Judges
Nomi Dale Kleinman
Chair of Textile / Surface Design Department, Fashion Institute of Technology, New York
Nomi Dale Kleinman is a textile designer and artist based in the Hudson Valley. Her work is rooted in the complex structure of woven cloth. She employs both the digital and hand techniques available in making textiles and art that reflects the human experience. Her most recent collaboration is with fashion designer Mimi Prober to develop fabrics from locally made fibers, one of which was shown at New York Fashion Week. Nomi joined the Textile Surface Design department at the Fashion Institute of Technology in 2007. She currently serves as Chair and Associate Professor. Her research centers on sustainable textiles and slow design. On campus she has organized the annual sustainability conference and served on the President’s Sustainability Council. Previous to FIT, Nomi worked for the high-end residential fabric house Scalamandre. Nomi was then recruited by American Silk Mills Inc., where she worked in various roles including Director of CAD Design and Senior Designer for almost 10 years. Nomi’s fabrics have placed in the lines of textile companies such as Pollack & Associates, Beacon Hill and Kravet. In 2003, she took a sabbatical from ASM, traveling to Africa and Southeast Asia and studied traditional weaving techniques in Laos. In 2004, she earned American Silk Mills’ Designer of the Year Award. She graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in Textiles.