Fashion Design News

From Thom Browne to Parsons: The Many Hats of Fashion Design Alumnus Andrew Hague

Posted on Tuesday, August 17, 2010, by Samantha Braman

Andrew Hague (Fashion Design 2008) always has his plate full. But that's the way he likes it. While he was still a student at CCA he began working for the San Francisco–based company Chrome Transport Inc as design director, and he stayed there for a year after he graduated. Then he flew to New York, where he had been hired as director of the Made to Measure custom suit division at Thom Browne. Hague describes Thom Browne as "a couture house that is straight out of the 1950s in nearly every way. I'm certain there is nobody else in New York making fashion clothing at his level of construction. Working there was one of the most immense experiences of my life."

Then, after two years at Thom Browne and the company's first show in Paris, Hague accepted a job teaching the senior menswear thesis program at Parsons the New School for Design in New York. He starts next month. In his spare time (!) he also designs for a small cycling/casual clothing company called Outlier and is working on starting a clothing line of his own.

Here, Hague expands on his career trajectory, his years as a student at CCA, and his design philosophy:

At Thom Browne, I had to do everything from sourcing factories to designing shopping bags. Thom is really busy, so he gives his employees as much responsibility as they can possibly take on. He would just give us direction, and come in and say "yes, no, yes . . ." We had to be able to look at a fabric or construction technique or color and say "that is Thom Browne" or "that isn't Thom Browne."

I distinctly remember one project at CCA where we proposed our own company. That helped me develop an inner vision, one I can follow and really believe in. It may sound trite, but CCA gave me confidence. In the real world, whatever brilliant idea you've got has to be pitched to a cynical sales team. They don't care how cool or original it is. They only care if it will sell or not, and if you aren't 100 percent on board, then you have to act like it, or it will get thrown out fast. You can't be intimidated, even by your heroes. They hired you for a reason. There was a point when I realized that Thom had more faith in me than I had in myself! That's embarrassing, but a good lesson, and well learned.

At CCA I came to realize that I don't agree with the "fashion-as-art" thing. I'm a designer. I design objects that serve a purpose. A lot of thought goes into all stages of the manufacturing process, through to the end user—although that may sound colder than the end result actually is. I let zeitgeist filter through me. My interests are many, and I make an effort not to define them. I like what I like, and saying "this collection was influenced by X-Y-Z," leaves out all the other, very relevant and very subliminal influences.

It's really easy to simply succumb to the will of a creative director and design like an automaton, but it's so much better to risk honesty and come from a real, personal place. At Thom Browne we would often see portfolios from student designers with "Thom Browne" collections, and they never got hired. There only needs to be one Thom Browne, you know! What the world needs more of is people who believe in themselves and their own worldview.

Probably the most important things I've learned are to 1) find yourself as a designer, and really credit yourself and your point of view as unique and therefore significant, and 2) follow that vision doggedly, with zero compromise. The more consistent you can be, and the more times you recite your personal mantra of design, the more people begin to accept it and appreciate it. Thom never considers trends, and he only does what he wants to do. And if that happens to be popular, then great, but popularity isn't the goal. The goal is to make the clothing he wants to make.

Categories: Alumni Fashion Design Featured

Fashion Design Alumna Jeannette Peters Places First in Fiber to Fashion Design Competition

Posted on Wednesday, July 28, 2010, by Sarah Owens

Alpcas are the source of Jeanette Peters' awarded machine-knit menswear design

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Congratulations to recent California College of the Arts alumna Jeannette Peters (BFA Fashion Design 2010) who placed first in the seventh annual Fiber to Fashion Student Design Competition, presented by the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association (AOBA). Sponsored by Fashion Design faculty member Lynda Grose, Peters’ winning project—a line of machine-knit alpaca-fiber menswear.

Peters had heard about alpaca wool while taking CCA’s Fashion Sustainability and Fashion Knitwear courses, but her work for the AOBA’s Student Design Competition was her first exposure to working with this particular material.

The AOBA sent Peters a package of alpaca yarns and fabric swatches as well as information about the animals themselves in order to help her start with her competition entry. From these materials she created a story board that includes mood images, illustrations, flats, and swatches. Peters submitted this board to the organization, including a one-page essay that illustrates an understanding of the alpaca fiber as it relates to her design.

Peters loved the opportunity to work with alpaca fiber, stating, “I was very impressed at the variety that is available as well as the uniqueness of the fabric. Once woven or knitted, alpaca wool is different from lamb’s wool—the hand, weight, texture, and variety of natural colors make it very distinct. I would love to continue to use alpaca in my future design work. I hope that it continues to be a fiber that is developed and made more readily available as an alternative to wool.”

The mission of the AOBA’s Fiber to Fashion Student Design Competition is “to expose college-level art, fashion and textile design students and professors to the wonders of designing with alpaca fiber. By promoting the competition, we are ensuring the next generation of designers will be entering the workforce with a positive awareness of this amazing luxury fiber that can be utilized throughout their professional lives.”

The association judged entries based of a variety of criteria: level of creativity; commercial viability; the professionalism of the presentation; and the overall appeal of the board‘s use of the alpaca fiber.

Born and raised locally in El Sobrante, California, Peters has always had a keen interest in fashion: “I feel like from an early age I was very perceptive of what people were wearing and I loved drawing clothed figures.” She reveals. “My interest in it as a career started in junior high school when I designed the costumes for a school play.”

For more information about the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association and its Fiber to Fashion Student Design Competition, visit www.alpacainfo.com.

[By feature writer Mailika Demings]

Categories: Alumni Awards and Accolades Fashion Design Sustainability

CCA Senior Fashion Show: Sustainable-Minded Approach Is Future of Fashion

Posted on Tuesday, May 25, 2010, by Jim Norrena

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The end-of-year, sold-out Senior Fashion Show at California College of the Arts, a high-caliber runway presentation and capstone experience of the Fashion Design Program, took place May 7, 2010, in an over-sized, fully portable tent erected smack in front of the Nave on the San Francisco campus. (Watch the official 2010 CCA Fashion Show slideshow.)

If you find the idea of holding a runway show in a tent unfashionable, think again. CCA’s use of the tent for this conspicuous fashiony event is as much about protecting the attendees from blustering weather as it is about promoting an unstoppable curricular trend here at the college: designing with sustainability in mind.

What better way to promote the college's applauded commitment to sustainable design practices than to employ a reusable, temporary, and transportable fashion show auditorium? Exactly.

Although it may seem somewhat ironic to bolster sustainable fashion practices among an industry of fashion aficionados who come undone at the seams at the mere thought of being seen in the same ensemble twice, CCA designers are increasingly recognized—and awarded—for implementing sustainable materials and processes in their creations.

So while CCA's Senior Fashion Show marks the conclusion of the undergraduate degree program and serves as a catalyst to formally celebrate the year-in-the-making senior-thesis collections of the graduating class, it also marks the onset of progressive and successful careers for many of these fashiontabulous, socially reactive designers.

Fashion Show Highlights
This year 18 designers put their unique collections to the test on the runway. The resulting fashion gamut was as long as the runway itself, ranging from a Cubist-patterned denim jacket with plastic zippers (designed by JiHae Kim as part of her "Uncanny Sleep" collection) to a four-ply silk laced bustier dress with laced wool bolero (featured in Jeannette Peters' "Shadow" collection).

Fashion designer Laura Schmits, who earlier this year was awarded an honorable mention in The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Liz Claiborne Fashion Scholarship Award competition, took to the runway herself after Surface magazine fashion editor Gregory Wein announced the young, ebullient designer as the winner of the magazine's coveted Emerging Talent Award—in acknowledgment for pushing the boundaries of fashion design (and exercising consistently fashletic prowess!) [Previous Surface Emerging Talent Award recipients: Chris Weiss (2007), JiHye Kang (2008), and James Edwards (2009)]

Schmits's "Mortifera" collection (Latin for "deadly things") is scheduled to be published in a two-page photo spread in the industry-respected magazine’s fall edition. The collection reflects her aesthetic to create sculptural designs that use volume and construction to visually change and distort the proportions of the body, supplemented with textile manipulation and tailoring.

She also will travel to New York in the fall for an exclusive internship with prominent designer Tim Hamilton. (Hamilton sells his line of fashion in the United States, Europe, and Asia. He was nominated for the Swarovski Menswear Designer of the Year award three times before receiving it at the 2009 CFDA Fashion Awards ceremony.)

Osterweis Capital Management returned for a second consecutive year as the Senior Fashion Show’s main sponsor and Surface magazine reprised its role as media sponsor for a fourth consecutive year. Added to the lineup of support this year was SF Hotel Carlton as hotel sponsor.

A cornerstone of the college’s end-of-year exhibitions, the Senior Fashion Show unites the entire CCA community: undergraduate and graduate students, alumni, staff and faculty, parents, donors, sponsors, media, local and national celebrities, photographers and videographers, and of course a list of companies and individuals whose support and kindness make the fashion extravaganza not only possible but also remarkably successful.

Project Runway's Amy Sarabi Comes Home
In attendance at the VIP preshow champagne and chocolate mixer as well as the main event was special guest, alumna, and fashionsista Amy Sarabi (Fashion Design 2007), who made national headlines this year as a competitor on the seventh season of Project Runway. Her signature dress for the Campbell’s adDRESS Your Heart campaign placed first, and she went on to attend the seventh annual Woman’s Day Red Dress Awards in New York.

And if you think you heard a familiar voice in the stands, say that of "Fernando" of San Francisco-based morning radio program Fernando & Greg in the Morning on KMVQ-FM / Movin' 99.7, featuring the first openly gay duo to host a morning broadcast on American commercial radio, you probably did, as he, too, was under the tent with his husband, so to speak.

In keeping with tradition, attendees braved the unseasonably cold winds and jaunted over a few streets to Project One Gallery, official location of the Fashion Show after-hours party.

What most excites Fashion Design Program chair Amy Williams during the event? "The second the Surface Emerging Talent Award is announced. . . . The look on each year's winner's face is just so rewarding," she reveals. "I do not want to know in advance who the winner is; I wait like all the students for the announcement!"

Naturally, being devoted to implementing sustainable practices in the curriculum, Williams is a dyed-in-the-wool fan of the show: “It represents the first real step into the world of fashion. It’s our way of solidifying our program for our current and future students, and of acknowledging the hard work of our alumni. . . . The senior year thesis work spans two semesters and is a slice of real-world design practice.”

Sustainable Fashion or Fashioning Sustainability . . . or Both?
Already known for its stalwart commitment to making art that matters, CCA’s Fashion Design Program provides the framework to inspire fashionscious students to embrace sustainable design practices—ones that are increasingly relevant to their future careers. And judging from past alumni, who have gone on to work and thrive at such notable companies as Ralph Lauren, Narciso Rodriguez, Thom Browne, Isabel Toledo, DKNY, Jones of NY, J.Crew, Abercrombie & Fitch, Levis, Gap, Mountain Hardwear, The North Face, Athleta, Tea Collection, and Gymboree, the career paths are most impressive.

More than mere words or lofty dreams, CCA Fashion Design alumni are taking the sustainable fashion trend by the threads and running the whole nine yards with it, founding their own companies, setting up programs to aid artisans, and applying design innovation to transform industrial waste, such as rubber and recycled leather, into a valuable resource.

Currently, CCA’s Fashion Design Program places at the top of the list of schools the nonprofit organization Global Action Through Fashion recognizes for teaching with social responsibility and sustainability in mind. Global Action's vision is to create a platform for designers to implement best practices that create a more equitable and sustainable world through the promotion of socially and environmentally responsible fashion. CCA’s program is noted for “really trying to let the idea of sustainability influence design.”

Such an idea is evident in Senior Fashion Show designer Sam Formo’s (“53 Miles West of Venus”) approach—already highlighted earlier this year by Metropolis magazine as a Next-Gen Notable in the publication's 2009 Next Generation Design Competition for his Low to No Waste Jacket design, which reduces waste by 75 percent and uses one-fifth the usual amount of yardage for a jacket!

Formo’s jacket is also highlighted at the Global Action Through Fashion website as indicative of an industry trend whereby the designer’s role is changing to embrace ecological ways of thinking and acting. Luckily, CCA is preparing its students to embrace this trend, and designers such as Formo are more apt to accept their new role as a facilitator of the eco-sensible design: “The jacket designed itself,” he admits. “I don’t always have to be the one in command.”

The young designer also was a finalist in the Fashioning the Future, the leading international student competition for design and innovation in sustainable fashion, which is put on by the Centre for Sustainable Fashion / London College of Fashion.

The Future of Fashion
“I think CCA has better prepared me for my career because I was able to learn so many aspects of being a fashion designer," reveals Schmits, the evening's top-honored designer. "We are taught to design, illustrate, pattern draft, and sew. Unlike other schools, we also taking classes in sustainability, alternative design, textiles, knitting, conceptual design, and more. We are encouraged to push the limits of fashion design and creativity. I think at CCA I have been able to explore parts of design and art that I wouldn't have been able to at another school.”

"They will be well educated for the realities of the fashion industry—creatively and strategically," Williams asserts. She is currently investigating deeper sustainability directives for the fashion industry during the next six months. "Our program truly teaches students how to be fashion designers—how to think deeply, how to design completely, and how to make fashion they can believe in and stand up for. . . . Our students are well prepared for the future of fashion."

About The Council of Fashion Designers of America
The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) is a not-for-profit trade association whose membership consists of more than 360 of American’s foremost fashion and accessory designers. The CFDA Foundation, Inc. is a separate, not-for-profit company organized to raise funds for charity and industry activities.

Categories: Alumni Awards and Accolades Fashion Design Featured Sustainability

CCA 2010 Senior Fashion Show to Take Place May 7, 2010

Posted on Thursday, March 18, 2010, by Brenda Tucker

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The Fashion Design Program at California College of the Arts is pleased to announce the 2010 Senior Fashion Show, to be held at 8 p.m. on Friday, May 7, at CCA's San Francisco campus. The show is juried by industry professionals and features original designs worn by runway models. General-admission tickets are $30 in advance and $40 at the door; VIP tickets are $100 and include reserved seating at the event plus admission to the Champagne & Chocolate pre-party at 6:30 p.m.

This year's senior class is packed with talented designers whose cutting-edge creations are aimed at a wide variety of audiences:

Samuel Forno has already been featured in Metropolis magazine for his "No-Waste Pattern Design", which minimizes waste in every possible respect. Forno chose CCA for its special emphasis on sustainable design.

Laura Schmits's collection is titled "Mortiphera," Latin for "deadly things." Inspired by themes of decay and deterioration, it is the product of extensive research into historical fashions, tailoring practices, and textile manipulations as well as the archaic art form of the silhouette. Schmits refers to her five pieces as "decaying suits"; they offer a striking visual juxtaposition of growth and deterioration. Their seam placements, construction, and volume placements all serve to manipulate and distort the body's usual proportions. Schmits placed second in the CFDA Scholarship competition earlier this year.

Amy Nelson has created a lingerie collection called "Vamp" that is classically sexy and structurally rooted in vintage foundation wear, with influences ranging from the 1920s to the 1950s, Theda Bara to Bettie Page.

Megan Miller's collection, "The Constant Traveler," is aimed at girls between 10 and 12 years of age. It offers an eclectic yet sophisticated mix of fabrics, colors, textures, sizes, and styles, with numerous, intricate added details. Miller got her initial inspiration from a hand-me-down flannel shirt given to her by her older brother, a cast-off sweater from her grandmother, and a military jacket she found at a flea market.

Also this evening, the international fashion magazine Surface will again present its Emerging Talent Award to one particularly gifted member of CCA's graduating Fashion Design class. The winner, selected by the editors, will receive a profile of his or her work in the magazine's annual "Avant Guardian" issue and will be flown to New York to attend the photo shoot.

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.

Amy Sarabi, who graduated from the program in 2007, is currently a competing designer on the hit television show Project Runway.

Other alumni are working in all aspects of the industry for companies such as John Varvatos, Abercrombie & 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 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.

Categories: Fashion Design Featured Press Releases

CCA 2010 Senior Fashion Show to Take Place May 7, 2010

Posted on Thursday, March 18, 2010, by Brenda Tucker

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This year's senior class is packed with talented designers whose cutting-edge creations are aimed at a wide variety of audiences:

Amy Sarabi, who graduated from the program in 2007, is currently a competing designer on the hit television show Project Runway.

Categories: Fashion Design Press Releases

"Fashion Bible" Women's Wear Daily Calls Out CCA Fashion Design Scholarship Winner

Posted on Tuesday, February 9, 2010, by Jim Norrena

CCA's Fashion Design Program is having an exceptional month. In addition to accomplished alumna Amy Sarabi's current run (and win!) on Lifetime's popular Project Runway, the program was recently being ranked number one by CollegeCrunch.org, and it landed a shout-out in Women's Wear Daily, the fashion industry–touted "Fashion Bible!"

Last week we blogged about Fashion Design student Laura Schmits for her honorable mention distinction in the Liz Claiborne Fashion Scholarship competition. The same accomplishment has now been called out in an online news scoop for industry-renowned Women's Wear Daily, adding to an already chockful month of runway-worthy press for CCA's Fashion Design Program.

Visit Laura Schmits's portfolio on the CFDA website to see more of the artist's work.

About Women's Wear Daily
Often called "the fashion bible," Women's Wear Daily serves as the voice of authority, international newswire and agent of change for the fashion, beauty and retail industries. First and foremost, WWD is dedicated to providing a balance of timely, credible business news and key women's fashion trends to a dedicated readership. This readership includes retailers, designers, manufacturers, marketers, financiers, Wall Street analysts, international moguls, media executives, ad agencies, socialites and trend makers. As the marketplace has become more complex, the need for information and competitive intelligence has become more acute. Read more about www.wwd.com.

Categories: Awards and Accolades Fashion Design Students

Fashion Alumna Amy Sarabi Wins Project Runway Challenge in Week Four

Posted on Friday, February 5, 2010, by Chris Bliss

Fashion Design alumna Amy Sarabi's winning design on Project Runway

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CCA alumna Amy Sarabi (Fashion Design 2007) won this week’s design challenge on Season 7 of Project Runway. The assignment was to create a signature dress for the Campbell’s adDRESS Your Heart campaign. Matched with clients who suffer from heart disease, many of the designers found it particularly difficult to design for a “real” woman rather than a runway model. Not Amy.

“I was really excited about this challenge because we were able to affect someone in a positive way,” said Amy. “It was great to have the opportunity to create something for a woman who has been through so much, struggling with her disease. It meant a lot for me to do well.”

Her client, Nadine Jenkins, an American Heart Association ambassador and mother of four from East Orange, New Jersey, was resplendent on the runway in a gorgeous full-length silk chiffon and charmeuse gown. Judges Michael Kors, Nina Garcia, and Georgina Chapman were enthusiastic in their praise, calling Amy’s design “modern,” “ethereal,” and “feminine.” Host Heidi Klum summed it up: “Your dress was elegant, moved beautifully, and made your client look happy and gorgeous.”

Watch the Lifetime.com video as Project Runway host Tim Gunn critiques Amy's accomplished design.

As the master of this challenge, Amy will be attending the seventh annual Woman’s Day Red Dress Awards in New York Wednesday, February 10, with Nadine, who will be wearing the winning gown. The dress will also be put into limited production and sold for $199 at ProjectRunway.com, with proceeds benefiting the American Heart Association.

As to her success, Amy commented, “It feels really great to win a challenge . . . it’s an adrenaline rush and I want to keep it going.”

Join in as the CCA community roots for Amy as the popular Lifetime series continues Thursdays at 10 p.m. (Pacific Time).

Fashion Design Blog: "CCA Fashion Design Program Ranks #1 in the Nation!

Categories: Alumni Awards and Accolades Fashion Design Press Releases

CCA Fashion Design Program Ranks #1 in the Nation!

Posted on Wednesday, February 3, 2010, by Jim Norrena

First Project Runway, Now Highest Ranking . . .

Apparently having CCA Fashion Design alumna Amy Sarabi competing in Season 7 of Project Runway just wasn't enough media attention—now CCA's celebrated Fashion Design Program has been praised by College Crunch as a top-10 college fashion design degree program in the United States!

College Crunch, "a site developed to help prospective students understand their post-secondary education options, as well a better understanding of the requirements of online learning," offers info and reviews about college life, career planning, college degrees, school profiles, college finance, and test preparation to help ensure educational choices are well-informed ones.

About CCA's Fashion Design Program

The Fashion Design Program at California College of the Arts, chaired by Amy Williams, presents an innovative approach to a long-standing, established creative field. CCA boasts one of only 15 programs in the country to receive an invitation by the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

Students are taught the fundamental skills of design, conceptual development, and communication necessary to become successful professionals. The curriculum includes training in pattern making, sewing, fashion illustration, and draping; all of which are considered essential educational aspects by the fashion industry.

The degree program includes the development of a professional portfolio and participation in the Senior Fashion Show intended to provide experience and exposure for the students. Internships are also available.

Speaking of which, the 2010 Senior Fashion Show date has been set: Friday, May 7.

See the complete College Crunch list of top 10 fashion design programs in the nation.

Categories: Awards and Accolades Fashion Design Students

Liz Claiborne Fashion Scholarship Honorable Mention: Laura Schmits

Posted on Wednesday, January 13, 2010, by Jim Norrena

Design sample from Laura Schmits's portfolio

The Council of Fashion Designers America (CFDA) and the Liz Claiborne Fashion Scholarship Committee this month acknowledged CCA Fashion Design student Laura Schmits with an honorable mention distinction in the Liz Claiborne Fashion Scholarship's inaugural year.

Said CFDA Associate Executive Director Lisa Smilor, "This prestigious new design award program recognizes the very important contribution that designer Liz Claiborne made to the fashion industry, and it brings her innovative design aesthetic into the classrooms at the country's leading design colleges and universities."

The Liz Claiborne Fashion Scholarship committee—a prestigious panel of industry experts—reviewed each of the submitted 20 portfolios. Ultimately, the committee selected the Liz Claiborne Fashion Scholar, who will receive $25,000 toward her second semester senior year tuition and/or educational expenses, yet also recognized two students with honorable mentions.

Each of the 20 portfolios submitted this year has been photographed and temporarily posted at www.cfda.com (select Educational Initiatives and Professional Development/Liz Claiborne Scholarship Lookbooks). Visit Laura Schmits's portfolio on the CFDA website to see more of the artist's work.

The Liz Claiborne Fashion Scholarship is made possible by Art Ortenberg.

Categories: Awards and Accolades Fashion Design

CCA Fashion Design Alumna Amy Sarabi to Compete in Project Runway Season 7

Posted on Thursday, December 17, 2009, by Brenda Tucker

Amy Sarabi's CCA senior collection 2007 (photo by Arun Nevader)

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CCA 2007 Fashion Design alumna Amy Sarabi has been chosen to compete in Season 7 of Project Runway, hosted by supermodel Heidi Klum and fashionista Tim Gunn. In this highly competitive hit series, 16 designers battle for three coveted runway shows during New York Fashion Week and a chance to launch their fashion careers.

CCA Fashion Design chair Amy Williams said, "Amy Sarabi is an inventor and a magician as well as a fashion designer. Her design process has many sides, which are tangled beautifully and intentionally: a deep conceptual investigation, a great mind for streetwear, and incredible skills related to the technical aspects of making."

Sarabi's senior collection, developed during her final year of study at CCA, was inspired by the "gills" on the undersides of mushrooms. She intended it as a deliberate challenge to traditional fit and function.

"Her process of invention is amazing," says Williams. "She is tenacious in her exploration: building, testing, and rebuilding until she is satisfied. The final garments are a marvel of new and innovative methods, delicate and beautifully crafted. As an instructor, I tremendously enjoyed working with her. The challenges her designs posed, in terms of both fit and fabrication, were exciting and stimulating. We are all thrilled that Amy has the opportunity to show off her aesthetics and determined work ethic to the world on Project Runway."

During the casting for Project Runway, the judges (including Tim Gunn) clapped for Sarabi's work, yelling "bravo" and exclaiming with pleasure. They called her pieces beautiful, and one judge even complimented her on the top she herself was wearing that day, which she had made, observing that he loved the detail.

Watch Amy Sarabi's casting call video, closet tour, and home visit.

Categories: Alumni Awards and Accolades Fashion Design Featured

Fashion Design News

From Thom Browne to Parsons: The Many Hats of Fashion Design Alumnus Andrew Hague

Fashion Design Alumna Jeannette Peters Places First in Fiber to Fashion Design Competition

CCA Senior Fashion Show: Sustainable-Minded Approach Is Future of Fashion

CCA 2010 Senior Fashion Show to Take Place May 7, 2010

CCA 2010 Senior Fashion Show to Take Place May 7, 2010

"Fashion Bible" Women's Wear Daily Calls Out CCA Fashion Design Scholarship Winner

Fashion Alumna Amy Sarabi Wins Project Runway Challenge in Week Four

CCA Fashion Design Program Ranks #1 in the Nation!

First Project Runway, Now Highest Ranking . . .

About CCA's Fashion Design Program

Liz Claiborne Fashion Scholarship Honorable Mention: Laura Schmits

CCA Fashion Design Alumna Amy Sarabi to Compete in Project Runway Season 7

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