NEW YORK — Amtrak, looking to garner more publicity for the Aug. 28 launch of its new premium NextGen Acela fleet, has piggybacked a tracksuit promotion onto New York’s Fashion Week (Sept. 11-16). According to Amtrak: The most comfortable way to travel just got even more comfortable; as it is launching its first-ever line of ‘Trak Suits that embody its commitment to premium comfort and style.
The tracksuit is a wardrobe staple, sitting at the intersection of style, comfort and culture. In collaboration with the New York School of Design, Amtrak invited seven NextGen fashion designers to re-imagine the timeless tracksuit with their own unique style, which is as innovative, premium, comfortable, and modern as the trains themselves.
Each student was given the ultimate design brief: to create two original tracksuit looks for potential Amtrak merchandise – one that’s ready-to-wear that could be available for consumer purchase, and one couture look that pushes boundaries and celebrates their unique design perspective.
From sketches to stitches, these designs were conceptualized, cut, sewn, and styled by hand – under-time pressure and with bold creative direction, just like your favorite fashion competition shows by the following New York School of Design students:
Anastasiia Lukinskaia — 1st place, ready-to-wear
Konstantin Sozinov — 2nd place, ready-to-wear
Sedef Biricik — 1st place, couture
Alexa Dumitru — 2nd place, couture
Melanie Chaves, Fernanda de Santiago, Mia Scerbo, honorable mention
Amtrak’s ‘Trak Suits invite luxury, business and next generation travelers to prioritize train travel as the most comfortable, premium mode of transportation, and to climb aboard Amtrak’s next generation fleet.
Note: The caption has been edited to reflect that the individuals shown are models and not the contest winners.
