The format for the Costume-Con 31 Future Design Competition and Folio follows the basic plan established by CC30 with some variations. Please read through all the rules and particulars before submitting your designs.

The Future Fashion Design Competition

(deadline for entering Sept 1, 2012)

The Design Competition is open to everyone. You do not have to have a membership to the convention, or be affiliated with any organized costuming group or other organization to enter the contest. Designers do not have to construct the designs they submit to the Folio. You can let your imagination run free to specify cut, technique, materials, accessories and scenarios to develop your designs. We would, however, like to encourage designers to consider garments that might actually be worn as futuristic fashions rather than theatrical type costumes.

There are no specified categories for designs in the CC31 Design Competition . We would like to see a grand variety of designs in the Folio, and prefer to leave the options open for anything. Some possible themes for designs are:

• Accessories (shoes, jewelry, etc.)
•  Bridal / Wedding Wear
• Business / Occupational Wear
• Ceremonial or Religious Regalia
• Clothing for a particular age group (children, teens, elderly …..)
• Couples
• Court Wear
• Entertainers (singers/actors/dancers/musicians)
• Ethnic Outfits
• Extreme environment clothing
• Festival Wear
• Formal /Semi formal Evening Wear
• Heavy Worlders (higher gravity/larger body types)
• Non-human
• Body modification/augmentation
• Hostess Wear
• Leisure Wear
• Lingerie
• Maternity Wear
• Pseudo-Historical
• Sports Wear (including sports not yet invented)
• Uniforms (civilian or military, every day or dress)
• Repurposed/recycled materials
• Harujuku
• Avant Garde

Sponsored Design Themes

The Costume-Con 31 Design Competition has two (so far) Sponsored Design Themes with special awards. Please indicate that you wish to have your design considered for the Special Design Theme on the back of your drawing or in the text of your email. All entries submitted for these awards are eligible for inclusion in the Folio in general even if they are not selected for a special award.

The Sponsored Design Themes are :

1. Pioneers – What might future pioneers wear, as they inhabit new worlds, new environments, and evolve new ways of living? Sponsored by Gypsy Ames
2. Collections – As this is a fashion design contest, we would like to see collections of 5 or more looks. A collection is a group of clothing designs put together to tell a story of the designer’s inspiration. Sponsored by Michael Bruno

How to submit your designs

You may submit as many designs as you like, whenever you like, multiple times if you like. But the deadline is September 1, 2012. If you are submitting your designs by snail mail, please mail early enough so that they are received by the deadline. Design submission rules are below; please read them all before submitting your designs.

The Rules and Particulars

Most of our rules are typical & the same as have been used every year for Costume-Con. There are a few tweaks in the ongoing evolution of The Future Fashion Design Competition, Folio and Show for CC31. Please pay attention to these, as they may be new to you even if you’ve participated in past Folios. These rules are derived from those prepared for CC25 and CC30.

1. All designs must be ORIGINAL IDEAS.

You can draw your designs on your own, draw on a traced figure or have someone else draw the design for you, but the design must be original. Please give credit to anyone who helps you.

Feeling intimidated by the blank page and concerns about your drawing skills? Not to worry! Croquis (figures to draw on) are available for your use. You can google “croquis” for examples.

A few websites to try:

www.alleycatscratch.com/ffashion/Figures.htm
www.taunton.com/threads/pages/t00147.asp

Be assured, you designs will be judged on the merit of the creative ideas, not the drawing.

2. Designs may be submitted three ways:

i. Hard copy (aka: the old-fashioned way, on paper); all designs must be on white 8.5″ x 11″ (or A4) paper, photocopied (not scanned & printed from your home computer,) black & white line art.

Please snail-mail designs to:

Gypsy Ames
[Removed]

ii. On CD; you may scan your designs at home & put the files on a disk. You may use any image format you desire, scanned at no less than 300 dpi & no more than 600 dpi. Use the same definition of line art as for hard copies.

iii. By email; you may send your designs as attachments to an email. One design (with text file) per email, JPEGs only between 300 & 600 dpi. Again, use our standard definition of line art.

Submit these to: [Removed]

iv. Definition: Line art – black ink on white background; not pencil, no shading, no colors. Include sufficient room around the image so the design doesn’t run into the margins.

See item #5 below for labeling & text file requirements & item #6 for naming conventions.

3. DO NOT SEND US ORIGINAL ARTWORK.

All designs should be photocopies or some graphic format.

4. You may, and we encourage you to, submit designs in color.

But we require a black & white line art copy of your design for reproduction in the Fashion Folio. Please make sure your drawings are neat and will reproduce well. This includes electronic format drawings. (See Definition: Line art 2.iv above) If you do send us hard copy color versions DO NOT use anything that requires spray fixative or that may smear, smudge, stick or flake off on other people’s drawings.

5. Labeling & text file requirements

i. Your name and address MUST be marked clearly on the back of EACH AND EVERY design sheet submitted; include the design’s name if it has one and or other classification if relevant. Designs usually have descriptions which should include any appropriate information to help a maker construct the design; please put each description on a separate sheet, also labeled on the back.

ii. If you submit your design on a CD please include the descriptions in .txt or .rtf format with your name and address as well as the name and description of your design; again one file per description not all in one. Also write your name on the CD in permanent ink.

iii. If you submit your design by email please include the description in .txt or .rtf format with your name and address as well as the name and description of your design. Remember – one design with description per email.

iv. In all cases, your email address & phone number are helpful.

6. Naming Conventions for the Designs:

Number entries consecutively on the back in the upper right hand corner.

Example: if you submit 4 designs, they should be numbered as follows: “#1 of 4″, “#2 of 4″ etc. Color versions should be numbered “Color #1 of 4″, etc.

If you are submitting on a CD each drawing file should be named “1 of 4 name of design.jpg”, “2 of 4 name of design.jpg” and so forth. The text files for each design should be named “1 of 4 name of design text.(txt or rtf)”.

Use the same method on emails – but remember – one design with description per email.

7. Enter as many designs as you wish and as often as you wish

PRIOR TO THE DEADLINE OF September 1, 2012. Designs must be received by the Folio Director by that date.

8. Identify the source of your inspiration (if any) on the back or in the text portion of your design.

9. Your designs will not be returned unless you request it

AND have also included a Stamped Self-Addressed Envelope of SUFFICIENT SIZE and with SUFFICIENT POSTAGE on it with your designs.

10. Use of Designs

By submitting your designs to Costume-Con 31 you agree to the non-profit use & publication of said designs by Costume-Con 31 prior to & during the run of the conference, and to their reproduction for the Fashion Show. All rights revert back to the designer after the conference.

Please direct any questions regarding the Future Fashion Folio to Gypsy Ames at [Removed]

The Future Fashion Folio

Every design that is accepted for inclusion in the Future Fashion Folio is a winner. Designers of designs selected for publication will receive a copy of the Folio even if they are not members of the Convention.

All submitted designs will be reviewed by a judging panel who will decide what will be included in the Future Fashion Folio. In the past the Fashion Folio was presented as a printed booklet that was distributed to members (and designers) by mail or at the convention. Due to rising printing & mailing costs we will be following the example started at CC28 & continued with CC29 and CC30 of issuing the Folio as a PDF file which will be emailed upon completion. Special consideration will be made upon individual request for those who cannot receive a large sized file via email – the Folio could be burned onto a CD and mailed to those members.

Designs that have been accepted for the Folio will be organized into the PDF file just as if it were a printed Folio. Recipients may opt to print the entire file or portions thereof if they desire.

Our goal is to have the selection of winning designs completed and the Folio ready for distribution to designers and CC31 members by early November, 2012.

The Future Fashion Showcase

For those inspired by the designs they see in the Folio, the Showcase is their opportunity to make one of the designs into a reality and present their creation on stage. While participation in the Future Fashion Folio was open to all, you must be a member of Costume-Con 31 to present an entry on stage in the Fashion Show. It is acceptable for an entry into the Showcase to be made by one person and modeled by another, but both maker and model must be members of Costume-Con 31.

In order to maximize the creative opportunities of the community, Costume-Con 31 will impose no limit to the number of entries based upon any one design from the Folio. Designers wishing to reserve exclusive rights to their own designs should indicate this at the time the design is submitted. Designs which have been reserved by their designer will be designated as such when the folio is published. Designers who intend to make one of their designs for the Showcase yet do not wish to exclude the design from consideration for others need not make any special requests and should follow the reservation process detailed below.

In order to assist the director in planning the show, please reserve your place by emailing the showcase director at [Removed] no later than April 26th with your name and the title/number of the design you are creating. Please note any special details you believe would be helpful for planning the show such as color/fabric choices, theme or further interpretation beyond what is published in the Folio. If for any reason you do not believe that you will be able to present the design you’ve indicated, please let the showcase director know as soon as possible so that adjustments can be made.

Participants in the Fashion Showcase should plan to check in with the show director at their table at the convention to pick up participants instructions. The fashion show is unlike a masquerade in that presentation will consists of a simple runway walk. Participants are not responsible for providing their own soundtrack or presentation, but are welcome to email the show director in advance with any special comments about their costume which might be read during their introduction.

All of the fashions presented in the Showcase are created from designs which won their inclusion in the Future Fashion Folio. The makers who bring the designs to life will be considered for a small selection of awards to be presented at the completion of the Showcase. Details regarding judging as well as the time and day of the Showcase will be posted here when available.