Granz, an apparel and textile design senior, said she entered the sustainable design competition as part of a class project in Special Topics: Innovative Approaches in Apparel Design. MSU was one of the first universities notified of the worldwide competition and with more than one million submissions, Granz received a personal call from Amis Cameron to find out she was the winner of the competition.

“I asked her ‘Why me? Why my design?’” Granz said. “Anyone could have submitted from all over the world and I just thought the odds of someone winning from MSU were low — I really should have bought a lottery ticket that day.”

Every applicant could send in up to five sketches of a dress design for Amis Cameron to reveal at a pre-Oscar party, with the catch that designers were to rely on sustainable and eco-friendly materials in their red carpet designs.

For applicants, this meant using anything from recycled materials, bamboo, organic fabrics, indigo dye or incorporating no-waste pattern
techniques, which Granz used.

“The no-waste pattern technique maximizes the use of fabric and makes interesting design detail,” Granz said. “My original dress idea was horrible, I just got really inspired by the whole sustainable idea and used the no-waste technique for a cool and effective design.”

Although Granz is required to keep her design details a secret until Amis Cameron wears it, Granz said she will be sitting in on two fittings and frequently has been communicating with Oscar award-winning costume designer and Amis Cameron’s personal designer Deb Scott to ensure her designs are interpreted as closely as possible to how she imagined.

This is a necessary step since Granz will not be in charge of the dress’ actual construction.

“It can be hard to interpret a drawing, so we’ve been chatting a lot about how she can do it,” Granz said. “I trust the designer will stay as close to my design as possible.”

Granz said this year was the first time she has felt herself solidifying a personal design aesthetic and looks up to designers like Coco Chanel, Zac Posen and Gérard Lanvin.

She said although the competition boosted her confidence as a designer, she hopes Amis Cameron doesn’t end up on the worst dressed list before she graduates and starts job hunting.

“I’m still trying to find my own image,” Granz said. “I think I’m getting close and just recently discovering who I am as a designer.”

Granz said she likes quirky designs and feels like she’s failing if she doesn’t push herself creatively. Although she has never been to Los Angeles, she said she is excited to venture to the West Coast and network with people.

“I was asked to bring a gown to L.A.,” Granz said. “I plan on wearing a dress of my own design, but I have no idea what it will look like yet, I just want to be able to make more of a name for myself and prove myself as a designer since I have this opportunity.”

Using sustainable design was a new method introduced to Granz from apparel and textile design assistant professor Theresa Winge while preparing for the gown competition’s requirements.

Winge incorporates sustainability into her own designs and helped develop the class to expose students to new and innovative techniques.

Winge said she tried to prepare her students for competing with the world.

“I’m very proud of her,” Winge said. “She really took some real initiative and we learned a new technique in class she was able to incorporate in her design.”

The competition’s $50 entrance fee, paid by MSU, supports Amis Cameron’s MUSE Elementary school. A nonprofit school in Topanga, Calif., founded by Amis Cameron and her sister MUSE Elementary is dedicated to educating children with innovative techniques to promote environmental awareness, Granz said.

Anyone with Internet access could enter the contest, which increased the number of competitors and meant
more experienced designers could make submissions as well.

“I tried to prepare the class that just statistically, we may not win this competition,” Winge said. “There were several designs that were part of our class’ collection that I think were really wonderful red carpet worthy sustainable designs.”

Granz said she has the support of not only her teacher but the entire apparel textile and design program. Although the program is not well-known on campus, Granz and classmates said they think the competition will help future students consider MSU’s design program as one with accomplished efforts.

“This contest is going to be really beneficial to have other students and potential students know about it,” apparel textile and design senior and classmate Liz VanFleteren said. “So when they search ‘apparel and textile design,’ ours will pop up with really positive recent news.”

VanFleteren and Granz both said the contest will shine a new light on the apparel textile and design program.

“I feel like Michigan State is an environmentally concerned and geared university and promoting the university to be even greener by (Granz’s) success will show we’re not just a normal textile design program, but an environmentally aware fashion program too,” VanFleteren said.

Granz said she anxiously is awaiting her departure for Los Angeles on Feb. 28 and will be blogging about her experience.

For more information on the Red Carpet, Green Dress competition, visit redcarpetgreendress.com.