Results of the inaugural jewelry design competition run by Ylang 23 and TrendSeeder have been decided. The event, held today at Manhattan’s Ace Hotel, saw Retrouvaí, a brand designed by Kirsty Stone, take home top honors.
The competition — judged by Melissa Joy Manning; Steven Alan; The New School’s Parsons School of Design dean Burak Cakmak; fashion editor Will Kahn; Ylang 23’s Joanne Teichman, and TrendSeeder’s Avani Patel — assessed 70 designer finalists. More than 100 applications had been filed.
In winning the competition, Stone receives 20 hours of mentoring from Joy Manning and Teichman, the opportunity to sell on Ylang 23, a membership to TrendSeeder, and a meeting with Steven Alan buyers for a chance to sell at the chain’s stores.
Retrouvaí, based in California, looks to heirloom hallmarks as design inspiration.
“Judging the competition was an incredible experience,” Joy Manning said. “The energy and talent of the designers were inspiring. They reminded me why I love what I do and how blessed we are to be part of our industry. I’m super excited to mentor the winner and look forward to seeing the work develop.”
Ylang 23 says it will offer a select group of finalists the opportunity to sell on its web site as well.