Josh Lacey of Adairsville wins $10,000 grant from ELLE Magazine for his debut fashion line

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Adairsville native Josh Lacey, whose debut fashion collection won him ELLE's People's Choice Award and a $10,000 grant

SAVANNAH, GA (10/11/2011)(readMedia)-- ELLE Magazine has announced that Adairsville native and Savannah College of Art and Design fashion graduate Josh Lacey won their People's Choice Award, a $10,000 grant selected by ELLE.com users, for his fashion line originally presented at NY Fashion Week.

Josh was one of 22 SCAD grads who presented their senior collections under the tents at Lincoln Center in New York this past September during Fashion/Next, ELLE Magazine's annual showcase of the best and brightest emerging designers.

"I'm honored to have received this award from ELLE magazine. I owe so much to everyone who voted. It really shows me how much everybody wants to see me succeed," says Josh. "Mostly I'd like to thank my parents for their love and support for all these years. I wouldn't be where I am today without them."

Josh discovered his interest in fashion growing up in Adairsville. "I reached a strange point in development where it was hard for my parents to find any clothing to fit me. So I would take my old clothing, hand-sew patches onto them, and sometimes cut my pants into shorts to make them new again."

ELLE Magazine describes Josh's collection as "patch-pocket utilitarianism." "The initial research came from the photographic documentation of the Shackleton expedition to the Antarctic," says Josh. "I used these images as inspiration for the creation of a cyborg creature on which I drew designs. This creature became a man and his clothing became the final collection."

Josh's debut collection was seen by a who's who of the fashion industry during NY Fashion Week. The show sported a spectacular front row -- former First Daughter, Jenna Bush, supermodel Iman, Victoria Secret model Karolina Kurkova, actress and "Dancing with the Stars" dancer Julianne Hough, Grammy Award-winning jazz singer Corinne Bailey Rae, a group of New York Rangers, as well as some of the head honchos from Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus.