May 26, 2013

Chosen Ones: Academy of Art Announces NYFW Lineup

Each February and September, San Francisco’s very own Academy of Art is the only school to show at New York Fashion Week. This week, the school announced the lineup for the upcoming Feb. 10 at the Lincoln Center. Read on to meet these new talents below (and don’t forget to watch the show via livestream next week).

Deanna Pei-Ju Lo

Deanna Pei-Ju Lo

Deanna's subtle tomboy feel is self-described as “a modern Teddy Boy.” Soft, luxurious fabrics such as lambskin, silk organza and cotton velvet add a subtle femininity to the collection.

Jade Juanyu Liu

Jade Juanyu Liu

Jade' s prior experience working as a pattern maker for gr.dano is easy to see through her innovative construction. Her collection was inspired by the French collage artist Damien Blottiere, known for a unique layering technique that creates shadows and empty space.

Donghyuk Dan Kim

Donghyuk Dan Kim

When designing his collection, Kim chose a color palette inspired by the military and employed themes from the American West. His prior experience as assistant pattern maker to Bay Area designer Bacca da Silva shines through with his innovative tailoring.

Xiang Zhang

Xiang Zhang

Zhang's collection utilizes delicate fabrics such as silk, mohair and cashmere. His designs are inspired by Plato's understanding that the highest form of beauty can be explained by the principles of mathematics.

Amy Bond

Amy Bond

Hailing from Pocatello, Idaho, Amy completed the MFA Fashion Design program online. Her collection was inspired by complex shapes in which she juxtaposes the use of lightweight and unique fabrics.

Jeanette Au

Jeanette Au

Jeanette incorporates mohair, wool, synthetic yarns and metallic threads into her knit fabrics. Her blend of color and texture was motivated by by Sergei Diagliav’s Ballet Russe and the paintings of Leon Bakst.

Wu Di

Wu Di

Wu's collection uses geometric shapes that are inspired by printmaker Aaron Coleman. She reinforces asymmetric silhouettes and bold patterns with her use of cashmere knits and double-faced wool.

Kate Y.K. Lee

Kate YKLee

Kate's Fall 2012 collection is inspired by the sculptural elements of architecture and features rounded silhouettes offset by defined lines and sharp, angled seams.

Farida Khan

While her collection has not yet been released, Farida completed the MFA program online while residing in Doha, Qatar. She honed her design skills working as an assistant designer at Ali Khan and as a technical designer at the Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar. Her highly anticipated womenswear collection is inspired by the idea of unconventional beauty. She constructed bold silhouettes using wool, cotton, coated denim, polyurethane and punched leather.

Since 2005, AAU has selected its best and brightest graduating M.F.A. students to showcase their collections on the catwalk. These students have gone on to win coveted C.F.D.A. scholarships and launch their own fashion lines. Watch the AAU fashion show live here on February 10 at 5 p.m.

Photography by Bob Toy

More San Francisco fashion news

Watch Academy of Art New York Fashion Week Show Live

San Francisco’s Academy of Art University has the distinction of being the only school to show each and every New York Fashion Week, and latest show takes place Friday night. The best part? You can view it live online for free.

At 5 p.m. (thanks AAU for the perfect early happy hour timing), select Spring 2012 graduate collections will hit the runway. The four women’s wear collections and three men’s wear collections include work from students Meredith Action, David Doerr, Dipti Irla, Lisa Nguyen, Jen Chen, Juhyun Vivi Park and Sun Young Youn.

Feeling nostalgic? You can also view past Academy of Art fashion shows on the same page.

More fashion videos

Super Seven: Academy of Art Spring 2011 Collections

First presented at New York Fashion Week, Spring 2011 collections from seven recent graduates of San Francisco-based Academy of Art University deliver fresh silhouettes from rising fashion talents. From Jungah Lee’s sophisticated, yet casual separates to opulently adorned pieces paired with lace from Maria Korovilas, this season’s collections not only display mastery of technique by seven designers at the beginning of their careers, but also add something new to the larger fashion conversation by showing that fashion can still push boundaries while remaining wearable.

Below, we feature one image from each collection, as well as an image from the print collaboration collection, also shown during Fashion Week:

Jungah Lee

Cara Chiappetta

Louie Llewellyn and Xiang Zhang

Collaborative print look

April Howard

Camilla Olson

Maria Korovilas

Photography courtesy of Randy Brooke for the Academy of Art University

Boys, Meet Bush + Leavenworth

bush-and-leavenworth-lookbook-1

bush-and-leavenworth-lookbook-2

Sometimes where you’ve been is as important as where you’re going. Such is the case for San Francisco menswear designers Neth Nom and Guilherme Jacinto, who chose the intersection near the apartment they shared during their years at the Academy of Art as the name for their debut collection ($30-$65) of shirts and tees.

Starting with a small line consisting of eight tees, two button-downs and a vest, Bush + Leavenworth offerings reflect the designers’ work hard, play hard sensibilities. Animators at Pixar by day, Nom and Jacinto parlay their original artwork into graphic tees featuring such motifs as San Francisco-themed words, pine cones and skaters popping tricks, while button-down shirts and a cotton vest are both office-appropriate, yet hip enough to look good during post-work ventures to the bar.

Subtle details such as a strategically-placed side pocket and a three-panel shirt back make the button-downs different from all the rest hanging in your closet, but not so different that they lose versatility.

“Even though it’s different, it’s still wearable,” Nom tells us.

Currently available online at www.bushandleavenworth.com.

More local designers

Who Needs Bryant Park? Academy of Art NYFW Live Webcast

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You may not be in New York this week, but that doesn’t mean you can’t watch a little piece of New York Fashion Week unfold before your eyes.

Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, anyone who happens to have computer access tomorrow at precisely 12 noon can peep the Academy of Art Fall 2010 Graduate Collection as it parades down the runway under the tents at Bryant Park.

Just click the image above to be taken to the proper viewing page.

And enjoy.