In today’s Alumni Update, we catch up with I Shan Liou, who graduated from the School of Fashion in 2009 with an MFA in Fashion and Knitwear Design. She collaborated on her senior collection with design student Myoung Hee Kim, which debuted at New York Fashion Week for Fall 2009. Currently, I Shan lives in Los Angeles and works at the contemporary line, Patterson J. Kincaid, as a knitwear designer.
You were able to show your graduate collection at New York Fashion Week. How did you feel after the experience?
It was an amazing experience in my life and I am extremely thankful. I am so grateful to Simon [Ungless], becuase he brought me and Myoung Hee Kim together as a team. It was a stunning idea that combined knitwear and textiles. Learning how to collaborate and work with others helped me a lot when I got a job. Fashion industry is all about the team work and coordination.
As a student, you were featured in Sally Congdon-Martin’s book, Emerging Fashion Designers I – how did it feel being included in the book?
My jaw fell to the floor when Edith told me that I had been featured in Sally Congdon-Martin’s book. I still cannot believe that my work was printed and that I was labeled an “emerging designer.” I was so surprised and honored.
After graduating, what did you do?
I was doing freelance for couple of companies such as Levis and Pottery Barn for a few months. Then I moved to Los Angeles and started to work at a local private company as an assistant. After 3 months, I got a job offer from my current company.
Pieces from Jie Pan (left) and Brittney Major’s collection shown at New York Fashion Week Spring 2010.
Debut, the New York store that is a haven for up and coming designers, has chosen not one – but two – of our alums to sell their collections that they showed in September.
Brittney Major won Debut New York’s inaugural Designer Open Call that they had earlier this year and to make matters better, the store decided to include Jie Pan’s collection into the mix as well.
In the upcoming year, Lisa Weiss (founder and owner of Debut New York) will grace the racks of her store with Brittney’s plaid-happy unconventional preppy collection and Jie’s mystical Anna Fidler pieces.
Congrats to both of them!
For more info on Debut New York, visit their website.
Sawanya Jomthepmala, MFA Fashion and Textile Design, was born and raised in Thailand. For her silhouette, she was inspired by the origami-like details of Krathong, which are small boats made out of banana leaves. The traditional glass mosaics from Thai Buddhist temples inspired her textile designs. (All photos by Randy Brooke)
Jie Pan, MFA Fashion Design, was born and raised in China. Her collection was inspired by Anna Fidler’s paintings of abstract landscapes, mythical happenings and unseen energy. She interned at Anna Sui as a patternmaker last summer and will work on costume designs for the Hua Yi Performing Group this fall. (All photos by Randy Brooke)
Brittney Major, MFA Fashion Design, was born in South Carolina and raised in North Carolina. A self-labeled prep, she used ‘unconventional preppy’ as her inspiration. Last summer, Brittney was a production intern at Zac Posen. She is pursuing a career in pattern-making and technical design. (All photos by Randy Brooke)
Richelle Valenzuela (pronounced Ritchell like Mitchell), MFA Fashion Design, was born in Manila, Philippines and has lived in San Francisco since he was 14-years old. He was inspired by the structure of the gem-cutting diagram shown in his technical details. The facets of the gem intrigued him rather than the glitter and glitz. (All photos by Randy Brooke)
Amanda Cleary, MFA Fashion Design, is a California native who has interned for Elie Tahari and Verrieres & Sako. With an undergraduate degree in graphic design, Amanda used packaging design as inspiration for her collection. She plans to move to New York or London to pursue her career as a fashion designer. (All photos by Randy Brooke)
Kara Sennett, MFA Fashion Design, was born and raised in U.S. military bases in Germany with summers spent on Fenwick Island, Delaware. David Hockney’s painting Beverly Hills Housewife was the inspiration for her colorful wool and vinyl collection depicting the Mad Men era of the 1960s. (All photos by Randy Brooke)
Marina Nikolaeva Popska, MFA Fashion and Knitwear Design, was born and raised in Sofia, Bulgaria. Marina grew up surrounded by art and fabric, as her mother was a professor in textile and fashion design. For her collection, she was inspired by nature, humanity and light along with the ‘chaos’ of color and texture. (All photos by Randy Brooke)
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:
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
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