Diet Coke Partners with the Council of Fashion Designers of America to Celebrate Extraordinary Young Talent

It was a very exciting day shooting for the folks from Diet Coke and Target today – and I just LOVE the aluminum bottles!    The winner of the contest (and the rest of my images from judging) will be released at the end of August!  See the press release below:

Fashion designers Zac Posen, L’Wren Scott and Cynthia Rowley to choose winner of Diet Coke Young Designer Challenge; Fans select finalists at DietCoke.com/Design

ATLANTA, Jun 15, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) — –Winning T-shirt design available at Target stores nationwide

Designing a T-shirt is one thing, but designing a T-shirt that catches the eye of designers Zac Posen, Cynthia Rowley and L’Wren Scott and seeing it in the aisles of Target stores across the country? Now that’s extraordinary.

Diet Coke and the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) today announced a partnership to give talented design students an extraordinary portfolio boost — a chance to have their design featured at Target stores nationwide.

The three fashion-forward brands will celebrate up-and-coming talent through the Diet Coke Young Designer Challenge, a new competition searching for the next official Diet Coke T-shirt to inspire creative, extraordinary individuals everywhere.

“The CFDA is an authoritative voice in the world of fashion and style, and we couldn’t ask for a better partner for the Diet Coke Young Designer Challenge,” said William White, Group Director Brand Diet Coke, Coca-Cola North America. “With their support, one up-and-coming design student will have an extraordinary opportunity to launch his or her career in the world of fashion.”

Adding to the excitement, the winning T-shirt design will be selected by some of the biggest names in fashion, including Vince Voron, associate Vice President, Strategic Design and Integrated Marketing Content, Coca-Cola North America, creative experts from Target and luminary designers Zac Posen, Cynthia Rowley and L’Wren Scott.

These leading style and fashion experts will select the winning design from a pool of 10 finalists, who will be chosen based on an online vote.

Through June 18, visitors to DietCoke.com/Design will be able to cast their vote for the T-shirt design they believe best represents the multi-dimensional and aspirational Diet Coke brand. The 20 designs in the running are the creations of the following design students, and were pre-selected from submissions by sophomores and juniors at CFDA partner colleges:

— Gustavo Alonso, Miami International University of Art and Design, Miami, Fla.

— Florencia Chaves, Parsons The New School for Design, Brooklyn, N.Y.

— Mackenzie Gaudette, Miami International University of Art and Design, Miami, Fla.

— Marianne Grobman, Miami International University of Art and Design, Aventura, Fla.

— Sarah Humphries, Savannah College of Art and Design, Tampa, Fla.

— Adele Jackson, Marist College, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

— Kelly Jenkins, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pa.

— Toni-Marie Koulos, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pa.

— Xenia Lally, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, Ga.

— Zi Lin, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, Ga.

— Katherine Owen, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, Ga.

— Danielle Perret, Parsons The New School for Design, New York, N.Y.

— Raquel Reyes, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, Ga.

— Victoria Schermerhorn, Marist College, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

— Brianna Scherlock, Marist College, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

— Kayla Speedy, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pa.

— Renee Tomic, Marist College, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

— Florencia Torlaschi, Miami International University of Art and Design, Tamarac, Fla.

— Logan Treacy, Savannah College of Art and Design, Charlotte, N.C.

— Mengdi Wu, Parsons The New School for Design, New York, N.Y.

In addition to having his or her design available in Target stores nationwide this September, the grand-prize winner also will receive a $10,000 scholarship and a trip to New York City in September to experience the rush of a week of high fashion.

“Diet Coke is an exciting and stylish brand, and we are pleased to be a partner in this unique design challenge,” said Steven Kolb, CEO of the CFDA. “We’re always looking for ways to support the next generation of fashion designers, and this will be an amazing accomplishment for a student to put on a resume before he or she even graduates!”

People who vote for their favorite T-shirt design over the next two weeks will have the opportunity to win an all-expenses-paid trip for two to New York City this September to get a fresh dose of style inspiration during a week of fashion events this fall.

The grand-prize winner of the contest will be announced in August. To encourage the talented finalists to continue chasing their passions, two runners-up selected by the judging panel will each receive $2,500 scholarships, and the remaining 17 finalists will each receive $250 scholarships.

The winning design will appear in the soft drink aisle in select Target stores nationwide beginning September 3.