Congratulations to Kent State University School of Fashion alumna Jordan Bigelow (Fashion Merchandising, '21), who was recently announced as one of three winners of the EE x FSF Design Challenge. The competition, a collaboration between the The Fashion Scholarship Fund (FSF) and renowned streetwear designer Eric Emanuel, invited 2020 and 2021 FSF scholarship recipients to submit pattern designs for incorporation into a limited edition run of Eric Emanuel iconic mesh shorts. Additionally, each winner receives a $5,000 creative stipend. The EE x FSF Capsule Collections will be launched on EricEmanuel.com with 100% of net proceeds benefitting the Fashion Scholarship Fund which supports young professionals like Bigelow to prepare and enter the fashion industry.
Bigelow's basketball inspired shorts design is highlighted in an article in Women's Wear Daily (WWD) in which she describes the process of working with Emanuel as "life changing." The article can also be read on Yahoo at the link below.
Read About Jordan Bigelow and Eric Emanuel's Partnership
As a former FSF scholarship recipient, Bigelow was part of an elite group eligible to compete in this opportunity with Eric Emanuel. She recieved the Fashion Scholarship Fund's 2021 Virgil Abloh™ “Post-Modern” Scholarship, sponsored by designer Virgil Abloh who raised $1 million to benefit scholarships for Black students.
The Abloh Fund’s mission is to foster equity and inclusion within the fashion industry by providing scholarships to students of academic promise of Black, African-American, or African descent. Abloh named the fund “Post Modern” to represent that recipients will not only receive funds, but will also be given access to vital career support services and mentoring.
Bigelow was awarded an FSF scholarship based on her case study, “The Unbought Collection,” which emphasizes the beauty of Black womanhood through fashion. Her inspiration came from the legacy of Shirley Chisholm, the highly esteemed Secretary of the House Democratic Congress, whose presidential run used the campaign slogan, “Unbought and Unbossed.”
Bigelow was mentored by fashion professor and College of the Arts Interim Assistant Dean Tameka Ellington, Ph.D., and also by Lomonaco-Benzing.
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Media Contact:
Joni Koneval, 330-672-0116, jkoneval@kent.edu