The FIT Sport Design Awards, the international program dedicated to sports apparel, equipment, and performance-driven innovation, announced the addition of three influential industry leaders to this year’s jury: Jordan Peng, Joanna Czutkowna, and Susan Sokolowski. Their combined expertise strengthens FIT Awards’ position as a leading global platform for recognising meaningful, forward-thinking sport design.
Jordan Peng, Creative Director and Design Consultant at Unknown Spaces, brings a designer’s eye, shaped by more than a decade at Puma, where he played a key role in performance apparel and innovation projects across multiple sports categories. Known for redefining football performance apparel, Peng’s work explores how advanced materials, functionality, and identity intersect. Today, through his consultancy, he collaborates with global brands and emerging labels to build progressive product narratives that balance utility, cultural relevance, and innovation.
Joanna Czutkowna, CEO of 5THREAD, adds a critical systems-level perspective specialised in the intersection of sports, sustainability and apparel. With over 20 years of international experience, including a decade based in China, she has led sourcing, innovation, and product strategy for some of the world’s largest apparel brands. Her work covers every stage of the product lifecycle, giving her rare hands-on insight into how sports apparel can evolve responsibly. As a doctoral researcher focused on circular economy models in sportswear and host of the 5THREAD Podcast, Czutkowna bridges industry practice with academic depth.
Susan Sokolowski, Professor and Founding Director of Sports Product Design at the University of Oregon, brings more than 30 years of experience across footwear, apparel, and equipment innovation. A 2021 Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, she is internationally recognised for her holistic and inclusive approach to performance design, addressing long-standing gaps for underserved athletes. Holding more than 45 U.S. and 65 international patents, her work has been recognised by organisations including Nike, Volvo and the U.S. Olympic Committee, as well as publications such as Vogue, Fast Company, and The New York Times.
These new jury members join an already outstanding panel of industry leaders from globally influential brands, studios, consultancies, and academic institutions, including professionals from Merrell, Pantone, Arc’teryx, Gymshark, POC, On-Running, Salomon, and more. Additional expertise comes from innovators and founders such as Pete Hill of Pete Hill Ltd., Charles Johnson of Driven By Charles, Guillaume Salmon of SOLEKO DESIGN, Tetiana Shevchuk, Olympic Games designer and Founder of Leotaire, and Alistair Hather, whose consultancy bridges performance, innovation, and commercial strategy. They are joined by respected voices such as TÔ Long-Nam, Chair for Fashion, Accessory, and Sneaker Design at Savannah College of Art and Design; Germain Thomine, Industrial Footwear Designer and Founder of MG; Joerg Rohwer-Kahlmann, Co-Founder of VOR; and Chris Stone, Senior Designer at Durston Gear.
Together, the FIT jury represents the full spectrum of today’s sports design landscape, from elite performance and material innovation to sustainability, branding, and future-focused product thinking.
The FIT Sport Design Awards are open to professional designers, freelancers, studios, brands, manufacturers, and emerging talents working across sports apparel, footwear, equipment, and accessories. The final submission deadline is March 1st and entries can be submitted online at fitawards.com, where full category descriptions, eligibility criteria, and submission guidelines are available.
