My first venture into fashion school began in the Fall of 2016 at San Francisco's Academy of Art University.
Knitwear Design final: In Spring of 2017 I had the privilege to attend the press preview for "The Summer of Love Experience: Art, Fashion and Rock and Roll" at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. The theme of the exhibition? the Summer of 1967 in the Bay Area, the Haight-Ashbury specifically. Feature were original event posters, Rock-n-Roll memorabilia, art pieces and the fashion of the San Franciscans of 1967. I drew inspiration from the colors and vibe of the exhibition and took a late sixties/ early seventies take on the many concert posters in the form of disco-era silhouettes. Accompanying the designs are swatches of knits I designed for each of the four looks.
Applied Textiles Final: Taking on the same theme of my Knitwear Design final, my Applied Textiles Design collection was created in the Spring of 2017. The inspiration was the psychedelic and trippy art installations in the "Summer of Love Experience" featuring neon lights, loud and acidic colors, and references to world cultures. In my case the cultural references was the art of the Haida people in British Columbia and the prints of 18th century France. To take it a step further I used fine designer linens and muslins imported from Italy, similar fabrics that would have been used by Marie Antoinette's dressmaker Rose Bertin.
Fashion Design 1 Final: Fall 2017. Culminating the first year and a half of my degree I teamed up with a friend and we combined our love of European monarchies, Greek mythology and turned it upside down and took our inspiration to African origins. African tribal hierarchies, art and mythology took the center stage. We were tasked with using our swatches from Knitwear Design and Applied Textiles and transform them into the theme of our collection, complete with new swatches, manipulated colorways and including competing brands from the African continent.