Farida Khan was born in Pakistan and now lives in Doha, Qatar. She received a Higher National Diploma in Fashion Design from Edexcel BTEC and completed her M.F.A. in Fashion Design through the Academy of Art University’s Online Fashion Program. She honed her design skills working as an assistant designer at Ali Khan and as a technical designer at the Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar. For her collection, Farida was inspired by the idea of unconventional beauty. She constructed bold silhouettes using wool, cotton, coated denim, polyurethane, and punched leather.

Amy Bond was born in Pocatello, Idaho, and grew up in Texas, Illinois, & Pennsylvania. She graduated from Stephens College with a B.F.A. in Fashion Design and worked as an assistant designer at St. Pucchi in Los Angeles, before starting her own clothing line in 1999. She completed her M.F.A. in Fashion Design through the Academy of Art University’s Online Fashion Program. Amy was inspired by complex shapes and construction – but strove to make the complexities appear clean and minimal. She used fabrics that would bring light and movement to the collection, including silk georgette, silk charmeuse, and Schoeller-Aeroshell.

Donghyuk Dan Kim is originally from Incheon, South Korea where he attended Kongju National University and graduated with a B.A. in Chemical Engineering. He earned his M.F.A. in Men’s Wear Design from the Academy of Art University and honed his skills as an assistant pattern maker with local designer Bacca da Silva. Donghyuk looked to vintage military uniforms and clothing from the American West for inspiration. He constructed his garments using wool, cotton, and leather in shades of olive green and dark brown.

Juanyu Jade Liu was born and raised in Shanghai, China. She earned her B.A. in Fashion Design from Soochow University and worked as a design intern with Suzhou Temost Textile and Garment Co. as well as Guotia Internaitional Group. She is pursuing an M.F.A. in Fashion Design at the Academy of Art University and has honed her skills working as a pattern maker for gr.dano. Her collection was inspired by the French collage artist Damien Blottiere, known for his unique layering technique that creates shadows and empty space. She layered several fabrics, including wool, jersey and fur, to achieve the same effect.

Deanna Pei-Ju Lo hails from Taipei, Taiwan and graduated with a B.F.A. in Commercial and Graphic Design from Ming Chuan University. She worked as a graphic designer before coming to the Academy of Art University to pursue an M.F.A. in Fashion Design. Her women’s wear collection has a borrowed-from-the-boys feel, a look she describes as “a modern Teddy Boy.” Soft, luxurious fabrics such as lambskin and cotton velvet add a subtle femininity to the collection.

Kate Y.K. Lee hails from Seoul, South Korea. She attended Se Jong University, where she earned a B.A. in Fashion Design, before coming to the Academy of Art University where she received an M.F.A. in Fashion Design. Kate’s designs were featured in the Italian Trade Commission Collection, a collaborative collection presented at the Academy of Art University’s Spring 2012 Fashion Show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Her Fall 2012 collection was inspired by the sculptural elements of architecture and features rounded silhouettes, offset by defined lines and sharp, angled seams. She constructed the garments using leather, wool knits, lightweight wool, and silk charmeuse.

Jeanette Au was born in Grand Rapids Michigan but grew up in New York City. She graduated from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Performing Arts. She went on to receive her B.F.A. in Interdisciplinary Arts before coming to the Academy of Art University to pursue her M.F.A. in Knitwear Design. Jeanette was inspired by Sergei Diagliav’s Ballet Russe and the paintings of Leon Bakst, both of which influenced the texture, patterns, and color palette of the collection. She incorporated mohair, wool, synthetic yarns, and metallic threads into her knit fabrics.

Wu Di was born and raised in Shen Yang in the Liao Ning province of China and earned a B.A. in Fashion Design from Shenyang Normal University. After interning at Ya Ya Clothing Ltd and starting her own design studio in China, she came to the Academy of Art University to pursue an M.F.A. in Fashion Design. She was inspired by the work of printmaker Aaron Coleman and his use of geometric shapes. Her collection features angular silhouettes and geometric patterns, which she created using cashmere knits and double-faced wool.

Xiang Zhang is from Shanghai, China, where he received a B.F.A. in Fashion Design from the Shanghai University of Engineering Science. He worked as an assistant knitwear designer at Nova Apparel Taiwan and as a senior knitwear designer at Shaghai Datura Fashion Co. before earning his M.F.A. in Knitwear Design from the Academy of Art University. Previously, he collaborated on a collection with fellow alumnus Louie Llewellyn, which debuted during the Academy of Art University Spring 2011 Fashion Show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. For his current collection, Xiang was inspired by Plato’s philosophy that the highest form of beauty can be explained by principles of mathematics. He used Plato’s theory of the golden rectangle, in which the ratio of the long edge to the short edge equals the golden ratio, to determine the proportions of designs, as well as the number of stitches and their orientation within the pattern. He used cashmere, mohair, and silk throughout the collection.

This season, Gen Art and Crest 3D White are partnering to give one designer the stand-out moment of a lifetime and bring bright smiles to the runway. Emerging fashion designers are challenged to create a glamorous and radiant capsule collection inspired by the must-have beauty accessory of fashion week, Crest 3D White.

The proposed capsule collection should contain varied items including pants, skirts, tops, dresses or any other item that you choose inspired by Crest 3D White’s brand values. Entries must include 8 – 10 different sketches of full looks. Our judges will select one designer who will be provided a $5,000 stipend to put five full looks into production and who will be sent to New York City to bring his or her collection to life as a runway presentation at the Gen Art New Garde fashion show in early February 2012! Three finalists will have five of their sketches displayed onsite at the event in a special installation, allowing for industry exposure.

For all the details, click here. Good luck!