YMA in the News

Philadelphia University Fashion Design Student Awarded $25,000 YMA Geoffrey Beene Scholarship

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --

Casey Saccomanno, a senior fashion design major, was awarded one of the first $25,000Geoffrey Beene National Scholarships Jan. 9 at the YMA Geoffrey Beene Fashion Scholarship Dinner in New York.

"This is a huge award, a huge honor," said Saccomanno, who was one of four
student winners announced at the dinner. The other winners were from Rhode
Island School of Design, Parsons The New School for Design and the University
of Colorado, Boulder.

"This is truly a great accomplishment for Casey to be recognized at this major
industry event and for the University to be recognized as a preeminent
institution for educating the future leaders of the industry," said Clara
Henry, director of the university's Fashion Design program.

In addition to the $25,000 award, Saccomanno and two other Philadelphia
University fashion design students, Janelle Frank and Sandra Huffaker, won YMA
scholarships of $5,000 each, which had been previously announced.

"We applaud Jennelle, Sandra and Casey for their professionalism and
commitment," Henry said. "They all have a bright future in this industry and
will make significant contributions."

This is the first year the YMA awarded $25,000 scholarships to the top
students in the country. The scholarships were funded in part through a
bequest from the estate of famed designer Geoffrey Beene. The annual
scholarship fund dinner is a top event attended by about 1,500 fashion
industry officials. This year, honorees included designer Kenneth Cole and
the event was emceed by Tim Gunn, a host of Bravo's Project Runway and chief
creative officer for Liz Claiborne Inc.

Winning is nothing new for Saccomanno, who as a sophomore was awarded the
$1,500 Carson Kressley Scholarship for an outstanding student at the May
2006Philadelphia University Fashion Show. At that show, she also received the
Good Lad Award for children's wear and the following year, as a junior, she
won the Ann Taylor Loft Award for design excellence.

"From the very beginning, Casey was a rising star," Henry said. "Her
conceptual development and workmanship has always reflected consistently high
standards. She's a hard worker, self-motivated and very dedicated to her
field of study."

At Wednesday night's event, though, tensions were high as the names of three
other winners were called before hers. "I was thinking 'well, at least I
tried,'" Saccomanno said. When her name was announced as the last winner, she
said, "I didn't believe it -- I sat there for a second" before she started
walking to the stage to accept her award.

Saccomanno put in almost a whole semester of work on the YMA project, which
was a case study of Gap Inc. Starting in late September, she researched the
design, products, merchandising and marketing of the internationally known
brand.

First, Saccomanno surveyed Philadelphia University students and faculty and
mall shoppers to find out what Gap's strengths and weaknesses are. She
ultimately recommended adding a wider color palette corresponding to three
moods -- rustic, invigorating and mysterious -- with colors ranging from
brown, red, green and yellow to deep purple and blue. Using the knitting
machines on campus, Saccomanno developed color swatches to represent each
mood. Her case study also called for adding organic clothing options in
higher-grossing stores to appeal to customers interested in natural, organic
fibers.

About three weeks ago, Saccomanno found out she was one of eight finalists and
on Jan. 7 she went to New York to present her case study to a panel of judges.

"The competition was keen," said Harry Harrison, executive director of the YMA
Fashion Scholarship Fund. "Casey's presentation had the most visual impact,
and her use of texture and color and her incorporation of a theme to this
retail case study were very effective."

"This was a great learning experience, and it's wonderful to get a reward for
it," said Saccomanno, who hopes to get a job working in women's wear in New
York after her graduation in May.

SOURCE Philadelphia University

Debbie Goldberg, Philadelphia University Director of Media Relations,
+1-215-951-2718