Track & Field's Delophont Shows Off Designs at China Fashion Week
4/7/2016 11:47:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Kent State University senior fashion design major, Dior Delophont (Nancy, France) was one of six KSU students to participate in the 2016 Mercedez-Benz Fashion Week China in Beijing from March 25-30.
Since its inception in 1997, China Fashion Week has developed into one of the top platforms for fashion design in the world. It has featured works from over 380 renowned designers and more than 3000 young designers and models in an effort to become a top broadcaster of global fashion trends.
"They told us in November that the Fashion School was partnering with the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology and they wanted to take six students to China," said Delophont. "First, we had a week to submit our drafts back in November, from which 12 people were selected. After that, we had a month over Christmas break to make the clothes and then it was narrowed down to six people," Delophont added.
Delophont worked tirelessly through Thanksgiving break sketching and altering her first drafts before presenting them to her instructors. From there, Delophont was one of the 12 students selected to assemble their designs and compete for the six spots for the trip. She then spent Christmas break constructing her designs, which led to her selection for the trip.
Upon their arrival in Beijing, Delophont and the other students were able to take in some of the historic sites China has to offer, visiting the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, and at Delophont's request, the Beijing National Stadium, home of the 2008 Summer Olympics.
In preparation for the show, Delophont spent two days rehearsing and tweaking her outfits. Come show time, three of Delophont's designs (two of which are pictured above) were flaunted in the March 29 show, alongside designs from some of today's top designers in the fashion industry.
Director of Kent State's Fashion School J.R. Campbell had this to say about Delophont, "Dior has done a great job balancing her energies that go into track and field and has been a proactive and engaged fashion student. She's been able to produce high-quality work with good research and has become a very competitive designer."
Delophont who is in the midst of an illustrious academic and athletic career is in her last season as a member of the Kent State track and field team. To this point, Delophont is a 6-time All-American (3-time indoor, 3-time outdoor) and 10-time MAC Champion. In the classroom she holds an astounding 3.843 grade-point average, as well as being named a CoSIDA Academic All-American and Academic All-District. She has also been named a Mid-American Conference Distinguished Scholar Athlete twice and is a five-time Academic All-MAC selection.
This was the second-time Kent State's Fashion School has sent students to participate in China's Fashion Week, the first being in 2011. The trip was made possible thanks to Tom and Barbara Cole, who donated the funds for the trip. Tom is a graduate of Kent State and was a member of the Kent State baseball team. Cole recently retired from his position as Chief Administrative Officer of Macy's Inc.
Upon graduation, Delophont has her sights set on moving to New York City to begin her career as a professional in the fashion industry.
Players Mentioned
