Kimball Studio: A Diary
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February 2015 volume 2 |
mercedes-benz fashion week
Lights. Camera. Catwalk.
Photos by Getty Images.
The School of Fashion’s finest debuted their Fall 2015 collections at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at New York City’s Lincoln Center By Malcolm Thomas Additional reporting by Academy Art U News staff Saturday, February 14, M.F.A. designers from the School of Fashion at Academy of Art University presented their Fall 2015 thesis collections at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Lincoln Center in New York. Since 2005, the School of Fashion has helped foster the careers of students and recent graduates by premiering their collections at New York Fashion Week. For the Fall 2015 season, 15 designers presented 10 collections, four of which were collaborations between fashion design and textile design students. “We are committed to helping our students launch their careers, and we are
Academy of Art University fashion designers and textile designers from the School of Fashion at MBFW. (L–R) Xue Yang, Oom Terdpravat, Stella Xingyu Hu, Xiaowei Liu, Ozanhan Kayaoglu, Paulina Susana Romero Valdez, Tam Nguyen, Erin A.F. Milosevich, Emmanuelle Ciara Jones, Christian Willman, Han Tang, Ghazaleh Khalifeh, Farnaz Golnam, Andrea Nyberg and Kevin C. Smith. Photo by David Dooley.
“We are committed to helping our students launch their careers, and we are thrilled to give them the platform to present their work to fashion industry professionals. It is an incredible opportunity for our student designers to debut their collections during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.” —Dr. Elisa Stephens
thrilled to give them the platform to present their work to fashion industry professionals,” said Dr. Elisa Stephens, president of Academy of Art University. “It is an incredible opportunity for our student designers to debut their collections during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.” The show began with designer Emmanuelle Ciara Jones and textile designer
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Ghazaleh Khalifeh’s African inspired textiles and brush stroke prints inspired by the late Jean-Michel Basquiat. The famed New York City painter known for playing with suggestive dichotomies such as wealth versus poverty, integration versus segregation and inner versus outer experience in his work inspired many. Like a Manhattan skyscraper, Christian Willman’s
women stood tall. Willman’s sleeves were realized using mathematical equations and handcrafted 3-D modeling techniques. Inspired by installation artist Matt Calderwood, these looks are brazen enough to lay on the backs of many a hard-edged, Park Avenue power player or set up in an art gallery as an installation of
Runway continued on 2
Index Academy News.................................... 9 Arts & Entertainment....................... 33 Beyond the Graphite........................ 31 Calendar...............................................18 Campus Events.................................. 20
Industry................................................16 San Francisco Bay Area.....................15 Social...................................................... 6 Sports...................................................... 11 Style...................................................... 23
page 2 | February 2015 volume 2 | academy of art university | san francisco
Academy of Art University f ou n de d i n s a n f r a n ci s c o 1 9 2 9
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FROM THE COVER mercedes-benz fashion week Runway continued from 1 their own. It’s to the darkroom for Han Tang, whose wool and silk collection was inspired by the haunting photographs of Italian photographer Yvonne De Rosa and the silhouettes of Cristóbal Balenciaga. Textile designer Tam Nguyen took to creating fabrics, which sought to emulate decaying and chipping surfaces of the featured abandoned hospitals. The same destitute beauty captured in De Rosa’s “Crazy God” series of the dilapidated and forgotten are made anew with Tang’s nod to iconic
fashion design. The work of Xiaowei Liu and Stella Xingyu Hu is a lesson in successful partnership. Liu’s combination of denim, cotton and leather is inspired by Boro, a type of Japanese indigo patchwork. Hu’s faux rainbow-colored leather tape incorporated in her menswear jumpers were inspired by the Rubik’s Cube. Together a marriage of the traditional with the unexpected created something deliciously entertaining to watch and to wear. Prepare to be bewitched by Erin A.F. Milosevich’s rendition of bohemian couture. Meant to illustrate the balance
between movement and restraint, which is portrayed through the juxtaposition of flowing fabric with constructed silhouettes, each look included a handmade crinoline. “It’s Only Heritage” was the title of Mexican born Paulina Susana Romero Valdez’s deeply personal work, a baroque collection of wool brocade, wool tweed, silk, cotton and hand-dyed leather. The collection was accented with hand stitched traditional Mexican embroidery. Paying homage to the generations of fierce women in her life and designed for the death-defying woman of the world.
Designs by Emmanuelle Ciara Jones and Ghazaleh Khalifeh. Photos by Getty Images.
Designs by Christian Willman. Photos by Getty Images.
Clear as a California sky, Kevin C. Smith took inspiration from Christo and JeanneClaude’s 1976 24.5-mile long installation art piece, “Christo’s Running Fence” to create menswear collection built for the hybrid man. Textile designer Andrea Nyberg added satire and sophistication. Her inspiration was as lighthearted as the smoke, condensation and dew that were integrated throughout the collection. Power and social order lay in the sharp tailoring and rusted prison metal prints of Ozanhan Kayaoglu. This collection was inspired by French philosopher Michel
Foucault’s analysis of social theorist Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon prison architecture and was designed with the body used as the central focal point of power. Your eyes do not deceive you; Farnaz Golnam’s inventive collection is all it takes to make you reconsider how you’ve looked at clothes. Golnam’s rousing garments are sculpted to the interpretation of nature. Constructed in grey and black wool, Golnam’s looks are fine examples in expert craftsmanship. Fascinated by the labor and dedication of embroidery pieces done by ancient south-
san francisco | academy of art university |
FROM THE COVER mercedes-benz fashion week
Designs by Xiaowei Liu. Photos by Getty Images. west Chinese women, Xue Yang and Oom Terdpravat shifted antiquity to the contemporary. Culminating in colorful cocoons and printed furs, Yang and Terdpravat, crafted pieces made for a fashion vanguard. “This group of designers focused on transformation,” said Simon Ungless, executive director of the School of Fashion. “They used fabric manipulation and printing techniques to change the inherent qualities of textiles to create new textures and surface qualities. There is a focus back to the body and wearability in silhouette, which the designers have utilized advanced tailoring techniques to achieve.”
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Malcolm Thomas is a B.F.A. Fashion Journalism student at Academy of Art University.
Designs by Xiaowei Liu and Stella Xingyu Hu. Photos by Getty Images.
Designs by Han Tang and Tam Nguyen. Photos by Getty Images.
February 2015 volume 2 | page 3
page 4 | February 2015 volume 2 | academy of art university | san francisco
FROM THE COVER mercedes-benz fashion week
Designs by Erin A.F. Milosevich. Photos by Getty Images.
Designs by Paulina Susana Romero Valdez. Photos by Getty Images.
Designs by Kevin C. Smith and Andrea Nyberg. Photos by Getty Images.
san francisco | academy of art university |
FROM THE COVER mercedes-benz fashion week
Designs by Ozanhan Kayaoglu. Photos by Getty Images.
Designs by Farnaz Golnam. Photos by Getty Images.
Designs by Xue Yang and Oom Terdpravat. Photos by Getty Images.
February 2015 volume 2 | page 5
page 6 | February 2015 volume 2 | academy of art university | san francisco
SOCIAL fashion show vips
Lubov Azria, designer and Chief Creative Officer of BCBG Max Azria Group, with Academy of Art University President Dr. Elisa Stephens. Photo by David Dooley.
Miss Universe 2014 Paulina Vega, Miss USA 2014 Nia Sanchez, and Miss Teen USA 2014 K. Lee Graham. Photo by Getty Images.
Stylist Derek Warburton. Photo by
Getty Images.
Actress Tashiana Washington and actor and DJ Eric West. Photo by Getty Images.
School of Fashion Executive Director Simon Ungless with Academy of Art University President Dr. Elisa Stephens. Courtesy of Dr. Elisa Stephens.
James Aguiar, National fashion director of Modern Luxury. Photo by David Dooley.
Runway coach and America’s Next Top Model personality J. Alexander. Photo by Getty Images.
Model Karrueche Tran. Photo by Getty Images.
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February 2015 volume 2 | page 7
SOCIAL fashion show vips
Academy of Art University alumnus and BCBG Fashion Editor Christiaan G端nther, designer and Chief Creative Officer of BCBG Max Azria Group Lubov Azria, and Academy of Art University alumna and BCBG Design Director Monica Magdas Miller. Photo by David Dooley.
Kendall Schmidt, lead singer of Big Time Rush. Photo by Getty Images.
Photo by David Dooley.
Singer Kady Z. Photo by Getty Images.
Model Shaun Ross. Photo by Getty Images.
Journalist Michael Musto. Photo by Getty Images.
Fashion show guest, Miss Teen USA 2014 K. Lee Graham, stylist Derek Warburton, singer Tarralyn Ramsey and Miss USA 2014 Nia Sanchez. Photo by Getty Images.
san francisco | academy of art university |
February 2015 volume 2 | page 23
Style Photo by David Dooley.
INSIDE
Behind the scenes at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week: Go backstage for an inside look at what happens in the final hours leading up to the Academy’s show. Page 24.
Backstage beauty: Victor Cembellin, senior makeup artist with MAC Cosmetics, shares the latest beauty tips and trends. Page 26.
Kimball Studio: Take a look at the desginers’ final preparations before their designs hit the catwalk. Page 28.
DIFFA: Students from the School of Interior Architecture & Design create an installation piece for the annual Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS event. Page 30.
page 24 | February 2015 volume 2 | academy of art university | san francisco
MERCEDES-BENZ FASHION WEEK backstage diary
Behind the seams: MBFW Fall 2015 backstage diary
(Left) Christian Willman, M.F.A. Fashion Design, irons her garments backstage before the show. (Right) Kevin C. Smith, M.F.A. Fashion Design, prepping his collection backstage. Photos by David Dooley. By Malcolm Thomas Five o’ clock p.m. It’s the day of the Academy of Art University Fall 2015 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week show and all is not calm before the storm. Two hours before the VIPs arrive in their perfectly polished outfits with their million
dollar smiles, there is madness backstage at Lincoln Center’s theatre. Models are being made up, packs of photographers are shoving their way behind vanities and over shoulders to get the perfect shot. Designers are nervous while being interviewed by press and trying to steal a moment here or
there to finish steaming their garments, dressers arrive and set about to find their stations and those very solemn folks wearing headsets are trying to make sense of it all. For a backstage novice it is a rush, for a designer it is crunch time and for a student it is a dream. “In the beginning, I felt
Xue Yang, M.F.A. Fashion Design, and Oom Terdpravat, M.F.A. Textile Design, are interviewed backstage. Photo by David Dooley.
Erin A.F. Milosevich, M.F.A. Fashion Design, shows her collection to a reporter. Photo by
David Dooley.
Xiaowei Liu, M.F.A. Fashion Design, is interviewed backstage before the show. Photo by David Dooley.
School of Fashion Executive Director Simon Ungless is interviewed by Erin Laurence of Lives of Style. Photo by
David Dooley.
Emmanuelle Ciara Jones, M.F.A. Fashion Design, is interviewed backstage. Photo by David Dooley.
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February 2015 volume 2 | page 25
MERCEDES-BENZ FASHION WEEK backstage diary
The front of house team readies Lincoln Center’s Theater for the show. Photo by David Dooley.
Designers watch the runway show from backstage. Photo by David Dooley. nervous. I didn’t know I could go this far, but at this point, I feel super excited. It’s my first time being here. I’ve come a long way,” said Xiaowei Liu, the M.F.A. designer behind an indigo-dyed combined menswear and womenswear collection that took her six months to make. Her collaborator, Stella Xingyu Hu, an M.F.A. fashion designer and New York Fashion Week peer, has constructed Rubik’s Cube inspired rainbow-colored sweaters that are equally as labor intensive as they are impressive. Six o’clock p.m. A bevy of statuesque models stand in a single file line awaiting their cue for the run through. The pressure is on; they only get one rehearsal to iron out all the kinks before seats are filled. I stand in the aisle
above the bleachers watching models take to the runway in their street clothes and runway shoes. In the distance, volunteers and front of house crew put out seat placements and press releases for the esteemed guests who will soon be arriving. Seven o’clock p.m. The crowd descends. Shaun Ross has arrived. The albino model’s blonde, asymmetrical dreadlocks hang over his shades as he lets out an electric grin for the cameras. Other photographed faces are here too; Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA, runway coach and America’s Next Top Model personality J. Alexander, famed journalist Michael Musto, model Karrueche Tran and Big Time Rush lead singer Kendall Schmidt to name a few.
Flashbulbs are burning. Guests are flooding into the theatre at Lincoln Center like waves crashing ashore. More flashbulbs. More poses for the camera. The wearer of a gold sequined dress is being ushered to her seat. It’s Dr. Elisa Stephens, president of Academy of Art University. She greets Lubov Azria, friend and BCBGMAXAZRIA’s chief creative officer, who has come to show her support. The lights dim then brighten. The music cues. The show has started.
A bulletin board documents the run of show. Photo by Getty Images.
Malcolm Thomas is a B.F.A. Fashion Journalism student at Academy of Art University.
(Left) Erin A.F. Milosevich, M.F.A. Fashion Design, shares a hug with a friend backstage after the show. (Right) Tam Nguyen, M.F.A. Textile Design, and Paulina Susana Romero Valdez, M.F.A. Fashion Design, are riding high after the show. Photos by David Dooley.
School of Fashion Executive Director Simon Ungless looks on during the fashion show rehearsal. Photo by David Dooley.
page 26 | February 2015 volume 2 | academy of art university | san francisco
MERCEDES-BENZ FASHION WEEK beauty trends
2015 Fall Beauty Trends at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Lincoln Center By Jeanie Walsh
It was all about transformation at the Academy of Art University MercedesBenz Fashion Week show on Valentine’s Day. Sculpting and shaping were the hot beauty trends being applied backstage at the show during MBFW. The scene backstage at Lincoln Center on February 14 was extremely fast paced,
yet organized with a huge number of people working to complete varied tasks all within a short span of time. Each station backstage was arranged in a systematic way for efficient, speedy work for this large scale production. To get every facial feature covered in the short time allotted, multiple artists worked on one model simultaneously. One makeup artist would work while
Jon Reyman backstage at Academy of Art University show during NYFW. Courtesy of Stacy Murphy Photography.
a hair stylist perfected the model’s hair. MAC has always been my go-to source for every event and styling shoot that I have produced while attending the Academy, so I was thrilled when I found out that Victor Cembellin, senior makeup artist for MAC Cosmetics, would be the lead artist for the show and creating the looks together with the MAC PRO team. With over 20 years of industry experience, Cembellin’s credits include freelance editorial makeup artist, educator at the Academy of Art University and also Senior Makeup Artist for North America at MAC Cosmetics. Backstage, Cembellin masterfully created the looks on the models using several key products including MAC Cosmetics Studio Waterweight Foundation, which will be released in the Fall. “This season we are playing with architecture, we are playing with the shapes of each model’s eyes, ” explained Cembellin. To get this look, the MAC Pro Team played with several products. Baby Don’t Go is their sculpting product, along with a cream colored base from MAC called Hush. Instead of playing with color, the team of artists played more with placement, shapes and tones. It was all about sculpting and adding a dynamic shape to each model’s eyes. Complementing the sculpted makeup look was a sleek, almost wet-looking hairstyle with a samurai knot dreamed up by hair guru Jon
Victor Cembellin, Senior Artist, M·A·C Cosmetics. Courtesy of MAC Cosmetics.
Reyman for Aveda. While Cembellin transformed the models’ faces on Valentine’s Day backstage in The Theatre at Lincoln Center, I asked him a few questions and his responses are below.
like MAC Cosmetics Studio Waterweight Foundation. Its coverage appears virtually invisible to the naked eye. This standout product from the Academy of Art University show launches in Fall 2015.
Q: Do you have any runway beauty tips that can be used for street wear beauty? A: One of the biggest beauty buzzwords right now is “reality.” The makeup trend is to visibly improve and reveal your best features without necessarily trying to change your look. This can easily be achieved with a product
Q: How many years have you been the MUA for the Academy of Art University shows? A: The first time I keyed the Academy’s show was New York Fashion Week Autumn/ Winter in 2009. I have been privileged to connect with Simon Ungless and so many other wonderful talents. There have even been lavish editorial spreads, covers of countless magazines and the honorable opportunity to become an instructor at the Academy of Art University itself. Q: What are some other shows that you are creating the look for this season? A: MAC Cosmetics is supporting over 70 shows this season in New York alone. There are a lot of different looks, but at the same time, a lot of consistency backstage. Personally, I’ll be working on Carolina Herrera, Rachel Zoe and Oscar de la Renta. I also designed the look for the 45 male models at Perry Ellis.
MAC backstage set-up. Courtesy of Stacy Murphy Photography.
Q: What was the inspiration behind the look? Where do you draw your inspiration and ideas from? A: It’s the designer’s moment to showcase their signature collections, so it’s important to create a look that complements, while creating
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February 2015 volume 2 | page 27
MERCEDES-BENZ FASHION WEEK beauty trends
Samurai Knot by Jon Reyman. Courtesy of Stacy Murphy Photography.
Photo by Getty Images.
continuity throughout the show. As a makeup artist, I have always considered myself a storyteller who draws inspiration from various sources. This season I wanted to tell a moody beauty story by using the architecture of each model’s face as the focal point. With a nod to 1990s supermodels, we used MAC Cosmetics Baby Don’t Go Pro Longwear Blush and MAC Cosmetics Hush Cream Colour Base to sculpt and shape the face for a bit of tough beauty. Q: What are five things you’re loving right now? A: 1. Matte Lips: Watch out for this trend and for the new MAC Cosmetics Retro Matte Liquid Lipsticks, which are being sported all over NYFW. 2. Individuality: Fashion and makeup have become so much about celebrating ones identity and creativity. 3. Classic novels: Because they force me to put the iPhone down.
Victor Cembellin backstage at Academy of Art University show during NYFW. Courtesy of Stacy Murphy Photography. 4. Food: I’m attempting to become a “foodie” (although it’s a bit expensive to dine out in San Francisco). 5. Hair: I have purely done makeup for 20 years and I’m now trying to learn the basics of hair. Q: Which products did you use? A: The star products for the AAU show were MAC Cosmetics Baby Don’t Go Pro Longwear Blush to sculpt cheekbones, MAC Cosmetics Coquette Eye Shadow to define the eyes and create a bit of mood and androgyny, MAC Cosmetics Hush Cream Colour Base for natural highlighting of facial contours and MAC Cosmetics Studio Waterweight Foundation (launching in Fall 2015) to invisibly conceal and neutralize lip tones.
Photo by Getty Images.
Q: How do you start your day? A: I enjoy taking my dog,
Pinto Bean, for a walk in the morning, carving out time for a coffee run and if I’m good, going for a quick jog. Q: Was beauty something you were always interested in? Where do you see yourself headed in the next few years? A: I actually discovered beauty while performing in theater back in high school. I immediately loved makeup’s transformational qualities. This was during the time when artists, like Madonna, would use fashion, hair and makeup to redefine their identity for a brief moment. I knew I had to be a part of that magic. Only time will tell where I’m headed. It’s so unclear where I may find myself working or travelling to next, but this marks my 20th year with MAC Cosmetics. Another role I love is working at the Academy of Art University and lending my experiences to emerging
artists who are embarking on their creative journeys. Q: What are the biggest beauty trends right now? What color palette and products are currently trending? A: Last season, we celebrated minimal makeup. Bridging into fall, we’re keeping skin clean and fresh but adding signature statements, like a bold lip or a strong liner. In terms of color, we’re seeing black liners replaced with graphite, pastels with shots of grey added to create a unique tonality, and the return of metallics. Follow Victor Cembellin in his career with MAC Cosmetics on Twitter at @MAC_Victor_C and on Instagram @victorcembellin.
Jeanie Walsh is an M.F.A. Fashion Journalism student at Academy of Art University.
page 28 | February 2015 volume 2 | academy of art university | san francisco
MERCEDES-BENZ FASHION WEEK studio diary
Kimball Studio: A diary
Designers hard at work in the studio. Photo by Jeanette Peach. By Malcolm Thomas Walking into a designer’s studio is a dream. It is a sanctuary where ideas, inspirations and aspirations are sewn thread by thread into physical manifestations of a designer’s hopes and dreams. It is Thursday, February 12, and I have just entered the studio where 15 Academy of Art University School of Fashion M.F.A. graduates are working to ready their
collections for the MercedesBenz Fashion Week (MBFW) runway show, which is just two days away. For many designers, their MBFW collections have been a long time coming. Months and months of design, textile collaborations and garment construction—with ample assistance from their peers and design partners—have led them here: a studio loft just blocks from Manhattan’s Union Square. The three-
The view from the 10th floor balcony at the Kimball Studio workspace. Photo by Chloe Preussker.
roomed space, divided into a sewing lab, fitting studio and office, is where these M.F.A. designers have worked tirelessly morning to night during the week ahead of their show to perfect their collections. Under the guidance of Simon Ungless, executive director of the School of Fashion, the expertise of two design instructors and a School of Fashion sewing tech, all of whom have traveled to New York to help make each garment runway ready, the designers have all the support they need. This lucky bunch is experiencing it all, from fitting their garments on professional models to watching
Farnaz Golnam, M.F.A. Fashion Design, working on her collection in the studio. Photo by Jeanette Peach.
MAC lead makeup artist Victor Cembellin works on a male model during the makeup test. Photo by Jeanette Peach.
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MERCEDES-BENZ FASHION WEEK studio diary
Paulina Susana Romero Valdez, M.F.A. Fashion Design, works on her collection in the studio. Photo by Jeanette Peach.
Racks of garments ready to be fitted on models. Photo by Jeanette Peach.
A view of the model casting space at Kimball Studio. Photo by Jeanette Peach.
Garments by Xiaowei Liu, MFA Fashion Design, and Stella Xingyu Hu, M.F.A. Fashion Design. Photo by Jeanette Peach. the hair and make-up team experiment to find this season’s “look,” to making any final tweaks to their garments. Although the collections are mostly complete when they are shipped from San Francisco to New York, adjustments like the shortening of a hem, the addition of a fur collar, or even the creation of a last minute piece (which in one instance had to be done in just two days!) are all commonplace in the New York studio. Yet amongst the anxiety, tension and rush of it all, there is a quiet chaos the day that I arrive in the studio. The clicking harmony of the sewing machines, feverish sketches on the draft table and the precise pinning of cloth to mannequins are the only sounds to be heard. As I’m sitting at the front table talking with the PR team, two students go up onto the balcony for a smoke. The elevator door dings and another student enters the loft. Pleasantries are exchanged. Minutes later, as I make my way towards my temporary home for the week, snowflakes begin to float down from the sky, taxi horns honk and droves of pedestrians litter the sidewalks, I look up to the two students standing on the balcony. They are looking down at the city, and I can only imagine what they’re thinking and how far they’ve come.
Malcolm Thomas is a B.F.A. Fashion Journalism student at Academy of Art University.