The designs by undergraduate students in School of the Art Institute Chicago's (SAIC) Fashion program will be shown three times during the day: 9 a.m., noon and 3 p.m. They will also be part of The Walk 2011, an annual gala to benefit SAIC student scholarships, at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 5.
This is the 77th year for the event. Fashion 2011 delivers all the elements of a professional fashion show -- stunning design, tight choreography, exquisite garments, and cutting-edge looks --by incorporating and combining techniques from the fields of sculpture, performance, art, design, technology, architecture and installation. Seniors in SAIC's acclaimed Fashion Design department will create complete collections of five garments, and sophomores and juniors will show prime examples of their designs.
FASHION 2011
Thursday, May 5
9am, Noon, 3 PM
Millennium Park
Tickets: $75
Available online at saic.edu/fashionshow .
(RELEASE)
- DESIGNERS AND THEIR DESIGNS:
- Danijela Neric
Inspiration: Abstracting abstraction is what this collection carries through. It is like being close to something indefinable, and to wonder what is it made of and when it acquired its roots.
Garment: Mini Black dress in Satin backed Organza with Ivory lines created of silk ribbons - Sarah Mallis
Inspiration: 50's Tupperware parties
Garment: Peach Puff Wool Cape with Faux Jersey Pleat shoulders, Cape Shirt - geometric white and black chiffon, Pants - Dark Rifle Green Wool Flannel cropped pants seamed with Black Wool Flannel -
Bree Williams
Inspiration: Otesanek (greedy guts)
Garment: Seafoam oversized corduroy blazer over striped mens' short romper
Amanda Bauer -
Bonnie Alayne
Inspiration: . . . and the Utopian tale begins
Garment: Fawn patterned woven wool and cotton lace gown, with a white silk and cotton lace throw - Maggie Burke
Inspiration: Collage. Alien Awe, I and Alien Awe II by Wangechi Mutu.
Garment: Midnight blue voile top with hand dyed vintage lace appliqué with peacock green and turquoise cashmere hand knit skirt.
Inspiration: After we shed our childhood and embrace being mature adults, we occasionally notice flashes of our inner child supporting the person it helped create.
Garment: Ivory double-faced wool crepe cropped jacket, nude 4-ply silk sleeveless, column dress with overlay
Ikram Goldman to Receive SAIC Legend of Fashion Award at
THE WALK 2011, Annual Benefit Gala to Support Student Scholarships
Fashion Show Tickets Now on Sale
CHICAGO -- Nick Cave, professor and chair of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) Fashion Design Department, proudly announces that SAIC will present its 77th annual fashion show, Fashion 2011, on Thursday, May 5, 2011. For the first time in its storied history, the show will take place against the backdrop of beautiful Millennium Park, in a tented venue at Chase Promenade North (E. Randolph Street & N. Michigan Avenue). Tickets to the show, which traditionally sell out well in advance, are on sale now.
Fashion 2011
Fashion and art lovers from around the world will have four opportunities to experience a spectacular runway show featuring more than 250 original garments created by the next generation of up-and-coming designers, undergraduate students in SAIC's Fashion Design program, and worn by 60 professional models from Factor Runway. Fashion 2011 delivers all the elements of a professional fashion show--stunning design, tight choreography, exquisite garments, and cutting-edge looks--by incorporating and combining techniques from the fields of sculpture, performance, art, design, technology, architecture and installation. Seniors in SAIC's acclaimed Fashion Design department will create complete collections of five garments, and sophomores and juniors will show prime examples of their designs.
THE WALK 2011
SAIC is also proud to host THE WALK 2011, the annual gala benefit held in conjunction with the fashion show. This year's WALK chairs are Marilyn Fields and Greg Cameron of Chicago. THE WALK 2011 co-chairs are Denise Gardner and Kate Neisser of Chicago. Proceeds from THE WALK 2011 benefit scholarships for SAIC students. Last year THE WALK raised more than $310,000, and included the presentation of the $25,000 Eunice W. Johnson Fellowship to senior Luis A. Rodriguez (SAIC BFA 2010) to help him launch his line after graduation.
"THE WALK is among the premier cultural events in the city, and it directly supports student scholarships," said SAIC President Walter Massey. "By investing in these students we enable them to create work that is remarkably sophisticated, creative, and professional. THE WALK gives students a platform to share their work. What I love about the show is not only the work, but the interaction with the students. You really feel their passion for what they are doing; it comes through palpably."
SALLY SINGER TO PRESENT 2011 SAIC LEGEND OF FASHION AWARD TO IKRAM GOLDMAN A highlight of THE WALK 2011 will be when T: The New York Times Style Magazine Editor
Sally Singer (formerly Fashion News and Features Director at Vogue) presents the SAIC Legend of Fashion Award to Ikram Goldman, owner of the renowned boutique ikram and trusted advisor to style-conscious women, First Lady Michelle Obama among them. Ikram Goldman is a leader among fashion tastemakers, offering her clientele a treasure trove of the best in women's fashion. Since opening her Chicago boutique, ikram, in 2001, the Israeli-born Goldman has showcased such stand-out American, European and Japanese designers as Azzedine Alaia, Lanivn, Chanel, Thakoon, Rodarte, Isabel Toledo, and Jason Wu, whose flowing, full-length inaugural gown was personally selected by Goldman for First Lady Michelle Obama. Named to the 2009 "It List" by Elle magazine and attracting regular notice for her boutique in Vogue, W and Harper's Bazaar, Goldman serves as a fashion advisor to other high-profile Chicago women including Desiree Rogers, Mellody Hobson, and Linda Johnson Rice of the Ebony publishing empire. Committed to nurturing the next generation of fashion designers, Goldman has been a fixture at THE WALK in recent years, noting new talent and offering insights to the school's fashion faculty and students.
Distribution of THE WALK 2011 Student Awards will be overseen by Goldman with input from SAIC Fashion Design Department faculty and other special guests to be announced. Goldman's extensive industry contacts and generosity will play a large role in determining the various components of THE WALK 2011 Student Awards. "Ikram is the perfect choice for this award. She is a visionary, not only within the world of fashion, but within the world of art and culture," said SAIC Fashion Design Department Chair Nick Cave. "A visionary doesn't function solely in the present, but sees into the future. Ikram has that ability. She functions from a place that is about growth and about one's life continuing to evolve, reform, and reshape itself."
THE WALK 2011 begins with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m. (on Thursday, May 5), followed by THE WALK 2011 runway show honoring Ikram Goldman and Student Award announcements at 7 p.m., and concludes with an elegant post-show dinner at 8 p.m. Tickets are $500 to $1,000, and tables are $5,000 to $25,000. Call 312.899.1439 for tickets, tables, sponsorships and more information.
ABOUT THE SAIC FASHION DESIGN DEPARTMENT
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago's Fashion program provides a creative and
intellectual context in which the nature and potential of fashion is closely examined
and reimagined. Uniquely situated within a vibrant contemporary school of art and
design, SAIC offers undergraduate, graduate, and post-baccalaureate Fashion
programs that build on the connections and relationships between art and fashion that
have been evolving in the past century, and that reach an unprecedented level in
contemporary practices today.
SAIC's Fashion program is housed within the Sage Studios for Fashion Design located in the historic Carson Pirie Scott building. The 25,000-square-foot studio space includes the Fashion Resource Center, a hands-on collection of late-20th- and 21st-century designer garments and accessories representing extreme innovation, which allows SAIC students the opportunity to explore the most progressive achievements in the world of dress and fashion.
The success of SAIC's Fashion Design program and SAIC's interdisciplinary approach to education is reflected in a list of alumni that includes such notable designers as Halston, Cynthia Rowley, Lawrence Steele, J. Morgan Puett, Eunwha Kim, Maria Pinto, Gary Graham, and Matthew Ames. SAIC graduates hold senior design positions in firms as varied as Yeohlee, Jones New York, Levis, Nike, Charles Chang Lima, and Tommy Hilfiger, and design for Anna Sui, Calvin Klein, Tiffani Kim, Betsey Johnson, Triple5Soul, and Moschino. Upon graduating, many have chosen to intern for international houses such as Viktor & Rolf, Alexander McQueen, Wendy & Jim, Castelbajac, Zac Posen, Threeasfour and William Ivey Long, or to launch their own fashion lines. The current chair of SAIC's Fashion Design Department is critically acclaimed designer Nick Cave. For more information, please visit www.saic.edu/fashion.
ABOUT THE SCHOOL OF THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO
A leader in educating artists, designers, and scholars since 1866, the School of the Art
Institute of Chicago (SAIC) offers nationally accredited undergraduate, graduate, and
post-baccalaureate programs to nearly 3,200 students from around the globe. Located
in the heart of Chicago, SAIC has an educational philosophy built upon an
interdisciplinary approach to art and design, giving students unparalleled opportunities
to develop their creative and critical abilities, while working with renowned faculty who
include many of the leading practitioners in their fields. SAIC's resources include the Art
Institute of Chicago and its new Modern Wing; numerous special collections and
programming venues provide students with exceptional exhibitions, screenings, lectures
and performances. For more information, please visit saic.edu.
