Style battling is a rising art form originating in New York City, where young designers compete live on stage to create fashion outfits in less than 5 minutes, from vintage material and unusual items.
In a standard Style battling event, 8 designers or design teams compete in one-on-one battles through three knockout rounds (the round of eight, the semi-finals, and the final), designing on professional models, who then walk the catwalk. A panel of style VIP judges and/or the audience determine the winner of each battle based on three criteria: innovation, performance, and It-factor.
The first national tour of this sport/art--called STYLE WARS: The Style Battle Championships--hit NYC, LA, San Francisco, Chicago, and Miami, in the fall of 2007. A Grand Finale in NYC in May 2008 crowned Miami designer Karelle Levy (of the krelwear label) as the first US Style Wars champion. (Denver's Style Wars winner was Project Runway runner-up Mondo Guerra.) The second US Tour took place in fall 2009. STYLE WARS 'style battles' have been staged in worldwide, in cities including Buenos Aires, London, Johannesburg, and Singapore.
House of Diehl are the producers of the STYLE WARS tour.