Kim Tran was born in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and raised in San Jose, California where she went to Piedmont Hills High School.  She attended the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising where she earned an A.A. in Fashion Design, before coming to the Academy of Art University to pursue a B.F.A. in Fashion Design. Her collection was inspired by Edie Beal’s psychedelic adventures in the 1960s. Tran collaborated with M.F.A. Sculpture and Jewelry Design student Orly Ruaimi, who created original pieces to go with the collection.

Orly Ruaimi grew up in Afula, Israel and attended George Mason University in Washington, D.C. before coming to the Academy of Art University to pursue an M.F.A. in Sculpture and Jewelry Design. She was inspired by elements that make up the foundation or skeleton of a home, and how they resemble the structures upon which life is built. They are meaningless on their own – but gain significance as they come together to form The Matrix. She constructs the jewelry using recycled pieces of metal, cable ropes, and handmade ceramics.

Kim Tran and Orly Ruaimi. Photo Courtesy of Walter Parada.

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Ki Chung was born in Seoul, South Korea but grew up in Rancho Cucamonga, California, where he attended Rancho Cucamonga High School. He came to the Academy of Art University to earn his B.F.A. in Fashion Design. Chung was inspired by the process of protein synthesis, during which the structure of the proteins dictates their function, and sought to reflect this in his collection. He used organic materials, even sourcing them domestically to reduce the carbon footprint, and constructed his garments with minimal seams and minimal waste cutting, even using leftover fabrics for design detailing.

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Ethan Chihuan Yang was born in Taiwan but raised in Greece, where he attended the Tasis Hellenic International High School of Athens. He came to the Academy of Art University to earn his B.F.A. in Fashion Design. Yang was inspired by the Flemish artist Jan Van Eyck, known for his traditional approach, which led Yang to go back to basics – focusing on the silhouette, cut, and construction of the garments. The collection was made using leather and wool.

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Erica Laba was born in For Worth, Texas but raised in Massena, NY where she went to Massena Central High School. She came to the Academy of Art University to earn a B.F.A. in Womenswear Fashion Design. Her collection is a collaboration with B.F.A. Textile Design student Liza Quiñones and B.F.A. Knitwear Design student Emma Mengchen Yang. Laba was inspired by silhouettes of early 20th century Gibson girls – nipped waists and full skirts. She constructed the collection using silk organza, and twill in shades of plum, navy, and grey, mimicking slick, city streets after a bought of rain.

Liza Quiñones grew up in Valley Stream, New York, and attended Valley Stream Central High School. She is pursuing a B.F.A. in Textile Design, and has had her work featured at the St. Vincent De Paul Society’s annual fundraiser Discarded to Divine. She collaborated with Erica Laba, a B.F.A. Fashion Design student, and Emma Mengchen Yang, a B.F.A. Knitwear Design student, on a collection inspired by the Gibson girls of the early 20^th century, infused with a metropolitan edge.

Emma Mengchen Yang was born and raised in Beijing, China. She came to the Academy of Art University to earn her B.F.A. in Fashion and Knitwear Design. She collaborated with Erica Laba, a B.F.A. Fashion Design student, and Liza Quiñones, a B.F.A. Textile Design student, on a multifaceted collection. The knitwear pieces were inspired by the grey hues of the city.

Erica Laba, Liza Quiñones, and Emma Mengchen Yang.

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Eli Daniel Odisho grew up in Turlock and Modesto, California, where he attended John H. Pitman High School. He came to the Academy of Art University to earn a B.F.A. in Fashion Design. The collection is a reflection of Odisho’s interpretations of different facets of spirituality – including witches, the Virgin Mary, and a fascination with embellishment – and the silhouettes were influenced by the natural drape of the fabrics. He collaborated with B.F.A. Textile Design student Miriam Tolentino, who created unique denim textiles for the collection.

Miriam Tolentino was born and raised in Santa Cruz, California and attended Santa Cruz High School. She is pursuing a B.F.A. in Textile Design from the Academy of Art University, and took 2^nd place in the Fall 2011 Stylesight Prints and Graphics Contest. She collaborated with B.F.A. Fashion Design student Eli Daniel Odisho, creating unique denim textiles for the collection. Tolentino was inspired by the graphic novel Sin City, translating the textures from Frank Miller’s illustrations onto the textiles.

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Renata Lindroos was born just outside of Chicago, in Evanston, Illionois, but grew up in Missino Viejo, California. She graduated from Mission Viejo High School before coming to the Academy of Art University to earn her B.F.A. in Fashion Design. She collaborated with B.F.A. Textile Design student Mina Fadaie to create a collection inspired by 1960s horror films. The films often gave audiences a skewed perspective, and Lindroos sought to recreate that perspective in her clothing by creating distorted shapes and silhouettes.

Mina Fadaie was born in Walnut Creek, California but grew up in Los Gatos, California, attending Los Gatos High School. She is currently working towards a B.F.A. in Textile Design from the Academy of Art University. She collaborated with B.F.A. Fashion Design student Renata Lindroos, creating a series of prints for her architectural collection. Fadaie’s prints were inspired by 1960s horror films and the artistic aesthetic of Robert Rauschenberg, one of the first artists to experiment with the process of silk-screening photographs.

Renata Lindroos and Mina Fadaie.

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Zhangchi Wang was born and raised in Shenzhen in the Guang Dong province of China, where she attended Shenzhen Experimental High School. She moved to San Francisco to earn her B.F.A. in Fashion Design from the Academy of Art University. Wang was inspired by the sculpture The Dream of China by Wang Jin, a contemporary mixed-media piece that is embroidered with fishing line, as well as traditional Chinese stone carvings. She used stretch wool coating and wool knit to construct the garments.

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Massa Ito grew up in Ro de Janeiro, Brazil where he attended Alfredo Balthazo de Silveira High School. He came to the Academy of Art University to pursue a B.F.A. in Fashion Design, and earned a scholarship from the YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund for his original womenswear designs. Inspired by the angular silhouettes found in traditional Japanese menswear, Ito created intricate pleating and folds to give the collection a modern feel. He used a combination of Japanese kimono fabrics, silk brocades, raw silk, fabric made from bamboo, and linen.

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Steven La Fuente was born in San Jose, California but grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. He returned to the Bay Area to pursue  his B.F.A. in Fashion Design from the Academy of Art University. For his collection, La Fuente imagined what The Wizard of Oz would look like through the lens of filmmaker and photographer Larry Clark – known for his gritty, black and white photographs of youth subcultures. He collaborated with M.F.A. Sculpture student Lenny Kovner, who designed jewelry for the collection.

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Rumi Iwasaki was born in Yokohama, Japan and grew up in Japan as well as the Philippines. She came to the Academy of Art University to earn a B.F.A. in Menswear Fashion Design. Her collection was inspired by vintage military uniforms, but rendered modern with a minimalist approach to design. She used a combination of boiled wool, stripe shirting, leather, and jersey throughout the collection.

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