Blanche Payne Scholarship

The Blanche Payne Scholarship in Apparel or Fashion Design recognizes outstanding research and scholarship in the apparel and textile discipline.  Named in honor of Blanche Payne, a pioneering scholar whose work advanced the study of historic clothing and its cultural significance, this award celebrates exceptional contributions that deepen our understanding of the field. Through this recognition, ITAA seeks to encourage and support undergraduate scholars who are exploring the rich history of textiles and apparel.


Scholarship Information

The Blanche Payne Scholarship in Apparel or Fashion Design is awarded to undergraduate students, who demonstrate outstanding design scholarship and professional promise.

  • Each school may sponsor only one applicant per year. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the school to decide who the applicant will be.
  • The student must be a current member of ITAA.
  • Students can win the award only once. Therefore, if a student has received the award in the past, he or she may not reapply.
  • Up to five qualified recipients per year, upon available budget, will be selected and awarded $1,000 each. The Student Fellowships and Awards Committee will review the completed application packages and determine the recipients after the submission deadline.  All applicants will be notified of the Committee’s decision as soon as possible


Selection Criteria

  1. Undergraduate level standing (current enrollment) at a degree granting institution;
  2. Academically sound background and high level of scholarship;
  3. Aptitude for advanced study;
  4. Potential for future contributions to and leadership in the apparel or fashion profession;
  5. Acceptance of a research abstract in the field of design (submission due date is April 1) or at least one accepted design in the ITAA Design Exhibition (submission due date is June 1) for the upcoming ITAA Annual Conference/Meeting;
  6. Completed application package for the Blanche Payne Scholarship in Apparel or Fashion Design (submission deadline is September 1); and
  7. All undergraduate submitters must be sponsored by an ITAA active or emeritus faculty member.


Submission Procedure
Undergraduate students, who meet all of the above scholarship selection criteria, adhere to all required submission deadlines, and submit a complete application package, will be considered for this scholarship. The application package for the Blanche Payne Scholarship in Apparel or Fashion Design must include all of the following requirements for consideration (incomplete submissions will not be considered):


  1. Completed application form.
  2. *Sponsorship letter from department head/chair verifying that you are the school’s representative for the Blanche Payne Scholarship in Apparel or Fashion Design. The letter must be on official department letterhead, include your major and overall grade point average, and must be signed by the department head/chair.
  3. *One letter of recommendation from an ITAA faculty member. The letter should address how long the ITAA member has known the applicant and in what capacity, the applicant’s academic and leadership abilities, extracurricular and community involvement, and potential for future contributions to the profession. The letter must be on official department letterhead and must be signed by the ITAA member.
  4. Transcripts (unofficial is acceptable) from all institutions of matriculation.
  5. Explanation of the design process. This can include, but is not limited to a color story, fabric story, illustrations, flats, target market, price point, design journal, or PowerPoint presentation of the design process or research paper. Attention should be paid to the scholarship of the process.


*The sponsorship letter and letter of recommendation may be combined into one letter, if your department head/chair is (1) an ITAA member; (2) familiar with you and your work/achievements; and (3) willing to expand the sponsorship letter by also including the required information for the letter or recommendation.


The applicant/submitter is responsible for completing, obtaining, and providing all of the above scholarship requirements as a complete application package. The above scholarship requirements must be combined (a complete application package) and saved into one basic Adobe Acrobat PDF file (PDF Portfolios will not be accepted). The PDF file should be named as follows: BlanchePayne-Applicant Name. Finally, the PDF file should be uploaded by September 1 using the Oxford Abstract submission link available on the home page of the ITAA website.


In order to complete and electronically sign the application, you must download the application above  and save it to your computer or external device.