TERMS & CONDITIONS FOR INDIANA FASHION WEEK (INDFW) 2022 EMERGING DESIGNER COMPETITION

By submitting an entry, you expressly acknowledge that you have carefully reviewed and understand all of the terms and conditions listed below and voluntarily agree to apply for Indiana Fashion Week (INDFW) 2022 Emerging Designer Competition presented by the Indiana Fashion Foundation (IFF).

1. GENERAL

This Competition is void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary to enter. For those invited to participate in the competition there is a $500 participation fee. Maximum of one submission per entrant.

2. ELIGIBILITY

The Competition is open to Indiana and non-Indiana residents located in the MIDWEST. (The Midwest, as defined by the federal government, comprises the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.)

Contractors and immediate family members of contractors (dependents under IRS rules) and advertising and promotional agencies of the Indiana Fashion Foundation (“IFF”) are not eligible to enter the competition.

All entrants must be over 18 years old by 11:59pm on June 5, 2022.

3. HOW TO ENTER

Starting May 20, 2022, visit https://indianafashionweek.com/design-competition and follow the instructions to enter.

Entries must include a signed copy (or check mark acknowledging agreement) of this Entry, this signed terms and conditions and portfolio. Any work (including portfolio and final looks) submitted must be an original work produced by the entrant and must not infringe or violate any third party rights. Any works that are not the entrant’s original work or infringe or violate third party rights will automatically be disqualified, and if prizes have already been awarded to disqualify the entrant, INDFW reserves the right to withdraw, stop, check and/or invalidate the prizes.

4. COMMUNICATION

If you are applying with a design partner, one designer must be named the lead and all communication and decisions will be made by the lead designer. It is up to the lead designer to disperse information and to communicate with their design partner. Applicants are responsible for making sure contact information is correct and updated at all times. The producer has the right to change/modify information presented below. All dates and timeframe are subject to change at the discretion of IFF/INDFW.

5. JUDGES & SELECTION

Entries will be judged by an independent panel of judges selected by the INDFW, and may extend to local designers, curators, and fashion professionals. The IFF team, organizers, directors, and board members DO NOT vote. All decisions of the judges are final.

Up to eight (8) semi-finalists will be selected and invited to create a five (5) look collection. In the event that any semi-finalists withdraws, IFF may fill that spot. It is at IFF’s discretion. The five (5) look collection must incorporate aspects of sustainability. The interpretation of “sustainability” (i.e. sustainable practices, methods, only in a select piece, and/or materials) is at the discretion of the designer. The five (5) look collection must have a cohesive theme. The designer chooses the theme.

All show information and questions regarding collections will be sent separately to the selected semi-finalists. Those semi-finalist will present their collections at INDFW on July 30, 2022 for pre-judging and the runway presentation.

The Winner of the Emerging Designer Competition will be notified at the conclusion of events. There will be one (1) winner. 1st Place.

6. COMPETITION/SEMI-FINALISTS & FINALISTS NOTIFICATION

Semi-finalists will be notified by phone or email on June 8, 2022. They will have until June 19, 2022 to return the agreement release form and pay the fee of five hundred dollars ($500). You may pay in full or in two payments. The first deposit of two hundred and fifty dollar ($250) is due by June 10, 2022. The final payment of two hundred and fifty dollars ($250) is due by June 19, 2022. Without this signed form and payment submitted, the semi-finalist will be withdrawn from the competition and that space may be filled with another contestant. Designers who have submitted all requirements will be announced to the public around July 9, 2022.

All selected participants will be required to attend a minimum of 2 meetings (online), and also must be willing to travel to Indianapolis, Indiana for the show on July 30, 2022 https://indianafashionweek.com/design-competition. Travel is at the expense of the participant. Participant(s) must have designed the fashion that was submitted in the portfolio.

The winner of the competition are solely responsible for all applicable federal and state taxes and liabilities associated with each prize. IFF/INDFW reserves the right to require substantiation of eligibility and/or tax compliance within three (3) business days of notification. Noncompliance within three (3) business days may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner.

Competition entrants agree to abide by the terms of this official Form and by the decisions of the Competition judges, which are final and indisputable on all matters pertaining to the Competition.

7. PRIZE

The winning designer will receive a 5,000 Manufacturing Scholarship that is paid directly to the manufacturer.

The winning designer may choose the facility to manufacture their designs anywhere in the USA with a minimum of $750 to be spent with an Indiana based company.

The scholarship CAN NOT be used towards the following:

ALL MATERIALS (fabrics), TAGS, LABELS, CARE LABELS, SPECIAL EXTRAS, SPECIAL EMBELLISHMENTS, CUSTOM & STANDARD PACKING SUPPLIES.

Scholarship funds disbursed to the manufacture/company as follows:

Stage 1: Development — $1500

Can be used towards the following: Sourcing, grading, sample, sample revisions

No additional funds are added in this stage. The max is $1500. The designer is responsible for the remaining funds (if needed in this stage). The goal of this scholarship is to complete a finished product with inventory to sell.

Stage 2: Manufacturing — $3500

Can be used towards the following: Design Time study, Production Sample, & Production Sewing. This stage also includes: t-shirt designs, screen printing, embroidery, sublimation, heat transfers and knitting).

Scholarship funds will be split between deposit and fulfillment

(Please Note: Any funds not used in stage 1 can be transferred to stage 2 production.)

Requirements before funds can be released: Designer must complete case study requirements, which include recap of accomplishments, deliverables and next steps before funds are dispersed to the manufacturer/company. The funds are dispersed based on the stage. Funds will not be dispersed for past work. Funds can not be applied to future work that is not part of the next step. Funds are only applied to the next step/stage.

Invoice from company/manufacturer and photos of the prior step is required before funds are dispersed in stage 1 & 2. Funds disbursement can take up to 45 days based on submission date.

Scholarship Terms:

The manufacturing scholarship must be used within 1 year or the scholarship expires and will be NULL and VOID (ie. no longer be offered or awarded). Please note the manufacturing process can take 90 days to 1 year, so please plan accordingly. The scholarship funds expire 1 year from August 31, 2022. The designer chooses which pieces they want to manufacture and is responsible for organizing. Winning designer must complete the Scholarship Report indicating the updates on manufacturing and a final report on the outcome. The winning designer must also submit a written recap of their experiences and what they gained from participating in Indiana Fashion Week and their experience manufacturing.

Winning designer to supply photos and receipts for report.

IFF/INDFW reserves the rights to change the structure of prize, what is offered as a prize or scholarship and/or event details.

The winning designer may have an opportunity to showcase their new collection at a future Indiana Fashion Week (if applicable and in good standing).

8. LEGAL

By submitting an entry for this competition, each entrant:

certifies that the information contained in the entry form, including all support documents and attachments, is true and correct;
represents and warrants that portfolio and final look submitted is the original work of the entrant and that the works do not infringe or violate any third party rights, including trademarks, copyrights or property rights of others, or violate any other law, rule, or regulation; In the event designer violated this agreement, designer agrees to pay for any legal fees and expense that incur.
grants IFF the irrevocable royalty-free, world-wide license, in perpetuity, to: (i) display, distribute, reproduce, or otherwise use any, all, or none of the materials, design, images, sketches, portfolio, final looks (garments created), reports, papers, images, verbal or written statements or other information provided by entrant on social media, on IFF/INDFW’s website, on-site at IFF/INDFW, and in any and all promotional, marketing, or educational materials; (ii) photograph, video record, or otherwise document the entrant, and portfolio and final looks submitted by entrant, and to use the resulting images or footage on social media, on IFF/INDFW’s website, on-site at INDFW, and in any and all promotional, marketing, articles, papers, testimonials, or educational materials; and (iii) use the semi-finalists and finalist’s name, image, likeness, voice, city, state and submitted content on social media, on IFF/INDFW’s website, on-site at INDFW, and in any and all promotional, marketing, or educational materials. The rights granted in this section are granted for any media or format, and without further approval required from participant.

9. INDEMNIFICATION CLAUSE & RELEASE

Entrant agrees to and shall defend, indemnify and hold harmless IFF/INDFW and its trustees, officers, directors, employees, volunteers, and representatives from and against any and all liability, cost, damage, and expense related to third party claims or alleged claims of infringement or violation of any third party rights, including without limitation copyrights, publicity or privacy rights, related to any and all portfolio, final looks (garments), designs, images, information, or other materials or works submitted by entrant.

Entrant understands IFF/INDFW shall not be responsible for unauthorized duplications or use of entrant’s work by third parties and fully releases IFF/INDFW from any and all liability related to entrant’s participation, unauthorized use of entrant’s work, or use of any prize given by INDFW. INDFW is not responsible for late, misdirected entries or, lost, any entries that lack sufficient postage, or any computer, online, telephone or technical malfunctions that may occur. No ENTRIES will be accepted after June 5, 2022, 11:59:59pm.

10. CANCELLATION

The competition can be canceled, terminated, modified or suspended at any time for any reason by IFF/INDFW, without prior notice to entrants. IFF will notify of any changes by website and/or the main communication channels that are best suited for the notice. In the event of cancelations funds paid by participants will be refunded or participant may apply funds to another IFF program. IFF/INDFW is not responsible for any damage, loss, or liability related to the materials submitted, and is not required to return materials (including portfolio or final look) submitted by entrant.

This form shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Indiana without regard to conflict or choice of laws principles. Any disputes, claims, or controversies arising from or related to this form shall be resolved solely and exclusively in the state and federal courts of Marion County, Indianapolis, Indiana and the entrant hereby irrevocably consents to the venue and personal jurisdiction of such courts, and waives any claims of an inconvenient forum.

11. ENTIRE AGREEMENT

This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties and cannot be amended except in writing signed by both parties. The invalidity in whole or in part of a provision of this Agreement will not affect the validity of the other provisions.

This competition is produced by the Indiana Fashion Foundation in conjunction with outside contractors to facilitate events. INDFW is a registered trademark of Indiana Fashion Foundation (IFF) and may not be used without permission. If you have additional questions regarding this competition, please contact info@indianafashionweek.com.

By submitting, I certify that I have carefully read and understood all competition rules and terms and conditions of participation detailed above, and voluntarily agree by submitting my entry to be in the INDFW competition with full knowledge of its contents and opportunity for consultation with counsel. I am submitting on my own free will.

These rules may be updated periodically. Please, ensure that you read them before you apply and check back for updates.