“Beyond the Front Row” initial meeting for the re-launch of the Fashion Club
Thursday, November 12th
3:00pm, 180 New Montgomery, Room 151

Bertrand Pellegrin and Branding the Man
Thursday, November 12th
7:00pm-8:00pm, 79 Auditorium
MFA Fashion Merchandising alumnus and author, Bertrand Pellegrin, will discuss his newly published book, Branding the Man, with columnist Aaron Britt from the San Francisco Chronicle. The discussion will also include a Q&A.

Q&A with Suzy Menkes, fashion editor, International Herald Tribune

Moderated by Gladys Perint Palmer, Executive Director of Fashion

Having recently participated in the 2009 Sustainable Luxury Conference in New Delhi, Ms. Menkes recalled some of the topics addressed including how fashion houses are rethinking their carbon footprint. She also expanded upon the future of online fashion journalism, blogging, Twitter, environmental and economic concerns, as well as her optimistic thoughts on the future of fashion.

The School of Fashion at Academy of Art University welcomed renowned artists, editors, and publishers to San Francisco this past week to observe the graduate fashion show, announce internships and awards, and take part in a panel discussion.  The panel, which included fashion illustrator David Downton and publishers Martine and Prosper Assouline, discussed the uncertain future of fashion in today’s interactive new media driven society.

“The future of illustration is fantastic!” said Downton of the formerly booming industry which has seen a sharp decline in fashion magazines since the advent of digital photography.  Downton believes that designers and magazines are returning to fashion illustration as a simpler, more cost effective way to brand themselves in the fashion world.  He’s enjoying the constant flow of work coming his way, but isn’t too worried about the future, confidently declaring, “You make your own luck in this industry.”  No doubt Mr. Downton is right — the renowned portraitist and illustrator should have no trouble keeping busy, with or without the digital revolution.

One industry particularly affected by the rise of the internet is publishing.  Husband and wife, Martine and Prosper Assouline, are no strangers to the world of publishing, producing hundreds of exquisite titles on art, fashion, travel, home, and iconography through Assouline Publishing.Despite the increase of internet use and the decline of newspaper readership, though, the Assouline’s aren’t worried.  Prosper admits, “The future of fashion will not be in magazines — it’s going to be through the new media available today,” but that doesn’t replace a strong market for quality books.  The couple agree that some print media cannot be replaced by its digital counterpart, including the experience of reading a beautifully bound, packaged, and printed art book.  The Assoulines have plenty in the works for the coming year with no plans to deviate from the luxury element that sets their titles apart from the rest.

- Written by Melissa Tan, BFA Fashion Journalism

Fashion and Media Leaders Panel Discussion

Moderated by Gladys Perint Palmer, Executive Director of Fashion

The panel guests spoke of their background and the state of their industries in the current economic climate.

Panel participants included (from left to right) Prosper Assouline, Martine Assouline, David Downton, Madeleine Czigler and Patrick Cabasset.

Prosper and Martine Assouline – founders of Assouline Publishing, the foremost publisher in the world on fashion and style. For the past ten years, Assouline Publishing (www.assouline.com) has created lavish illustrated books dedicated to fashion, photography, art and design. Renowned for their highly original graphic concepts, Assouline books are works of art that capture culture and bring it to life. The spirit and savoir-faire of these works have contributed to the creation of a unique, eclectic, chic and elegant brand that is immediately identifiable. Today, Assouline publications are found around the globe. Assouline has freestanding boutiques in Paris at St Germain des Prés and New York at The Plaza Hotel, and in-store boutiques in Miami, Mexico, Dubai, Doha, and soon to be added in Milan, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Toronto and San Francisco.

David Downton – world-renowned fashion illustrator (www.daviddownton.com). He is the founder and publisher of Pourquoi Pas? A Journal of Fashion Illustration (www.pqpmagazine.com). His recent work has been included in Victoria and Albert Museum exhibitions and in the museum’s 150th Anniversary album, as well as on the cover of 100 Years of Fashion Illustration by Cally Blackman. His Illustrations are featured prominently by stores including Browns, Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Marks & Spencer, Saks Fifth Avenue, Selfridges, Tiffany & Co. and Topshop, in magazines such as Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Harpers & Queen, L’Officiel, Tatler and Vogue, and in publicity material for British Academy film awards. Downton’s portraits include model Erin O’Connor, burlesque performer Dita Von Teese and Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth I.

Madeleine Czigler – Fashion File TV producer. Each week, Fashion File travels the globe to profile the personalities of the fashion industry, including models, stylists, photographers and editors. The show explores their professional careers and personal lives against a backdrop of fashion shows and magazine cover shoots. Fashion File is a co-production of CBC Television and Fashion Magazine; and is considered the best program about fashion and lifestyle on television.

Patrick Cabasset – editor in chief of L’Officiel magazine. Launched in 1921, L’Officiel was the first French magazine to appear in China and today has editions in Russia, Japan and India. Cabasset has worked at publications including Journal du Textile, Vogue Paris, Elle Japan, Dépêche Mode, Le Monde, Vogue Homme, View On Colour, Le Point, Gap, Profession Textile, Maison Française, Marie-Claire Maison, and Glamour.

Fusing Fashion and Business Panel Discussion

Moderated by Sharon Murphy, Director of Merchandising

Guests spoke on the current economic climate, as well as developing retail and business strategies to move forward. The panel included:

Ben Ospital founder of MAC – Modern Appealing Clothing, located in the Hayes Valley district of San Francisco

Monica Carlson VP of Inventory and Planning, Merchandise Operations and Business Intelligence at Sephora

Dawn Dzedzy Director of Marketing, Saks Fifth Avenue San Francisco

Q&A with Matt Tyrnauer, director Valentino: The Last Emperor

Moderated by Cheryl Locke, Fashion Journalism Coordinator

Matt Tyrnauer, producer and director of Valentino: The Last Emperor, the widely acclaimed documentary with unprecedented access to Valentino and his extended family, previewed the trailer and clips from the film and spoke of his experiences and impressions as a journalist and a documentarian who spent two years, from June 2005 to July 2007, capturing 250 hours of footage of Valentino’s private and public life. Matt Tyrnauer is a Special Correspondent at Vanity Fair magazine and this is his first documentary. In his own words, Valentino: The Last Emperor is an “…engaging and entertaining portrait of an extraordinary partnership…and a dramatic story about a master confronting the final act of his celebrated career”. He further states, “What started as a journalistic inquiry, in the end, revealed a unique love story with the world of fashion as a backdrop.”