SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 17, 2010 / FW/ — One of the mainstays at the Tents in Bryant Park since 2005, the School of Fashion at Academy of Art University in San Francisco will join the fashion industry’s biggest names at Lincoln Center for the Spring 2011 season as it presents the collections of its recent graduates during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

This season’s show will be presented on Friday, September 10th at 8:00 PM in The Theater at Lincoln Center and will feature the works of Louie Llewellyn, M.F.A. Men’s Wear Design, Xiang Zhang, M.F.A. Knitwear Design, April Howard, M.F.A. Fashion Design , Maria Korovilas, M.F.A. Fashion Design, Jungah Lee, M.F.A. Fashion Design, Camilla Olson, M.F.A. Fashion Design and Cara Chiappetta, M.F.A. Fashion Design.

“We view this show as the University’s commitment to help launch the careers of these young designers,” said Dr. Elisa Stephens, president of Academy of Art University. “To be a part of Mercedes-Benz Fashion
Week is an incredible opportunity.”

Louie Llewellyn, M.F.A. Men’s Wear Design
Xiang Zhang, M.F.A. Knitwear Design

Louie’s birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts
Xiang’s birthplace: Shanghai, China

Materials: silk faille, linen, cotton twill, cotton piqué, cotton and rayon knit

Louie and Xiang used the theme of a ‘disagreement’ between a hard and soft men’s wear silhouette. The two men designed pieces with hard edges, sharp colors and bold lines, then added soft fabrics and knitwear pieces for contrast. For the knit pieces, over 30 swatches were created before favorite color combinations were selected. A time-consuming plating technique, knitting with two strands of yarn held by hand and twisted to obtain the desired effect, was used. Each knit piece took approximately 50 hours to finish.

April Howard, M.F.A. Fashion Design
Birthplace: Hartford, Connecticut

Materials: stretch leather, silk twill

Before pursuing her M.F.A. at the Academy, April received a B.A. in Anthropology, A.A.S. in Textile/Surface Design, and worked professionally designing home, tabletop, giftware and linens for Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren. For this collection, she was inspired by the work of found objects sculptor Kathy Kelley, the decaying concrete and plastic of an urban wasteland, and Cormac McCarthy’s novel “The Road.” Her organic shapes and construction details are representative of discarded items. Leggings are made to look like molded foam. Slim pants like slashed tires.

Maria Korovilas, M.F.A. Fashion Design
Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland

Materials: silk chiffon, wool, cotton, lace

After completing classes in Tambour Beading in the School of Fashion, Maria incorporated metal encrusted pieces and details into her collection. The hand beading took over 600 hours to complete. The starting point of her inspiration was the Jenny Lewis song “You Are What You Love” from which she pulled visual and conceptual references for her moody collection of lace, embroidery and layered pieces.

Jungah Lee, M.F.A. Fashion Design
Birthplace: Seoul, South Korea

Materials: latex, silk

Jungah used the faded colors of antique books as inspiration for the hand dyeing of her fabrics. She mixed water with the dyes and used brushes to obtain a water stained look. She layered, pleated and manipulated the fabric to mimic warped and torn pages of old books. Traditional Korean dresses influenced the soft silhouette and lines of her collection.

Camilla Olson, M.F.A. Fashion Design
Birthplace: Fairbanks, Alaska

Materials: silk faille, silk chiffon, silk habotai, silk organza

With a B.S. in Microbiology and a M.B.A. in Marketing, Camilla patented several products and founded five companies before pursuing her M.F.A. at the Academy. She participated in the LVMH Creative Briefing Design Challenge this summer. Inspired by the movie “Blade Runner” and samurai arts, Camilla’s collection represents women as rebels breaking the restrictions of their historically constrained roles. The soft silk under-dresses represent a woman’s inner nature and the outer ‘cage’ is her strength and armor.

Cara Chiappetta, M.F.A. Fashion Design
Birthplace: Mundelein, Illinois

Materials: rubber, silk, mesh, wool, nylon

In addition to being a Fashion Group Foundation Scholarship recipient and participant in a LVMH Creative Briefing Design Challenge, Cara interned for N.I.C.E. Collective and Michael Kors. She found inspiration in femininity and examining how a woman is perceived. Bridget Fonda’s character Nina in the film “The Point of No Return” became Cara’s muse. Her fabric choices influenced the garment details, manipulations and bonding techniques. Helmut Newton’s photography helped her capture the mood.

Photos by Bob Toy

New York Fashion Week Spring 2011