Jusil Carroll wins Supima Design Competition

Hi guys! I’m running all over the city! It will be great to be able to add these blog posts from the iphone!

Meet Jusil Carroll! Busan, South Korea native Jusil Carroll, 34, came to fashion after a career in illustration and matriculated at the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she graduated with a BFA in Fashion Design this year, because “it’s one of very few schools to offer a focus on knitwear.” A recipient of last year’s $25,000 CFDA Liz Claiborne Design Scholarship, she also won a SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence and placed first in the 2011 AFT International Fashion Sketch Contest. In her Competition collection, she says, “I was inspired by ‘The Blair Witch Project’ . . . I love the idea that each person interprets the witch differently and all they are left with is a sense of mystery and thrill.” At FIT, her faculty mentor for the Supima Design Competition was Lisa Donofrio.

As an undergraduate, Carroll’s honors included the $25,000 Liz Claiborne Scholarship Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2010; the AFT International Fashion Sketch Contest in 2011; and the Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence from the State University of New York.

“In addition to its design innovation and superb execution, Jusil’s collection really rethought the possibilities of luxury cotton . . . the judges were blown away,” explained Buxton Midyette, Supima’s VP of Marketing, who judged the competition along with supermodel Coco Rocha, Bloomingdale’s executive Kevin Harter, designer Charlotte Ronson, and Gilt Groupe founder Alexandra Wilkis Wilson.

This year’s edition of the Supima Design Competition, the first to be staged as part of New York Fashion Week, followed a “best of the best” format in which America’s top design schools—FIT, Pratt, the Rhode Island School of Design, and the Savannah College of Art and Design—were each asked to nominate two graduating seniors as finalists. All eight finalists were then given luxury fabrics made with Supima Cotton and asked to create five-piece capsule collections of women’s evening wear.

Asiance got behind the scenes to speak with the super talented Jusil about her win and her inspiration.
How has your Korean background influenced your design aesthetic?

I don’t think being Korean has had any outward influence on my design aesthetic. I do however feel that my approach to the process of design has been heavily influenced by my upbringing in Korea. I bring a certain level of discipline to my work. That is the Korean way.

What was your inspiration for your collection?

My capsule collection for the Supima Design Competition was inspired by the movie “The Blair Witch Project.” What I really enjoyed about it, when I look back, was the idea that the source of the terror was never seen. It was mysterious and thrilling. I applied that concept to my collection. The silhouettes, color palette and print choices were all selected to enrich the mood.

Did you always know that you wanted to be a fashion designer?

I always loved art. As a kid I was always drawing or painting. I attended art school when I first came to the United States and I figured I was going to be a fine artist. I was however always interested in fashion. At a certain point my art began to incorporate more fashionable figures and I decided to pursue that interest. I’m glad I did. Fashion is a great creative outlet. I tend to see garment creation as a three dimensional puzzle. Fashion is very engaging.

How well do you feel that reality shows depict the process of designing a collection?

Fashion design reality shows provide very exciting and dramatic entertainment. Most of the process that goes in to designing is represented; concept creation, sketching, fabric selection and garment construction. The designers aren’t given much time and obviously what ends up on the screen has been compressed down so all the boring stuff is cut out. What your left with is a garment that may or may not be properly finished. Either way it hits the runway, ready of not!

Would you plan to be on a reality fashion tv show?

Definitely not! I like to be very precise and methodical when I design.

What are the next steps for you after your win?

The Supima Design Competition Fashion Show was an amazing experience. I can’t think of a better way to showcase work then having a collection walk the runway at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. It has created opportunity and the possibilities are very exciting.

Jusil was presented with a $10,000 check from Supima by Bravo TV star Rachel Zoe, who acted as the master of ceremonies for the competition’s live runway finale.