UC Senior on Target in National Competition

University of Cincinnati design senior Jennifer Daggy, 23, has reached the finalist ranks in a national competition sponsored by the Council of Fashion Designers of America and Target Corporation.

Daggy, of Richmond, Ind., has already won $1,000 as one of 10 national semi-finalists in the fashion competition known as the “Target/CFDA Design Initiative.”  Now, she’s one of up to three finalists who will travel to Target’s headquarters in Minneapolis in early April.  The finalists will interview with Target representatives for a one-year, paid internship with the company.

To make it this far, Daggy designed a 15-piece line of clothing for the junior market, women aged 18-22.  She explained, “For the competition, we were not only required to design 15 pieces, but we had to designate how we would take it from initial concept to marketing to how it would be displayed on the store floor.  So, we had to do sketches, cost it out and do all the follow up, including designing magazine ads.  Really, to do this competition, you had to be fashion designer, product designer, graphic designer, marketer and merchandiser all in one.  It’s a way for the judges to see how your school teaches and your ability to follow through on the steps and the processes to pull it all together while hitting specific price points.”

After completing the competition portfolio early this year, Daggy sent it off for judging by New York designers, including Stan Herman, the country’s leading uniform designer, and Louis Dell’Olio.  Only the country’s best fashion design programs are invited to participate in the competition, and this year, 17 schools were invited to submit the work of up to four of their best students.  Daggy, a product development major in UC’s fashion program, was one of three Cincinnati students invited to compete.

Daggy’s teacher, Phyllis Borcherding, assistant professor of design, explained that the contest allows leaders in the fashion industry as well as Target to look at the work of rising talent, see the direction that young fashion designers are taking while also giving students a chance to gain more experience and develop their talent. 

For her project, Daggy designed a denim-based clothing line she called “Blueprints.”  It targets Generation Y wearers in both urban and rural environments.  It’s a market that she has actually designed for thanks to her work experience during two cooperative education quarters spent in Dallas, Texas, with the juniors department of the Arizona Jean Company.

She recalled, “I did the project because I wanted the extra challenge.  It was also a preparation for my senior thesis [an ensemble apparel line required of seniors in fashion].  I was amazed to find myself a semi-finalist because I know all the best students and schools are in the competition.  But, I really think I’ve received the best possible education that you can have.  It’s been an amazing education at DAAP [UC’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning] combined with the co-ops.  I have a lot of respect for my school.”

The final winner in the competition will be selected by mid-April.  If Daggy is the winner, she’ll be offered a paid ($35,000), one-year internship with the Design & Trend team at Target’s Minneapolis headquarters, with the chance to continue working for the firm once the year is up.  And Daggy is eager for the chance, stating, “Target is the place to learn, the place to be right now to understand the market and what’s going on in the industry.  I’d get to help with branding and with design and move throughout the different areas of the company to see where I can best contribute.”

The schools represented among the 10 semi-finalists in the Target/CFDA competition are:
• The University of Cincinnati
• Parsons School of Design, New York City
• Philadelphia University
• The Art Institute of Chicago
• Fashion Institute of Technology, New York City
• Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles
• Savannah College of Art and Design
• Drexel University, Philadelphia
• Kent State University

The other schools invited to compete were:
• Academy of Art College, San Francisco
• Cornell University, Ithaca N.Y.
• Marist College, Poughkeepsie N.Y.
• Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia
• Pratt Institute, New York City
• Rhode Island School of Design
• Syracuse University
• Washington University, St. Louis