FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE)— An Indiana University fashion design student won a competition in which the winner gets to design and create a tunnel outfit to be worn by a Pacers player. Jenna Reed, a senior from Fort Wayne double majoring in fashion design and advertising, said this was the third ye ar the IU Retail Studies Organization put on the competition. IU alum Dan Solomon hosts the competition. He is a stylist and brand consultant and is well-connected with several NBA players, according to Reed. "He has the connections to not only the Pacers' players, but beyond," Reed said. Reed said in this year's competition there were about 15 of her IU fashion design peers also pitching outfits to Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith and Solomon. People in the past two competitions won if their pitch had a lot of detail and was well-thought out. So, Reed said she needed a strong idea to present. "I kind of knew if I had a strong, well-developed concept, and like a story to tell, and maybe something he related to, I could probably win," Reed said. When the day came to present, Reed's name was called first. She had given both Nesmith and Solomon hard copies of her design concept and began to pitch her idea. "They were both nodding their heads and understanding it," Reed said. "So, I knew they were seeing my vision and could understand where it was coming from. But I tell a lot of people I think I zoned out from the experience because it was so intense. Like he's right there." Reed's vision was developed after a fair amount of research into Nesmith's background and style. She looked him up and not only scrolled through his Instagram to see what he liked to wear, but she saw in an article that koi fish were very prevalent in his childhood as his parents purchased a property that had a koi pond with so many fish his mother started a business selling them. "I was like, 'Ok. Interesting. That's kind of unique,'" Reed said. "And from there I looked at what he likes to wear on his Instagram and other online resources. And I noticed he liked baggy pants, but like with pockets. So, like carpenter pants or cargo pants." The thought behind the outfit went even further than that. She decided to knit a light blue sweater. Reed said that color inspiration came from the color of text on one of the Pacers' jersey designs. The carpenter pants she wound up making were white, black and orange which she said was inspired by the colors of koi fish. The outfit was completed with a bandana with an embroidered koi fish. The call came in when Reed was on spring break with friends in March. She was informed that her pitch was the winning design and the outfit needed to be ready in just a few weeks for an April 10 game. "My friends and I like all ran to Hobby Lobby," Reed said. "I started knitting on our trip." Reed created the outfit all by hand from raw materials and worked on it day and night. "I made the pants in a weekend," Reed said. "And I knitted the sweater, just like when I could, when I was home, when I would wake up before class, in the middle of class, just time I could find throughout the day." Tunnel outfits are the outfits player wear upon arrival to their games. They have become more extravagant over the years, showcasing the work of both renowned and up-and-coming designers. "So, I think that's really cool," Reed said. "Being able to showcase something I've made on that big stage of Aaron Nesmith and the Pacers." ...read more read less