NEW YORK — For the past three months, several students at Manhattan’s Hetrick-Martin Institute have done their homework with a little outside assistance from the design staff of Calvin Klein Inc.
As part of an extracurricular project conceived by Kevin Carrigan, creative director of global bridge and better lines at CKI, they worked with the students on a design competition to create an image for a T-shirt to benefit the institute, which supports young people facing issues of gender and sexuality.
On a recent Wednesday afternoon, 16 students gathered to face a final judging of their designs — a daunting task made more so by the presence of their judges: Carrigan; Kim Vernon, senior vice president of global advertising and communications at CKI, and Academy Award-winning actress Hilary Swank, a supporter of Hetrick-Martin programs for the past six years who is also connected to Calvin Klein Underwear as the model of its latest product launch, Sensual Support.
The trio made their way through each design, asking the students, who ranged in age from 14 to 19, to explain their ideas.
“This is a valuable project because the students have to take a risk, to create something, and be judged and evaluated by working designers for their work,” said David K. Mensah, executive director of the Hetrick-Martin Institute. “They get challenged, but the reward is wonderful It’s really a benefit to young people that they get to interact with the Calvin Klein designers.”
The students did not appear to be intimidated. Many of them posed for pictures with Swank and proudly described their designs, which included different takes on the words “support” and “respect.” The winning design, which will be produced next year by CKI’s underwear partner, Warnaco Group, to benefit Hetrick-Martin, was by Crystal O’Hearn, a 19-year-old student who is hoping to study photography at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan.
“I’m not an artist,” said O’Hearn, who was surprised when Swank announced her as the winner. “I can draw a little bit. It may not be glamorous, but it’s good enough for Calvin Klein.”
Ivan Velez, a comic book designer who teaches graphic design and coordinated the contest, said the project was the first of its kind and that it helped focus several of the students on long-term goals. Many of the students who benefit from Hetrick-Martin’s services are homeless and are not able to attend classes on a regular basis, he said.
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“It’s really hard for the kids to stick to parameters because they have other things going on in their lives to focus on,” he said.
For the runners-up in the contest, Swank attempted to soften the blow, relating her own experiences as an actress and how she dealt with the disappointment of not landing certain roles.
“It’s bittersweet in a way because I don’t want anyone to go away thinking they’d lost,” Swank said. “For me, this is about being able to tell these kids to be proud. If you hit a wall, find a way around it, look for a crack to slide through.”