The country's top student designers compete for a trip to New York

A trip to New York is the prize that awaits the winner of the COTTON USA Design Challenge 2008. But the design students competing for that honour have to remember to stay alert, constantly absorbing what's going on around them, if they want to make it to the next round.

The rounds take the form of two-day camps where competitors are bombarded with information constantly as well as being challenged by design-industry professionals like Kongpat 'Ong' Sakdapitak, Saksit Pisalasupongs of Tube Gallery and Kraipob Pangsapa.

At the most recent camp there was a surprise for the students, a visit to Nanyan Textiles. Nanyan is secretive about the cutting-edge nano-particles it is using as anti-bacterial coating on fabrics, and the company rarely opens its doors to outsiders. But the contestants got to see the whole manufacturing process in the factory, from the imported raw material - cotton - to the thread to the final product, the fabric.

"Seeing and learning new things is a motivation and inspiration to create new things. It's so important for design work," says Chatuporn Charoen-em from Sirnakharinwirot University. 

Arriving at the camp's headquarters, Cha-am's Springfield Golf and Spa, each competitor had to show samples of their work to the design professionals. The standard of competition was fierce, with every work receiving high marks from the judges.

"Yes, it's a challenge, and there are winners and losers, but we are all still friends. We're challenging ourselves to prove we can succeed," says Porramace Ponglarpprasert from Thonburi Rajabhat University.

Only the best designers can expect to survive the next round of the competition, which is being held tomorrow.

XTRA

Making the cut

>> The theme for the

competition this year is "The Passion of Love".

>> "Model Brief", the competition's fourth round, will be held tomorrow at Nai Lert Park Hotel on Ploenchit road. The best five students will go through to the final.

>> The winner gets a fashion trip to New York.

>> Pay a visit to www. CottonUSAdc.com

for more information.