CCA News
CCA Fashion Design Student to Compete in "Project Outdoor Retailer"
Posted on Wednesday, January 14, 2009, by Kim Lessard
California College of the Arts Fashion Design undergraduate Stephanie Sandstrom will compete in Project Outdoor Retailer, a 48-hour "concept-to-prototype" student design competition that takes place in conjunction with the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market in Salt Lake City January 22–25, 2009. This is the leading outdoor-industry trade show, bringing together manufacturers, retailers, industry advocates, media, and other professionals. CCA's Fashion Design Program is one of only five in the United States sending a student competitor. Project Outdoor Retailer debuted in 2008 at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market.
Sandstrom and the four other hand-picked students will have just 48 hours to produce garment prototypes that are original, make innovative use of performance and eco-friendly materials, and have a practical application in the outdoor market. Once they complete their initial garment designs, they will turn their drawings into products using the latest fabrics, zippers, and other components provided by participating exhibitors. They will then spend the remainder of the 48-hour timeframe at their workstations (equipped with sewing machines, cutting tables, and other tools), building their final prototypes.
Project Outdoor Retailer's panel of judges, comprised of professional designers and industry trendsetters, will review each contestant's final prototype and presentation on January 25, the last day of the trade show. The winning student will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2009 Outdoor Retailer Summer Market and a profile in Textiles Intelligence.
The participants will be filmed in a reality-competition-style format that begins with an initial design brief and then follows them through conception, sourcing, production, and the final presentations. Attendees and others will be able to follow their progress in designated areas throughout the show, and also via streaming video at www.outdoorretailer.com.
Sandstrom recently garnered international attention at the Fashioning the Future summit in London, when she was a runner-up in the "Chuck It or Keep it" global student competition.
About CCA's Fashion Design Program
Established in 1996, CCA's Fashion Design Program is an idea-driven, craft-based course of study that emphasizes design concepts and skill development. The goal is to produce designers of daring originality who are willing to explore across disciplines and contribute to fashion as an aspect of modern art and culture. Students gain technical expertise in pattern making, sewing, draping, and fashion illustration. They develop creative solutions to the challenges of sustainability by designing fashions that respect the environment and preserve native cultures. Alumni of the program work in all aspects of the industry for companies such as Abercrombie and Fitch, Gap Inc., Gymboree, Jones of NYC, Levi Strauss & Co., TIBI, Ralph Lauren, Narciso Rodriguez, Athleta, Elie Tahari, and Thom Browne. Many have developed their own firms in the United States and abroad.
About California College of the Arts
Founded in 1907, California College of the Arts (CCA) is noted for the interdisciplinarity and breadth of its programs. It offers studies in 20 undergraduate and seven graduate majors in the areas of fine arts, architecture, design, and writing. The college offers bachelor of architecture, bachelor of arts, bachelor of fine arts, master of architecture, master of arts, master of fine arts, and master of business administration degrees. With campuses in San Francisco and Oakland, CCA currently enrolls 1,740 full-time students. Noted alumni include the painters Nathan Oliveira and Raymond Saunders; the ceramicists Robert Arneson, Viola Frey, and Peter Voulkos; the filmmaker Wayne Wang; the conceptual artists David Ireland and Dennis Oppenheim; and the designers Lucille Tenazas and Michael Vanderbyl. For more information about CCA, visit www.cca.edu.