[image via WWD.com, Jeanette Au’s collection]
[image via WWD.com, Xiang Zhang’s collection]
Fresh, young talent. So fresh, they aren’t even out of school yet. These lucky few were given the opportunity students only dream of, the chance to present a collection at Lincoln Center in New York Fashion Week for Fall/Winter 2012. With industry professionals dispersed throughout the audience at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, debuting their collections is the opportunity of a lifetime for many of these students as the national and international fashion community mingle together for this fashion conundrum.
Academy of Art
Since 2005, the School of Fashion has been premiering the collections of recent graduates so as to help launch their careers. This year, nine students showed eight women’s wear collection and one men’s wear collection. Amy Bond was inspired by complex shapes, but made complexities appear clean. Black, gray, and ivory formed a collection of wool dresses, jackets and pants that were minimal and refined.
Xiang Zhang used Plato’s Theory of the Golden Rectangle to determine the proportions of his designs. White cotton shirts maintained a certain edge when paired with silk pleated skirts. Deanna Pei-Ju Lo wanted to create a collection that “borrowed from the boys.” Nonetheless, she created subtle femininity with black leather and metallic dresses and tops. Donghyuk Dan Kim looked to vintage military uniforms to construct his men’s designs. The clothing from the American West inspired him to create brown vests, plaid wool/leather jackets and a fabulous wool/leather plaid parka.
Farida Khan’s “unconventional beauty” came to life in a geometric way. Clothing was laminated and vinyl giving it a futuristic polished feel. Kate Y.K. Lee defined her seams with sharp, angled lines. Pulling from the sculptural elements of architecture, she created tweed tops, navy leather leggings, and wool check dresses, tops, and pants. Jeanette Au’s color palette enabled her to stand out from the crowd. Her mohair metallic tops popped in deep sapphire, silver blue, platinum, copper, garnet and ruby. Sergei Diagliav’s Ballet Russe inspired the sweaters, dresses, coats and capes. Finally, Jade Juanyu Liu used a unique layering technique to create a shadowy effect. Copper fur dresses, coats and vests created space with dark heather wool skirts and quartz bonded tops.
[Image via TheUpcoming.com, Yuya Kubohara’s collection]
Vantan Tokyo
Vantan Design Institute is the first and only design school, among all the educational institutions in Japan to participate in Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in NYC. The school prides itself on producing graduates with highly developed design techniques as well as business skills. Graduates hope to become active young designers on an international level. Cheryl Chee’s “Preservation of Me” maintained a very neutral color palette of black, white and beige, except for a gorgeous green lapel jacket, our favorite piece of her collection. Masato Miyata’s use of prints helped explore his idea that “to hide=to show.” Fun peaches and blues gave a girly feel to an otherwise menswear inspired collection of collared shirts and pants.
Yuya Kubohara’s “Graphical Girl” made amazing use of color with orange and gray being the most dominant pair. The leggings and jackets felt youthful and fresh, with detailed sleeves that demanded attention. Cheung Siu Yan had nature in mind as she created what we want to describe as the “gothic mermaid.” A blue and green watery print met black leather to create long dresses and skirts. But, it was the side pleat pant that really gave movement.
One thing is for sure; there is great talent amongst the young designers.
-Alana Quagliariello
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[Image via WWD.com]
[Image via Style.com]
