ADC 98th annual awards adds fashion design discipline

The Art Directors Club is now recognizing creativity in fashion design as a distinct discipline. The non-profit creative organization established its ADC Annual Awards almost a century ago to recognize excellence in all forms of advertising and design. Now, just in time for its 98th annual awards ceremony, it announced that fashion design will be recognized as an area to be awarded.

The ADC Annual Awards will review multiple categories within the fashion design discipline, including womenswear, menswear, denim, streetwear, childrenswear and costumes. Fashion design will be judged regarding construction, use of technology, sustainability and low-budget design. A category solely purposed for recognizing creative excellence within sustainability, called Design for Good, will recognize what the ADC notes to be a “critical area.”

“At a time when fast fashion has become more pervasive, we believe it’s still important to recognize and celebrate those in fashion who are dedicated to the highest levels of painstaking craftsmanship, artistry and innovation,” said Michael O’Rourke, executive director of ADC in a statement. “This new discipline allows creatives in fashion to be recognized and celebrated on the same global stage as our winners in all other types of design from around the world.”

Fashion industry experts will be selected to judge fashion design entries. The experts are to be announced.