For the third time in six years, a Cornell fashion design undergraduate has won the top prize in the international digital textile and product design competition for students, sponsored by the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC).

Courtney FitzPatrick '13, a fiber science and apparel design (FSAD) major in the College of Human Ecology, earned first place in the 2010 AATCC Concept 2 Consumer Design Competition for her entry "Hot Hot Hot" in the product design category. Using computer-aided design software, FitzPatrick created a colorful collection of original print designs for beachwear that was inspired in part by the vibrant hues found on her family's sheep farm in western New York.

"The composition of my designs is very natural with intense colors that make me think of bonfires and sunsets over the hills," FitzPatrick said. "The surface patterns include allusions to feathers, wheat, flowers, vines and trees, lightning storms, sunrays and round hay bales."

The competition, themed "Summer Bling," required students to incorporate surface design embellishments, such as beading and embroidery, into their finished garments and accessories and limited them to a specific color scheme from the Pantone ink-matching system. A panel of designers and stylists from industry and academia judged the competition, which attracted 70 entries from students at 16 universities.

"Winning this competition has really stabilized my confidence in my abilities," FitzPatrick said. "Before, I did not know if I was up to par with my peers. Now that my work has been recognized by important professionals in the field of textile and product design, I am reassured that this could be a career path for me."

FitzPatrick and three other Cornell students entered the competition as part of a class assignment in "Introduction to Computer-Aided Design" taught by Anita Racine, senior lecturer of FSAD. Anurahda Lingala '13 joined FitzPatrick as one of five finalists in the product design category.

"The class gives freshmen a very valuable tool -- computer-aided design -- to add to their repertoire," Racine said. "It is an essential skill needed for art and design scholarships, for the Cornell Design League Fashion Show, portfolio development and in their careers after Cornell. It's very exciting to see our students perform so well in competitions because it replicates what they will face in the fashion industry."

Ted Boscia is assistant director of communications in the College of Human Ecology.