Colleen Keller '08, a textiles and apparel (TXA) major, has won first place and $1,000 in a design competition sponsored by the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC).

Keller won in the Apparel Design -- Children's Casual Wear category. A team submission from two other TXA students -- Kristin Modra '07 and graduate student Kathleen Dombek -- was one of the five finalists in the same category. The three students created original computer designs for fabric, digitally printed their own fabric in the CAD (computer-aided design) studio, and constructed their own garments. Their methods resulted in far less chemical use, fabric waste and product oversupply than traditional methods do.

Submissions for the competition were accepted from both graduate and undergraduate students, and the aim of the contest was "to promote innovative product development." Entries were evaluated on color, texture, appearance, reproducibility and overall presentation.