The 2016 Kota Sustainable Style Fashion Awards is an international fashion design runway showcase as a charity event, benefiting two new nonprofit organizations promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment: The Kota Alliance and its member organization StandForEducation. The event also wants to highlight the importance of the emerging trend of sustainability in fashion.

Iconic fashion designer Norma Kamali and a surprise celebrity judge panel  awarded  the top three student designers for their evening wear designs. The prizes are donated by our sponsors EILEEN FISHER and Gudrun Sjöden. The event space was generously donated by Kenneth Cole.

An award presentation was  held honoring Mari Malek, a.k.a DJ Stiletto, supermodel and member of Kenneth Cole’s #TheCourageousClass campaign, for her work founding StandForEducation, which brings education to rural children, particularly girls, in her native South Sudan.

Fabulous Tituss Burgess, notable for his cast role on The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Broadway alumnus status, emceed  the Awards. Karine Plantadit  co-hosted  alongside Burgess, she’s a principal dancer in Alvin Alley and appeared in several Hollywood films.

Professional Designers:

Cesar Galindo (New York)

Junghee Kim (South Korea)

Lovia (Finland)

Raif (Togo)

Kristiina Salminen (Bela NYC , New York)

Gudrun Sjöden (Sweden)

Student Designers:

Fashion Institute of Technology:

Christina DeGaglia

Lindy Fox

Noah Reyes

Utkarsh Shukla

Kingsborough College:

Stephanie Cardona

Adela Hruskova

Pavel Lopez

Niaquan Palmer

St. John’s University:

Yaw Boateng

Judges:  Norma Kamali and other surprise celebrity judges