Introduction to Future Design Contests

Futuristic Design Contests have been around in it's current from since the mid/late 1970's. Bjo Trimble started the Future Fashion Folios with Future Fashion shows during the early Equicons. The tradition continues annually in at the Costume Cons. Other conferences and conventions have done these contests intermittently.

The Futuristic Design Contest, as run by the Costume Cons, is a juried competition. These judges, designers and/or costumers in their own right, are usually picked by the person running the Design Contest, the Future Fashion Folio Director.

Designers from all over the world enter their designs. However, in these contests, the designers do not have to be members of the Costume Con, the International Costumer's Guild, or even an active costumer. They just have to be people who would like to try their hand at design. Designers can be of any age or sex. (Children have entered, won categories and had their costumes made up.) This is a great place for students to start showcasing their designs. Oh, and Aliens are welcome too -- just let us know what planet to mail your folio to.

Categories vary from contest to contest because of the kinds of entries received. For some reason, every year one category seems to get a lot of entries and this category varies from year to year. One year during a Star Trek Convention, we got several entries for Ladies of the Evening. The next year, at that same convention, we got a lot of maternity outfits. We always wondered about that particular sequence. Other contests choose a specific theme to shape the design contest.

Some of our standard categories that repeat year after year are:

	children & teenagers
	sportswear - including sports not yet invented
	leisure wear
	lingerie
	business wear
	uniforms -civilian or military (everyday and dress)
	daywear
	hostess wear
	formal wear
	accessories - from shoes to jewelry to phones and computers
	entertainers - singer, actors, dancers
	heavy worlders
	aliens
	ethnic outfits
	peudo-historical
	festival wear
	vampires - any era past or present
	the current "hot" science fiction shows on TV
	classic science fiction shows
	books - either based on the world or a description within.
	ceremonial and/or religious wear
	court wear
	couples
	weddings

We get designs for men, women, children, pets, and various kinds of aliens. Whatever the design, what we are looking for is the design idea, not artistic skill. If you need design figure help, check out our figures outlines <here>.

The aim is for these to be clothes that someone might actually wear. Unless clothing is for a theatrical performer or religious wear, design considering how this person will perform their job wearing their outfit.

Because this is a Future Fashion contest, not all designs need to be "constructable" in currently existing materials. However, it is fun to create a design that someone will build. Instructions or fabric suggestions can be included.

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