CCA News
Students Collaborate in 2008–9 on Various Projects in Sustainability
Posted on Tuesday, July 14, 2009, by Kim Lessard
CCA students are taking on several exciting projects this year, including the 2009 Solar Decathlon, the Radical Jewelry Makeover, and a studio sponsored by PPR French worldwide group (parent company of such global luxury brands as Gucci and Stella McCartney) in which students will examine the concept of “green luxury.” See Projects for information about these and other CCA academic projects in sustainability.
Read the rest >>>Graduate Design Program Adopts the Designers Accord
Posted on Tuesday, July 14, 2009, by Kim Lessard
This past spring CCA’s Graduate Program in Design became the first U.S. academic program to join the Designers Accord—a coalition of designers, educators, researchers, engineers, business consultants, and corporations all working together to create positive environmental and social impact.
Read the rest >>>CCA Kicks off MBA in Design Strategy: Sustainability a Core Focus
Posted on Tuesday, July 14, 2009, by Kim Lessard
CCA’s MBA in Design Strategy, the first WASC-accredited MBA program of its kind in the United States comprising the disciplines of design, finance, and organizational management, welcomed its fall 2008 inaugural class. A core focus in the low-residency program is meaningful, sustainable social change.
Read the rest >>>Student Artists & Designers Make a Difference in Communities
Posted on Tuesday, July 14, 2009, by Kim Lessard
Grants from CCA’s Center for Center for Art and Public Life
CCA students can submit proposals to the Center for Art and Public Life for grants to fund community art and design projects that address issues of social justice, diversity, community development, and education. The Center Student Grants are available for up to $3,000 each.
Common Cents: CCA Students Take on Predatory Lending in Oakland
Posted on Wednesday, June 3, 2009, by Kim Lessard
Struck by the devastating impact of the current economic recession on lower-income communities, CCA students Arya Cayton and Yennika Ekstrand decided to make their senior thesis project about the issue of predatory lending, a practice known to be a major culprit in the global economic crisis. Both students graduated this past May, Cayton from the Community Arts program with a concentration in sculpture and ceramics, and Ekstrand with an Individualized Major with a focus in animation and screenprinting.
Read the rest >>>CCA Students Give Oakland Landmark a Facelift with Murals
Posted on Thursday, March 12, 2009, by Kim Lessard
CCA students Camille Hoffman (Community Arts) and Vanessa Ayala (Animation) received an enthusiastic reception from City of Oakland residents and business owners, as well as officials from PG&E (Pacific Gas and Electric Company), for four new murals that have brightened the staid facade of the substation in the Temescal and Telegraph Avenue Business District.
Read the rest >>>CCA Senior Fashion Show Set for May 8, 2009
Posted on Wednesday, February 25, 2009, by Kim Lessard
The Fashion Design Program at California College of the Arts is pleased to announce the 2009 Senior Fashion Show, to be held at 8:30 p.m. on Friday, May 8, on the college's San Francisco campus, located at 1111 Eighth Street. This runway show, juried by an industry panel, features original designs worn by professional models. General-admission tickets are $25; VIP tickets are $100 and include reserved seating at the event plus admission to the Friends of Fashion cocktail preparty.
Read the rest >>>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.
Read the rest >>>CCA Fashion Design Student Awarded Prestigious Industry Prize
Posted on Monday, December 8, 2008, by Kim Lessard
CCA Fashion Design student Stephanie Sandstrom was a runner-up in the "Chuck it or Keep it" global student competition, part of the Fashioning the Future summit held October 27–28, 2008, in London. Sandstrom was awarded in the innovation category (materials being the other category) for her One Night Stands design—a temporary yet more sustainable shoe specially designed for one-time-only occasions, after which each can be recycled. As a runner-up she received 500 pounds.
Another CCA Fashion Design student, Lauren Devenney, joined the 26 "Chuck it or Keep it" finalists in presenting her work on the runway for the fashion industry elite. The competition and first-time summit garnered international media attention. (Read "Sustaining Fashion," Vogue, October 28, 2008.)
Sponsored by the Centre for Sustainable Fashion at London College of Fashion, in conjunction with Adili.com, the Fashioning the Future summit competition united established fashion designers, students, and opinion-makers from around the world to explore answering the challenging question: can we bring about long-term lifestyle change and create better lives through a more sustainable fashion industry?
The "Chuck it or Keep it" competition judges included renowned London Times fashion journalist Colin McDowell; Caryn Franklin, host of the popular U.K. television program The Clothes Show; head of London College of Fashion Dr. Frances Corner; and Sim Scavazza, creative director of Adili.com.
Sustainable and Disposable?
The idea of a temporary shoe can at first seem antithetical to sustainable fashion goals, but according to Sandstrom women do typically purchase shoes with the intention of wearing them only once—for such standalone events as weddings, proms, award shows, or just a special night out.
Most shoes are produced outside the United States (typically in China). The extra energy involved in manufacturing and shipping, in addition to the bleaching and dying of the leather or textiles, contribute to industry practices that are far from sustainable.
Made entirely from a single piece of polypropylene plastic, One Night Stands are easily recycled because, unlike a typical shoe, the components (rubber, fabric, glue) do not have to be broken down and separated. Sandstrom even conceptualized the disposal of the shoes; the consumer sends the shoes, including the box (made of the same material), using a prepaid mailer to be recycled into a new pair of One Night Stands.
Read the rest >>>Graduate Program in Design Joins the Designers Accord
Posted on Sunday, September 21, 2008, by Kim Lessard
This past spring, the Graduate Program in Design at CCA became the first American academic program to join the Designers Accord. Endorsed by both the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) and the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), the Designers Accord is a coalition of 100,000 designers, educators, researchers, engineers, business consultants, and corporations who are working toward innovative and sustainable changes in design, industry, and consumer behavior.
Founded by CCA faculty member Valerie Casey, the Designers Accord is regarded in the international design community as a kind of Kyoto Protocol for designers.
Casey is also a lead designer at IDEO, where she creates socially and environmentally sustainable products, services, and business models for companies around the world. She founded the Designers Accord in January 2008, recognizing the need for a more organized effort by designers worldwide to make positive changes with respect to the environmental and social impact of design and industry.
"By adopting the Designers Accord, the Graduate Program in Design affirms its commitment to sustainability and to the sharing of knowledge and expertise with a global community of committed members representing each design discipline," says Brenda Laurel, chair of CCA's Graduate Program in Design.
Read more about the Designers Accord at www.designersaccord.org.
Read more about CCA's Graduate Program in Design at www.cca.edu/design.
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 Oakland and San Francisco, CCA currently enrolls more than 1,650 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.
Read the rest >>>