House of 950. L-R: Alice Spies, Lauren Haut, Eric Holbreich, and Julien Charrier.
On Saturday, February 11th the House of 950 gave an innovative presentation at the Cue Art Foundation gallery in New York during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. The House of 950 consists of a group of artists, three of which are designers: Eric Holbreich, Alice Spies and Lauren Haut, who attended Academy of Art University, and Julien Charrier. This wasn’t your typical runway show – instead, you were invited into the House of 950 as a guest.
Jade Juanyu Liu 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.
Farida Khan was inspired by the idea of unconventional beauty, creating unique fabrics and silhouettes. She constructed bold silhouettes using wool, cotton, coated denim, polyurethane, and punched leather.
Donghyuk Dan Kim 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.
For more from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall ’12, click here.
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.
Zenia Kim is an M.F.A. Fashion Design student, who recently debuted her work as part of the Italian Trade Commission Collection at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. She also interned at Yigal Azrouel over the summer, and has spent the past few months exploring NYC and finding inspiration for her Senior Collection. Read on to hear about all of her eye-opening experiences!
What did it feel like having your designs shown at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week?
It was very rewarding and I was so proud of my fellow classmates. It also pushed me to work that much harder on my own collection for NYFW in a year from now.
You also did an internship with Yigal Azrouel over the summer, what was that experience like?
It was a lot of hard work and quite an eye-opening experience. Yigal is closely involved at every stage of the design process, from the color of thread that is used on a garment, to the precise fit of each individual piece. This created a hands-on learning experience and I was able to work alongside him on various projects that led towards Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. I cannot wait to show my instructors how much I’ve grown in both my work and as a person.
What was the most valuable lesson you learned during your internship?
How competitive the fashion industry is in New York. There are thousands of people who all want the same thing. It’s all about what you can bring to the table that is different and unique so you can stand out, and of course with confidence. I admire Yigal for how talented he is and how hard he works, but is so modest to say that he simply loves what he does. He is a smart business man and has honestly pushed me to one day have a business of my own.
“Fashion Week is a crazy, running from show to show, but I left the Academy of Art University show inspired, I wanted a lot of the guys stuff I saw, they did a great job!”
- Eric West, actor, manager, producer
Visit Eric’s blog and Twitter
And he loved Juhyun Vivi Park’s collection so much – he searched for it online!
A screen-shot he took of his favorite look
“I found a pic of the jacket! Amazing!”
“I enjoy the sense of freshness the graduating designers offer… it’s all about their creative sincerity… I always look forward to the show which is several days before my own show and one of the moments I actually take a break and pause to focus away from my own canvas.”
- b michael, fashion designer
Visit b michael’s website
We recently caught up with M.F.A. Fashion Design student Ilana Siegelman, who’s designs were shown at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week as part of the Italian Trade Commission Collection. She recently landed an amazing job at The North Face and has been work, work, working as she finishes up her last semester. We chatted about her experience at Fashion Week and what it’s been like to start designing for a global brand.
What was the experience at New York Fashion Week like for you?
New York was surreal. I spent the entire summer working with Rob and the other gals in the basement sewing lab of 180. 8-10hrs per day, 6 days a week working. Believe it or not, I loved that experience and I learned a ridiculous amount regarding construction and I was absolutely never bored. So much of NYC was about the preparation beforehand. It was rigorous and trying at times. Finally getting to NYC for the week of the show was really exciting. However, once there, even more work needed to be done, we were in close quarters and needed to alternate between the 2 available sewing machines. Not to mention being in an unfamiliar city and all the hassles that go with that. At one point during the week one of my looks got cut and I was a bit disappointed. Then, on Thursday afternoon, 1 day before the show, one of my pieces got thrown back into the mix but I had to completely take it apart for a redesign. I was so happy! I stayed up a lot of the night working on it. You’ve got to be flexible and prepared for anything. As cheesy as it sounds, it’s so important to remain positive and just keep working away. There’s no time for negativity, upset or sickness. You have to finish and you’re only thinking about the task at hand. The actual show is incredible. Watching clothing we had all spent so much time working on walk it’s way down a runway under bright lights and a packed audience is invigorating. I was nervous and afraid something would go wrong. Sean let the ITC designers watch the show, which never happens for designers. I was literally shaking with nerves when the show started and could barely believe what I was seeing. The show was beautiful and unforgettable. It felt so strange that we had spent so much time and work for that 20 minutes of display. It was definitely worth it and I’m so grateful to have been included.
How did you feel after the show?
Post show was kind of a blur. I was so happy to be done. And I really felt successful. It was a job well done for everyone who was involved. I’m serious though, there was this overwhelming sense of relief at accomplishing the task. And I felt like the show was a beautiful success. I remember also being excited about going out to eat a good meal and finally being able to get a good night’s sleep.
Jack Mackenroth, Patrick McDonald, and Keanan Duffty
“The Academy of Art University fashion show is always one of my favorites at Fashion Week because the designers are ultra innovative since they are not restrained by the commerce aspect of fashion. It’s pure walking art. It always reinvigorates why I LOVE fashion and reinforces the belief that there is a promising wave of designers coming up the ranks. Plus I got to sit next to my friends Patrick McDonald and Keanan Duffty–What’s better than that!!”
- Jack Mackenroth, Season 4 of Project Runway
Visit Jack’s Website, Facebook, and Twitter
“The Academy of Art University is always my most anticipated show of the week for this dandy, I love seeing the new talent, it is so inspiring. New ideas just float down the runway in their creations, I just adore it! ”
- The Dandy Patrick McDonald
Visit Patrick’s Facebook
“The Academy of Art University does what no other college dares to do – it shows during New York Fashion week alongside the big names of the industry and truly delivers a dynamic show each season. Quite often the Academy show is more inspiring than many of the established designers. It is always my pleasure to attend the Academy of Art University show to see emerging designers in the making.” - Keanan Duffty, fashion designer and author of ‘Rebel Rebel: Anti-Style’ by Rizzoli, 2009,
Visit Keanan’s website and blog
House of 950. L-R: Alice Spies, Lauren Haut, Eric Holbreich, and Julien Charrier.
“Fashion Week is a crazy, running from show to show, but I left the Academy of Art University show inspired, I wanted a lot of the guys stuff I saw, they did a great job!”
A screen-shot he took of his favorite look
Vanessa Sergeon and b michael
Recent Comments