November 12th, 2009, 2:24 PM

‘Ford’ is lookin’ for some models

Do you know how to strut down the runway? Do you know how to pose beautifully at a moment’s notice? Do you know how to ’smile with your eyes’?

I am sure those are questions you ask yourself on a daily basis.

If you do have the skills to be a model, then you will be happy to know that Ford is hosting an open call for models in New York and Los Angeles on Nov. 21.

Money? Brazil? A potential modeling career? How can you resist?

Perhaps you will be the next Chanel Iman (who happened to walk the runway in our February 2009 show in NY).

If you are interested in the open call click here for more info.

October 28th, 2009, 4:12 PM

Cat Janky talks about DVF, Macy’s and why it pays to be nice

I recently interviewed Cat Janky, a recent fashion design graduate of the Academy of Art University. During her time here, she obtained two internships which provided her with invaluable industry experience. They also helped her figure out what direction she wanted to take with her major, as well as her career. Here is a little glimpse into the life of a successful alum, and how her time at the university served her well.

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Cat Janky (left) collaborated with Heather Howard for their New York Fashion Week collection in February 2009


Why did you choose the Academy of Art University? What drew you to this particular art school?

I looked at multiple schools for fashion design, mainly schools in NYC. What attracted me to Academy of Art University’s curriculum was the flexibility with picking classes. At the time, I was unsure of what direction in fashion I wanted to pursue. I liked that I could intermix both fashion design and textile design classes into my program. Also, what attracted me was the high quality of design work that students were producing.

What was your major while you were at the school? What were your career aspirations?

When I first started, I enrolled in fashion design. Through taking fashion design and textile design classes, I decided textile design was the best career path for me. When I first started school, I had a dream to start my own label - this is something that I am still interested in down the line, but I know I need to learn a whole lot more before starting something like this. Read more…

October 21st, 2009, 11:08 AM

New York Fashion Week Spring 2010 revisited

It’s been a little over a month since we showed at the tents in Bryant Park. Since then, we have gathered ourselves and are amping up for our February and April shows - but that doesn’t mean we can’t reflect on all the love we’ve been getting from the press (and it’s still coming in). Take a look:

(For the video above, if you want to go straight to the Academy of Art University coverage fast forward to time stamp 2:45…)

From season to season, Academy of Art University remains as one of the most anticipated shows during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. This season, I have particularly enjoyed works by Amanda Clearly, her clever placed ‘cut-outs’ felt original and trendy. I salute the outstanding work of the graduating class, and wish them much success in the future.

- Stephan Rabimov, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher, DEPESHA Russian Lifestyle Magazine

Some of the students from the school’s multimedia department were also on hand at the show in New York:

In addition to video, our designers got quite the journalistic ovation - online and in print:

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A piece in NY Daily News written about our fashion show

The tightly edited lineups shown by the seven MFA candidates from San Francisco’s Academy of Art University were original, well-made and well-styled.

-WWD.com

Popska’s knits with their chaotic mix and manipulation of rich textures and multiple colours – from peacock-green and blue to orange, coral-red, rose-pink and nude – created an extraordinarily varied chromatic jungle, offering the wearer a new aesthetical experience.

-Anna Battista, DazedDigital.com, website for Dazed & Confused

Read more…

September 16th, 2009, 4:21 PM

Jonathan Adler and Simon Doonan’s night out!

By dramos

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Edith (the lovely PR diva from the school of fashion) was roaming about New York during Fashion’s Night Out (she’s the one who caught ALT on iPhone cam) and while at Barneys she ran into Jonathan Adler and Simon Doonan and snapped a snazzy pic with her iPhone.

What would the world be without the convenience of Smart Phones?

September 13th, 2009, 8:20 AM

Menkes and Alexander give us some love

By dramos

The prestigious International Herald Tribune fashion editor, Suzy Menkes attended our show yesterday and - well…here’s what she had to say about our designers…

The polyglot students from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco showed an impressive diversity of style and technique. Standouts included the jacquard knitwear in vivid colors from the Bulgarian-born Marina Nikolaeva Popska; and the mosaic colors and origami effects from the Thai designer Sawanya Jomthepmala.

I like the word, “polygot.” You should try using that word at least one time today.

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Marina gets jaunty with her jacquard (Photos courtesy of Getty Images)

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Sawanya’s textiles and symmetric origami details were a hit with Menkes

In addition, Hilary Alexander from The Daily Telegraph had similar things to say:

Read more…

September 12th, 2009, 2:28 PM

MFA designers take the runway!

By dramos

We can’t show you the entire show yet, but we can give you a guerilla style video footage of the finale of the show; complete with bows from Amanda Cleary, Brittney Major, Jie Pan, Kara Sennett, Richelle Valenzuela, Marina Popska, and Sawanya Jomthepmala.

What a day! What a show! But it’s not over yet - come back to the blog for more pictures and videos of the collections!

September 12th, 2009, 2:12 PM

Front of the house madness!

By dramos

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The crowd waiting to get into the show was intense! Check it out:

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Executive director, Gladys Perint Palmer (right) takes the time out to chat with former guest of the school, Koos Van den Akker (left - and dressed very fancy by the way) and other guests before the show starts:

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September 12th, 2009, 1:53 PM

Patrick McDonald brings dandy charm to the show

By dramos

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Patrick McDonald, writer for Paper and dandy extraordinaire, sat front row at the Academy of Art University Fashion Show. He is always a guest at our show (not to mention a soon-to-be contestant on Bravo’s upcoming show Launch My Line) and we are MORE than happy to have him attend.

September 12th, 2009, 1:33 PM

H2O in a box?

By dramos

The backstage area of the big tent in Bryant Park usually has some refreshments for everyone working on the show. Marina and I stumbled upon something very interesting: water in a box.

I’ve heard of a juice box, but a a water box? That’s WILD!

And seriously, Muscle Milk? Backstage? Is there intense weight lifting involved?

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And in case you didn’t see it, there was a cameo from School of Fashion instructor, Michael Carbaugh.

He is officially a star.

September 12th, 2009, 1:12 PM

Backstage pics from Fashion Week Part I

By dramos

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The irritating drizzle restricted me from wearing my YSL boots.

That aside, the big show finally came and as the hours led up to the moment, our MFA designers were steaming, interviewing and, surprisingly, were very calm. Throughout the whole process.

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Marina (left) and Sawanya steam and press until the last minute

The designers also had to get used to be interviewed by press…

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Richelle gets interviewed…

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Kara does too…

As the hours passed,  models came in for hair and makeup and things started to get a little pushy backstage:

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More pics to come so stay tuned!