NEW YORK, Jan 30, 2011/ FW/ — On Friday, February 10 at 8:00 PM, at Lincoln Center, San Francisco-based Academy of Art University School of Fashion will present its Fall 2012 Graduates Collections.
Since 2005, AAU has premiered the collections of recent graduates during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week and thus garnering the distinction of the only fashion school that shows during the New York season.
“Part of our commitment to the designers is to help launch their careers and have their collections seen by as many industry professionals as possible,” said Dr. Elisa Stephens, President of Academy of Art University.
“Debuting their collections during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Lincoln Center is an incredible opportunity, especially since the national and international fashion community are gathered in New York City during that time.”
For the Fall 2012 show, there will be eight women’s wear collections and one men’s wear collection.
Two of the women’s wear designers this season, Amy Bond and Farida Khan, received their M.F.A. in Fashion Design through Academy of Art University’s Online Fashion Program.
Donghyuk Dan Kim is originally from Incheon, South Korea where he attended Kongju National University and graduated with a B.A. in Chemical Engineering.
While honing his skills as an assistant pattern maker with Bay Area designer Bacca da Silva, he earned his M.F.A. in Men’s Wear Design from the Academy of Art University.
Donghyuk looked to vintage military uniforms and clothing from the American West for inspiration.
He constructed his garments using wool, cotton, and leather in shades of olive green and dark brown.
Jeanette Au was born in Grand Rapids Michigan but grew up in New York City. She graduated from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Performing Arts.
She went on to receive her B.F.A. in Interdisciplinary Arts before coming to the Academy of Art University to pursue her M.F.A. in Knitwear Design.
Jeanette was inspired by Sergei Diagliav’s Ballet Russe and the paintings of Leon Bakst, both of which influenced the texture, patterns, and color palette of the collection.
She incorporated mohair, wool, synthetic yarns, and metallic threads into her knit fabrics.
Xiang Zhang is from Shanghai, China, where he received a B.F.A. in Fashion Design from the Shanghai University of Engineering Science.
He worked as an assistant knitwear designer at Nova Apparel Taiwan and as a senior knitwear designer at Shaghai Datura Fashion Co. before earning his M.F.A. in Knitwear Design from the Academy of Art University.
Previously, he collaborated on a collection with fellow alumnus Louie Llewellyn, which debuted during the Academy of Art University Spring 2011 Fashion Show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.
For his current collection, Xiang was inspired by Plato’s philosophy that the highest form of beauty can be explained by principles of mathematics.
He used Plato’s theory of the golden rectangle, in which the ratio of the long edge to the short edge equals the golden ratio, to determine the proportions of designs, as well as the number of stitches and their orientation within the pattern. He used cashmere, mohair, and silk throughout the collection.
Wu Di was born and raised in Shen Yang in the Liao Ning province of China and earned a B.A. in Fashion Design from Shenyang Normal University.
After interning at Ya Ya Clothing Ltd and starting her own design studio in China, she came to the Academy of At University to pursue an M.F.A. in Fashion Design.
She was inspired by the work of printmaker Aaron Coleman and his use of geometric shapes.
Her collection features angular silhouettes and geometric patterns, which she created using cashmere knits and double-faced wool.
Kate Y.K. Lee hails from Seoul, South Korea. She attended Se Jong University, where she earned a B.A. in Fashion Design, before coming to the Academy of Art University where she received an M.F.A. in Fashion Design.
Kate’s designs were featured in the Italian Trade Commission Collection, a collaborative collection presented at the Academy of Art University’s Spring 2012 Fashion Show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.
Her Fall 2012 collection was inspired by the sculptural elements of architecture and features rounded silhouettes, offset by defined lines and sharp, angled seams.
She constructed the garments using leather, wool knits, lightweight wool, and silk charmeuse.
Deanna Pei-Ju Lo hails from Taipei, Taiwan and graduated with a B.F.A. in Commercial and Graphic Design from Ming Chuan University. She worked as a graphic designer before coming to the Academy of Art University to pursue an M.F.A. in Fashion Design.
Her women’s wear collection has a borrowed-from-the-boys feel, a look she describes as “a modern Teddy Boy.” Soft, luxurious fabrics such as lambskin, silk organza, and cotton velvet add a subtle femininity to the collection.
Jade Juanyu Liu was born and raised in Shanghai, China. She earned her B.A. in Fashion Design from Soochow University and worked as a design intern with Suzhou Temost Textile and Garment Co. as well as Guotia Internaitional Group.
She is pursuing an M.F.A. in Fashion Design at the Academy of Art University and has honed her skills working as a pattern maker for gr.dano. Her collection was inspired by the French collage artist Damien Blottiere, known for his unique layering technique that creates shadows and empty space. She layered several fabrics, including wool, jersey and fur, to achieve the same effect.
This season, two M.F.A. Fashion Design students who completed their degrees in the Online Fashion
Program at Academy of Art University will present their collections.
Amy Bond was born in Pocatello, Idaho, and grew up in Texas, Illinois, & Pennsylvania. She graduated from Stephens College with a B.A. in Fashion Design and worked as an assistant designer at St. Pucchi in Los Angeles, before starting her own clothing line in 1999.
She completed her M.F.A. in Fashion Design through the Academy of Art University’s Online Fashion Program. Amy was inspired by complex shapes and construction – but strove to make the complexities appear clean and minimal.
She used fabrics that would bring light and movement to the collection, including silk georgette, silk charmeuse, and Schoeller-Aeroshell, a lightweight, breathable and water repellent fabric often used in aerobic sports activities.
Farida Khan was born in Pakistan and now lives in Doha, Qatar. She received a Higher National Diploma in Fashion Design from Edexcel BTEC and completed her M.F.A. in Fashion Design through the Academy of Art University’s Online Fashion Program.
She honed her design skills working as an assistant designer at Ali Khan and as a technical designer at the Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar.
For her collection, Farida was inspired by the idea of unconventional beauty. She constructed bold silhouettes using wool, cotton, coated denim, polyurethane, and punched leather.
The AAU catwalk show will be streamed live at: www.academyart.edu/fashionshow
Photographs by Bob Toy
