives. This year, the contest was part of the Art Institutes curriculum at 32 schools, educating hundreds of future fashion designers on the cruel reality of the fur trade through video presentations by HSUS staff.

Each participating Art Institute class selected a winning design from among its participants to send to final judging by a panel of fashion experts and celebrities. And for a second year, the results demonstrate that talented designers do not need to use animal fur to produce runway-ready looks.

Highlights of
Cool vs. Cruel 2005

See the story, pictures, and video of last year's contest and awards ceremony, including the winning designs.

This year's judges are designer Jay McCarroll, designer Marc Bouwer, Mickey Boardman of Paper magazine, actress Elizabeth Berkley, designer Atom Cianfarani, design house Duckie Brown, TV personality Jenna Morasca and Shelly Vella, fashion director of Cosmopolitan UK.

The winning design will be announced at an awards ceremony in New York City Nov. 16. The winner will receive a trip to New York for the ceremony and an internship assisting a designer with his or her runway show during New York Fashion Week. Also, the winning design will be featured as part of a national traveling show promoting fur-free fashion.

April Ullman's entry, above right, is one of this year's finalists. Below are thumbnails of the other entries (in no specific order).

Bonny Geronimo, The Art Institute of New York City	Marisa Widjojo, The Art Institute of Seattle	Katie Smith, The Art Institute of California—San Francisco

Liliana Quilcate, The Art Institutes Miami International University of Art & Design	Sheila Rodriquez, The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale	Melissa Collins, The Art Institute of Portland

Serra Dernberger, The Art Institute of Seattle	Angela Brantley, The Art Institute of Ohio—Cincinnati	Ricardo Auguste, The Art Institute of New York City (Mr. Auguste was last year's third place winner.)

Niesha M. Orr, The Art Institutes Bradley Academy for the Visual Arts	Chelsea Beagley, The Illinois Institute of Art—Chicago	Audre Miller, The Art Institute of Dallas

See the Video

Cool Versus Cruel Design Competition

Cruelty by Design

Related Links

And the Winner Is...The Animals!