CLICK HERE TO WATCH THIS EPISODE ON NBC 10 >> Philadelphia University launched its first competition and runway show of Runway Challenge 2008 today, March 3, at 2 p.m. on NBC10’s 10! show. During the show, audience members caught up with last year’s finalists and watched with anticipation as this week’s winner was declared. At the start of the show, Clara Henry, director of the Fashion Design Program, presented the 10 contestants with the challenge of designing an experimental fashion from materials purchased at office-supply retailer Staples. The student designers were each given $100 to spend, 30 minutes to select materials and less than a week’s time to make their ideas come to life. Supplies bought during their Staples shopping spree included Bubble Wrap, cardboard, CDs, twine, paper and more. Fashion Design senior Karen Bloomfield was crowned the victor of the first challenge for her paper party dress and industrial-rubber mat jacket ensemble (pictured right). Fashioned from yellow and white paper, plastic binder clips and a rubber mat, Bloomfield’s design was chosen for its fun appeal and wearability by judges Prof. Henry; 10!hosts Bill Henley and Lori Wilson; Amy McConnell, co-owner of Delicious Corsets, a Philadelphia corsets boutique; and Jay McCarroll, adjunct professor of Fashion Design, former student and winner of the first season of Bravo TV’s Project Runway reality show. Runner-up Gina Amato was lauded for her expert use of duct tape and book covers in creating a funky, three-quarter-length dress, highlighted with elements of a leopard-print umbrella. Contestant Sandy Huffaker’s Bubble Wrap and file-folder dress, with matching earmuffs and leg warmers, was eliminated from the competition on this week’s broadcast. She left the competition happy to have been part of it. Next week, the remaining nine student designers are tasked with creating an “After 5” fashion for the American Heart Association Go Red for Women movement, which celebrates the power women have to wipe out heart disease and stroke. Don’t miss the excitement and drama as the students compete to create a winning design by tuning to 10! at 2 p.m. on NBC10.   SPECIAL THANKS TO