Belchertown High School senior wins 2025 Congressional Art Competition
'I feel like a lot of times people feel like that art is just something you're born with being good at,' said Kaia Couture, a Belchertown High School student.
For Couture, art became her favorite hobby as a child. Now she's a senior at Belchertown High School with a platform to show off her work. Her prized possession is a painted piece of marbles that came from an art class project.
'It was like a value study with gouache and they had to pay attention to you know lights and darks values,' said Elizabeth Teixeira, Art Teacher at Belchertown High School.
Without any doubt, her art teacher knew Couture's piece would fit perfectly as a submission for the contest.
Couture spent 2 to 3 weeks working on her artwork for the 2025 congressional art competition.
In front of family, friends, and faculty, Congressman Richard Neal announced that she was the winner of the tough competition judged by museum officials and photographers.
'Literally for the first tens of thousands of applicants, and so for the First Congressional District to be honoring Kaia today indicates the keen sense of competition, the achievement. America will have a chance to witness as the work hangs in the candid building underneath the exit entrance ramp of the Capitol,' said U.S. Congressman Richard E. Neal.
Couture's piece will be an inspiration to others at a year-long exhibit in Washington, D.C.
'I think it represents the district, just by I mean the teachers in this classroom, the art that's being produced in this classroom. We're constantly having kids join these classes, even if it's just for an elective, they're being put in these art classes, and they're being allowed to create all this great art,' said Couture.
Couture will also be flown out to Washington, D.C., to see her work on display at the United States Capitol.
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
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Associated Press
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As the flagship fashion event for Asia, CENTRESTAGE not only celebrates virtuosity in design and craftsmanship, but also propels both local and international brands into the broader Asian market, supporting the vigorous development of the local fashion industry and reinforcing Hong Kong's status as a global fashion hub and world-class East-meets-West centre for cultural exchange.' This year's CENTRESTAGE welcomes fashion brands from across the globe, including pavilions from the United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Japan and Thailand. The UK is participating for the first time as the 'Partner Country' of CENTRESTAGE, showcasing unique creations from various British designers. Globally acclaimed fashion maestro Jimmy Choo will not only attend CENTRESTAGE in person but also spotlight his visionary initiative – the Jimmy Choo Academy – showcasing works by emerging designers nurtured by the Academy. The Czechia pavilion will present personalised fashion labels that incorporate art-glass design; the Japan pavilion will spotlight emerging designers and brands, showcasing the creative force of Japan's new generation; and the Thailand pavilion returns on an unprecedented scale, leading more than 40 brands to the show and expressing the rich diversity of Southeast Asian style. Brands from South Korea, Singapore and other countries will also exhibit their collections at the fair. CENTRESTAGE ELITES sees Guo Pei's first solo couture show in Hong Kong The prestigious opening event, CENTRESTAGE ELITES, takes place on 1 September at M+ in the West Kowloon Cultural District, with internationally acclaimed couturier Guo Pei presenting her first solo couture show in Hong Kong. Guo Pei was the first Chinese designer invited to join the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM) while also consecutively presenting 10 showcase collections in Paris. She previously participated in HKTDC Hong Kong Fashion Week for Fall/Winter in 2010, closing the Hong Kong Fashion Extravaganza with a spectacular finale. For CENTRESTAGE ELITES, Guo will present 30 one-of-a-kind couture creations under the theme 'Gilternity: An Everlasting Radiance', drawing inspiration from the dazzling, fleeting moment of flowing molten gold. Fusing traditional craftsmanship with modern art, the collection epitomises her unparalleled artistry and technical mastery. In a gesture that honours both tradition and innovation, Guo has invited students from Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) to collaborate on the opening piece for the show. This grand occasion will be livestreamed on the CENTRESTAGE website and Instagram, the HKTDC's YouTube channel, Facebook and official pages, and across multiple platforms including ViuTV Facebook and Yahoo HK. On the second day of the event (4 September), Guo Pei will appear in person for a master sharing session, offering rare in-person insights into her creative journey and design philosophy. Fashion Hong Kong Runway Show celebrates designers' creative journey On the evening of 3 September, the Fashion Hong Kong Runway Show will take the stage under the theme 'A Decade in Design: What is Seen' What is Felt'', exploring Hong Kong designers' creative journeys. Four Hong Kong designer brands – ANGUS TSUI, ARTY: ACTIVE, IP AXIS INDUSTRIALSTUDIO and selfFab. – will showcase their innovative collections, merging visual impact and emotional narrative to spotlight the unique creativity of Hong Kong fashion design. Six thematic zones showcase sustainability and diversity CENTRESTAGE will be staged across six distinctive thematic zones, each offering its own unique appeal. The new Accessories Zone will present an array of fashion jewellery, handbags, footwear and other refined fashion accents, where style and function are seamlessly intertwined. The Athleisure Zone will champion activewear that unites aesthetics with practicality, reflecting the growing prominence of sports-inspired looks. The Craftsmanship Zone will showcase exquisite techniques and artisanal mastery that pay homage to heritage skills, while the Contemporary Zone will unveil forwardâ€'thinking, avantâ€'garde creations from cuttingâ€'edge designers. The Urban Zone will spotlight youthâ€'driven trends, including labels such as Petrolhead, helmed by artist Louis Cheung, which fuses motorcycle culture with a streetwear edge. Completing the lineup, the Circular Fashion Zone will advocate the possibilities presented by sustainable style, headlined by the 15th Redress Design Award Final at which the winning ecoâ€'conscious collections will be showcased, promoting the industry's focus on environmentally friendly design. The four-day fair will present a rich variety of happenings, including student showcases from PolyU's School of Fashion and Textiles and the Hong Kong Design Institute, as well as an interdisciplinary exhibition from the Fashion Farm Foundation that combines music, art, product design and intangible cultural heritage, featuring traditional crafts such as gold-thread embroidery in bridal gowns and the making of Canton silk. A record-breaking total of 28 fashion shows will be held throughout CENTRESTAGE, featuring brands such as 112 mountainyam, CAMMIE CHAN CHEONGSAM, DorisKath, and KOWLOON CITY BOY that showcase the vibrant energy of the fashion industry. LOCAL POWER 2025, a cross-cultural project curated by Asian New Generation Creativity Design Association, will officially launch during CENTRESTAGE. This initiative will bring together designers from Hong Kong and Korea, presenting a thoughtfully curated exhibition and runway show that will help to foster cultural and creative exchanges between the two places. 'THREAD OF CREATIVITY – Fashion Design Competition 2025" and Knitwear Innovation and Design Society Limited (KIDS) featuring the Young Knitwear Designers' Contest 2025 will also be held during the fair period. The HKTDC will continue to invite buyers from around the world to source at CENTRESTAGE, including major multi-brand stores such as WDLT 117 Apparel Inc. from Canada, Zalora from Indonesia, Sugar Srl from Italy and Hankyu Hanshin Department Stores from Japan. Spotlighting new talent at the YDC The grand finale of CENTRESTAGE 2025 on Saturday, 6 September will be the Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers' Contest (YDC), dedicated to discovering and nurturing new local talent. This year's competition will continue to promote a spirit of innovation and experimentation, allowing participants to fully showcase their creativity while injecting fresh talent into the industry. Charles Jeffrey, the designer behind the London label Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY, has been invited as guest judge, joining a panel of other industry professionals to select winners from the 10 finalists vying for four major awards: Champion, Excellence Award, Best Art Direction and My Favourite Collection. Members of the public are invited to participate by casting votes online ( ) for their favourite collection. Designer brands JESSE LEE and both former participants in the YDC, will showcase their new season special collections alongside guest performers at this year's YDC finale. CENTRESTAGE will be staged in parallel with the HKTDC Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair and Salon de TIME, with visitors able to view the latest products from some 400 watch and fashion brands at the same venue. The fairs will also feature the CENTRESTAGE x Watch & Clock Lucky Draw. The brand-new CENTRESTAGE Instagram account ( @centrestage_hktdc ) is now officially live and will be updated with the latest event information and fashion trends. Everyone is welcome to follow and stay closely connected with all the latest happenings at CENTRESTAGE. Photo download: Websites - CENTRESTAGE: - CENTRESTAGE ELITES: - CENTRESTAGE Instagram: - Fashion Hong Kong: - Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers' Contest (YDC): Media enquiries Best Crew Public Relations & Marketing Diana Tang Tel: (852) 9199 6723 Email: [email protected] Reni Kwok Tel: (852) 6291 4283 Email: [email protected] HKTDC Communication and Public Affairs Department: Sharon Ha Tel: (852) 2584 4575 Email: [email protected] Katy Wong Tel: (852) 2584 4524 Email: [email protected] HKTDC Newsroom: About the HKTDC The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong's trade. With over 50 offices globally, including 13 in Mainland China, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via research reports and digital news channels. For more information, please visit: About Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA) The Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA) established in June 2024, formerly known as Create Hong Kong (CreateHK), is a dedicated office set up by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR Government) under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau to provide one-stop services and support to the cultural and creative industries with a mission to foster a conducive environment in Hong Kong to facilitate the development of arts, culture and creative sectors as industries. Its strategic foci are nurturing talent and facilitating start-ups, exploring markets, promoting cross-sectoral and cross-genre collaboration, promoting the development of arts, culture and creative sectors as industries under the industry-oriented principle, and promoting Hong Kong as Asia's creative capital and fostering a creative atmosphere in the community to implement Hong Kong's positioning as the East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange under the National 14th Five-Year Plan. CCIDA's website: Disclaimer: The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region provides funding support to the project only, and does not otherwise take part in the project. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials/events (or by members of the project team) are those of the project organisers only and do not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency, the CreateSmart Initiative Secretariat or the CreateSmart Initiative Vetting Committee.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
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'I hear all the time that my customers' Labubu has a bigger wardrobe than they do!' she tells Yahoo, noting that one repeat buyer in Dubai 'bought six custom yoga outfits' just for his doll. Jennie Lo hears similar stories from her Hong Kong customers at Lizzie & Friends, a brand that pivoted in January from making trendy handbags and claw clips for teens to making tiny Labubu runway outfits that range in price from $3 for a micro coffee cup to $84.99 for designer-inspired ensembles. After handmaking each doll's tiny plaid skirts and blazers for the first month, Lo tells Yahoo, 'the demand was too much. I couldn't make them all. So I hired some grannies I know in Hong Kong who like to sew. Now they get together and make them while they hang out.' Lo says her bestselling designs are handmade animal suits, including hand-knit bunny and bear outfits that come with tiny felt purses shaped like stars and flowers. Her own Labubu sits on her desk during work hours, wearing a duck hat. Actual fashion designers are beginning to play with Labubu style, too. At a Milan fashion show in January for the Shanghai streetwear brand Pronounce, two Labubus sat in the front row wearing custom-made designer jackets and hoodies from the label. Middle Eastern fine jeweler Dayri released 18k gold charm necklaces in June. On June 30, designer Marc Jacobs received his first Labubu from makeup artist Pat McGrath to celebrate his Spring 2026 collection. He broadcast the Labubu debut-bu on his social media channels, leading to industry speculation that Marc x Labubu merch was coming for fall. The official word from the brand? 'Nothing solid planned, although it could be in the future.' Celebrity-beloved cashmere line Lingua Franca recently released social media sketches of tiny Labubu sweaters embroidered with 'Choose Love' and 'Give a Damn' in linen thread. Even though they haven't been made, customers immediately called the New York City boutique and tried to order them. 'I've already spent over $700 on my Labubus wardrobes,' said Morgan, who owns bitty Birkin-like leather bags, Doc Marten boots, and even tiny acrylic nails for the creatures, which she keeps displayed on a large bookshelf in her California film studio. 'For someone not to put [Labubus] on a runway during Fashion Week would be a serious missed opportunity. We'd all want real designer Labubu clothes.' Why is there nearly as much frenzy for a Balenciaga Labubu bag as the real deal? Zhu suspects the allure around these bozo wardrobes is about wish fulfillment. 'A lot of customers tell me they see Labubu as a version of themselves, so dressing it up feels like styling their own mini me,' she says. For California fashion designer Alva, there's also a bit of meditation involved. 'You put on the tiny clothes, the tiny shoes, the tiny bag. It's very calming. It's like a nice little ritual,' she says. Labubu fashion also helps K-pop fans plug more deeply into fan communities, according to both Lo and Zhu. After the 2025 Met Gala, Zhu created mini versions of the Saint Laurent couture dresses worn by Blackpink stars Lisa and Jennie. The process, she says, was 'intricate' but worth it: Both looks sold out in less than an hour. In Hong Kong, 'a lot of people like to take their Labubus to concerts,' says Lo, whose tiny replicas of G-Dragon's onstage Chanel fits are regular bestsellers for the brand. 'Maybe when Timothée Chalamet wears something great to his next premiere, we'll make a Labubu outfit for him, too!' Chalamet hasn't been spotted Labubu-ing yet (sorry) but Lady Gaga has entered the doll design chat. In July, stylist and artist Marko Monroe was commissioned to create a little monster for the Mother Monster, honoring her recent 'Mayhem Ball' concert tour, with a red velvet gown, solid gold buttons, tiny combat boots and a styled black wig. Monroe frequently creates custom pieces for concert tours and music videos; he began creating Labubu couture in January as creative work dried up due to tariff fears, and later, the L.A. wildfires. 'The industry got really slow for all of us,' the L.A.-based artist tells Yahoo. 'At the same time, my partner, Hunter, came home with a Labubu. I said, 'What is that?' And I got inspired.'' Word spread via Instagram, and soon Monroe's celebrity clientele and their fans began placing custom orders. 'They want owl and deer costumes. They want tiny Marc Jacobs handbags. Everyone's just looking for a little bit more joy in their lives. And it's given me back some joy, too. They're actually really fun to make!' he says. This month, Monroe created custom Labubus for Jenna Ortega and Catherine Zeta-Jones; they were commissioned by Netflix as premiere gifts Wednesday Season 2, and dressed in mini-versions of Colleen Atwood's Emmy-winning costumes, including an itty Cousin Itt made with a 3D printer. 'I know this trend won't last forever,' says Monroe. 'But right now, it's definitely helped my business pick back up. It's also a little like pop art — people can't own a Chanel bag. But they can own a Labubu bag. To me, that's very cool.' Alva from Glossy Gems has a similar plan. 'I heard Pop Mart is making mini Labubus in China that are getting crazy popular,' she said. 'So I started trying to design even smaller clothing and accessories for them. The mini charms, they're going to be such a big deal.' Solve the daily Crossword
