VMSD Announces Its 2023 Designer Dozen

MARCH 2023 — VMSD magazine is celebrating the best and brightest young designers in retail design through its annual VMSD Designer Dozen awards. These 12 emerging stars recognized this year come from retail organizations and design firms across the country and internationally, including Timberland, Gensler, Bloomingdale’s and more.

VMSD Managing Editor Carly Hagedon says, “Each year, we’re honored to highlight 12 up-and-coming designers and retailers, age 35 and under, making a difference in their firms as well as the industry at large through their impeccable design chops, mentorship and charitable acts. Our winners this year represent those unafraid to push the envelope; they showcase some of the best rising talent our industry has to offer. We look forward to celebrating our winners more in the upcoming issue and onsite at IRDC 2023 in Minneapolis this October. Congratulations to this year’s recipients!”

VMSD’s 2023 Designer Dozen include:

• Whitney Burns, Director of Interior Design, Paragon Solutions
• Connor Matz, Visual Director of Windows and Interiors, Saks Fifth Avenue
• Suhana Abdul Salam, Studio Lead – Retail, FRDC (Future Research Design Co.)
• Matthew Almendarez, Job Captain, Associate, MBH Architects
• Alex Romero, Window Stylist, Bloomingdale’s
• Colleen Bernhoft (O’Donnell), Senior Designer, Chipman Design Architecture
• Alessandro Legnani, Senior Retail Architect, Timberland
• Onifur Garcia, Senior Interior Designer, c8studio Design Collective
• Alyssa Taylor, Designer, MG2/The Lionesque Group
• Elliott Mitchell, Associate, Gensler
• Katie Hood, Interior Designer, Bergmeyer
• Jowita K. Abbott, Senior Interior Designer, IA Interior Architects

Profiles of the Designer Dozen will appear in VMSD’s March/April issue and the winners will be celebrated during the 2023 International Retail Design Conference (IRDC), taking place in Minneapolis this Oct. 25-26.

Read more about the 2023 Designer Dozen in our upcoming March/April 2023 issue: The print version will be available by mid-April, and the digital edition will go live via vmsd.com/digital by April 3. To read about last year’s Designer Dozen winners, click here.

Interested in nominating or becoming a Designer Dozen? Submissions for 2024 will open late December 2023/early January 2024. For questions, please contact the VMSD editors by emailing vmsd@smartworkmedia.com or stay tuned to www.vmsd.com/submit-your-competition-entry.

About VMSD

VMSD (Visual Merchandising Store Design) magazine is the leading b2b publication for retail designers and store display professionals, serving the retail industry since 1897. Through six comprehensive issues a year, VMSD showcases the latest store designs and visual displays, presents visual merchandising strategies and new products, and reports on industry news and events. Celebrating the art and science of retail design for more than 125 years, VMSD delivers information and inspiration straight from the high-level executives that drive this industry. Learn more at vmsd.com.