Press Release
Peregrina Historic Costume by Kimberly Phipps-Nichol Wins the A' Design Award in Costume and Heritage Wear Design
Kimberly Phipps-Nichol acknowledged for costume and heritage wear design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 15, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ Peregrina Historic Costume by Kimberly Phipps-Nichol, designed for Kimberly Phipps-Nichol, RoKi Design, has been granted the A' Design Award in the Costume and Heritage Wear Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The result belongs to the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the A' Design Award
The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.
More About Peregrina Historic Costume
Peregrina is a 1900 era ladies stage costume, presented with accessories and an Edwardian slip. The garments are made from repurposed, upcycled, antique and period appropriate materials, including cotton, hemp, silk, linen, wool, straw, feather and metal hardware. The pattern is simple, reflecting the skills expected of a home sewist around 1900. The main components of the suit are reversible, so one set of pieces provides several outfits. Hidden or dual purpose hardware, including buttons and hooks and eyes, keeps the pieces aligned and supports the weight of the heavy fabrics.
About Kimberly Phipps-Nichol
Hailing from a family of matriarchs, Kimberly is a neuro-spicy only child whose mother (on many occasions) had to caution others: “Don’t be offended by Kimberly, her brain just works differently.” Kimberly’s mom taught her to sew at the age of 5, unlocking the beautiful world of form and fabric at an early age. All the women in Kimberly’s family had an addiction to textiles and fiber arts, which they gladly shared. For over 30 years Kimberly has worked in architecture, planning and design while also making unique, wearable works of art.
Award Record
This recognition makes Kimberly Phipps-Nichol a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Costume and Heritage Wear Design Award
The A' Costume Design Award is an international costume design competition recognizing outstanding costume creations by the world's most talented costume designers. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to stylists, fashion houses, costume designers and fashion designers from all countries. Typical entries include theatrical costumes, fantasy wear, cosplay gowns, historical clothing, kimonos and saris. The awarded costume designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/costume
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/182020
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/182020
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!182020
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/354196
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
###
Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Peregrina Historic Costume
- Function
- Historic Costume
- Category
- Costume and Heritage Wear Design
- Discipline
- Communication Design
- Industry
- Fashion and Arts
- Colors
- Black, Dim Gray, Dark Slate Gray, Dark Olive Green and Light Steel Blue
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Kimberly Phipps-Nichol, RoKi Design
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Kimberly Phipps-Nichol
- Country
- United States of America
- Recognition
- A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #182020
Credits
- Image Credits
- Photographer Andy Phan, Main, 2026; Photographer Andy Phan, Optional 1, 2026; Photographer Andy Phan, Optional 2, 2026; Photographer Andy Phan, Optional 3, 2026; Photographer Andy Phan, Optional 4, 2026
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Peregrina is a 1900 era ladies stage costume with accessories and an Edwardian slip made from repurposed, upcycled, antique and era appropriate materials. The pattern for the suit is simple to reflect the level of design and construction capability that would have been expected of a home sewist circa 1900. What is truly innovative about this suit is that it is reversible. This flexibility provides a series of outfits from just one setup, in a nod to the tailor mades of the time.
- Inspiration
- Created in response to a call for a 1900 era historic costume for actors portraying suffragettes and women traveling across North America. The suit was inspired by inherited heirlooms and documents of a true free spirited Muse who embodied the independent characters to be depicted. The Muse had traveled extensively in this time and is a distant relative of the designer. The name is a nod to the family maritime roots and boat name at that time, Peregrinator, hence the nautical details.
- Research
- Historical references for design, construction, fabric patterns, colors and fibers include photos of 1900 era ancestors, plus online and print resources. Online resources included US Census Bulletin of era available fibers, as well as database searches of museums with era relevant clothing archives. Print Resources included reference books published by museums with era relevant clothing archives, along with numerous fashion and dressmaker magazines from the years 1900 through 1910.
- Challenge
- There were two main challenges for this costume. First was sourcing antique and era-appropriate materials on a very small budget. Second was making the main costume components completely reversible while still preserving modesty and a correct silhouette. The reversibility required mockups with significant trial and error to ensure true era appropriate design and construction.
- Realization and Technology
- Research, pattern drafting, mockups and production took over 500 hours. Only era available contemporary fabrics were used where antique materials could not be sourced. Antique hardware and silk were used where feasible. While a basic sewing machine was used for main construction, only straight and zig zag stitches were employed to maintain era consistency. Most of the suit and all mockups were made from repurposed drapes saved from a now closed natural fibers boutique.
- Operation and Interaction
- The reversible components use hardware that is either dual purpose or hidden to ensure a sleek form. Buttons at inner and outer skirt waist sides are both used as closures and shirtwaist connection to support the skirt. This keeps individual pieces from shifting out of alignment while elegantly transferring and distributing the weight of heavy materials. Hooks and eyes ensure critical components retain points of contact important for appearance and flow while moving on stage.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in June 2024 in Houston, Texas and finished in January 2025 in Houston, Texas.
- Specifications
- Suit fits a US women size 4, and dimensions vary due to wrap style. Bust up to 105 cm Waist up to 76 cm Hips up to 115 cm Submission Materials Contents include Cotton, Hemp, Silk, Linen, Wool, Straw, Feather, and Metal Hardware.
- Keywords
- Costume, Stage wear, Theater wear, Historic costume, Suffragette, Travel, Wearable art, Traditional craft culture, Creative design, Historic reenactment
