Senior Carolyn Martin was named the Outstanding Senior for the Fashion Show department.

At the end of the academic year, a graduating senior from each major is named the Outstanding Senior for that department. Today to conclude our 10-part series, we interviewed senior Carolyn Martin (CCAD 2011), who was named Outstanding Senior for the Fashion Design department.

Q.) What scared you most while you were at CCAD?
A.) What scared me most while in design school at CCAD was always “What if I work this hard for four long years and don’t get a job after graduation.” Fears conquered. I have been hired by Dress Barn as a design assistant/CAD artist.

Q.) How did you land your first “real” job?
A.) I landed my first “real” job through the power of internships.  Each of my internships was for the same company so I built strong relations with the designers I worked with and developed a kind of seniority over other interns. Once a position became available, my background with the company put me closer to the top of the list.

Q.) What’s it feel like to graduate knowing you have work lined up?
A.) I didn’t even realize how much I was stressing about finding a job after graduation until I got an offer.  It was such a tremendous sense of relief and accomplishment. I finally felt like all my hard work had paid off.

Q.) Why is it important as an alumnus to continue giving back to your alma mater?
A.) Sharing achievements is a great way to inspire current students and show them all the possibilities that are available after graduation.  There is no straight path or one specific career direction for any major, and the more students are informed of all the possibilities the more confident they will be to build a career path that best fits them.

Q.) What will you miss most?
A.) As happy as I am to be finished with school, I know that what I will miss is the challenge of always being busy.  Being a student at CCAD has constantly challenged me to find the perfect harmony between school, work, and friends and family.  No matter how happy you may be with your work, it’s family and friends—your biggest supporters—who bring true happiness.

Q.) I hope future CCAD students…
A.) Continue making a bigger and better fashion show every year!

Carolyne is one of the 25 Fashion Design seniors who will be showcasing her collection at  the May 13 Senior Fashion Show event on campus. You can read more about what inspired her designs (and her journey to CCAD) on our post, Carolyn Martin’s Road to the Runway Takes Her from Pre-Vet to War Vet, To Chanel.

"Welcome" by alumna Kirsten Bowen will be featured at the 2011 Senior Fashion Show event.

Illustration alumna Kirsten Bowen (CCAD 1989) was chosen by Huntington Bank to create a painting to augment Huntington’s Welcome brand positioning, further underscoring the corporation’s commitment to the Columbus community. The painting was also used to create a scarf as part of the bank’s recently launched colleague career apparel line.

Bowen, who is known for creating vibrant murals for local businesses and individual buyers, was an obvious choice for Huntington. A member of the Huntington team liked her work so much at one the biannual art sales that she was commissioned to complete the project. Leveraging her remarkable artistic gifts, Bowen helped transform Huntington’s new Welcome brand into a work of fine art.

Welcome is currently displayed on the executive floor of the Huntington headquarters building on High Street. Huntington, who is a couture sponsor of the 2011 Senior Fashion Show, will make the painting available for viewing at the VIP Cocktail Hour during the event  Friday, May 13, before returning to the corporate office. The scarf featuring Bowen’s design is available to all bank colleagues.

Learn more about Bowen on her webpage.

Alumnus Edward Buchanan and his clothing line, Sansovino 6, were featured in the March issue of W Magazine.

Fashion Design alumnus and CCAD Fashion Icon award winner Edward Buchanan (CCAD 1988-1991) was featured in the March issue of W Magazine for his line, Sansovino 6.

Listed in the Ahead of the Class article for “up-and-coming labels [that] are keeping fashion on its toes,” Buchanan’s feature focused on how his line came to be. “Two years ago, while working as a designer for Sean John, Edward Buchanan discovered that his favorite Milan knitwear factory was getting clobbered by its competition in China,” J.J. Martin wrote for the magazine. “In an attempt to keep the company’s doors open, Buchanan launched Sansovino 6.”

Martin continued, “This spring he has taken on the world of jeans.  Indigo knits, washed and distressed by an Italian denim specialist, have been used to create unisex cutoff shorts, jackets, and various pant silhouettes. The five pocket boot cut could be mistaken for a stylishly worn-in pair of Levi’s, but done up in fine-gauge cotton knit, it feels as snuggly as sweats.”

Buchanan enrolled at CCAD in 1988 to study retail advertising and fashion illustration. After CCAD, he moved to New York City in 1992 to pursue a career in fashion design. While taking courses at Parsons School of Design, Buchanan worked with prestigious clothing lines Giorgio Armani, Calvin Klein, J.Crew, and Michael Kors. In 1995, Buchanan moved to Europe as design director of luxury accessories line Bottega Veneta. Prior to arriving at Bottega, the collection was primarily luxury accessories.  Buchanan moved to Milano, Italy in 1995, and worked for Bottega Veneta for six years. He was hired to develop a capsule collection of knitwear and leather goods to round off the world of Bottega Veneta. The collection was an instantaneous success and helped the brand gain popularity in the ready-to-wear luxury accessories market.

Want the rest of the story? Check out our blog, CCAD to Honor Edward Buchanan with Alumni Fashion Icon Award. Want to see works by the next generation of CCAD fashion designers? Check out the 2011 Senior Fashion Show.

After achieving great acclaim for his fashion designs, alumnus Bruno Grizzo finds success as fashion illustrator.

As a fashion designer, his looks were featured in the world’s leading fashion magazines and worn by celebrity fashionistas on the red carpet—which is huge, considering he only graduated 15 years ago. Now, Fashion Design alumnus Bruno Grizzo (CCAD 1996) has switched gears from design to fashion illustration and is quickly garnering the same rock star status.

“I started with illustrations last year,” Grizzo said in an email to CCAD. “I did an illustrated look book for Halston and since then have been doing stuff for Lacoste, Georg Jensen, Ann Taylor, Neue Galerie, Jeffrey, Surface Magazine and S Magazine. Currently, I’m working on images for a Jonathan Adler book.”

He’s currently redesigning his website to include his illustration work, but his designs (and their success!) are featured on the page. This includes the features of his work from The New York Times, The New York Post, and Women’s Wear Daily as well as Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Nylon, Zink, Us Weekly (Sarah Jessica Parker donned one of his creations on the red carpet), Surface, and Sportswear International magazines.

“From his first apprenticeships in Paris in the mid-’90s, where he worked with the house of Lanvin and Jose Lévy, Grizzo’s design impulses have been driven by his predilection for fabric and his preoccupation with structure. … The most telling influence on the young designer’s workmanship dates from the years he assisted at Frank Tignino couture. While designing at this repository of New York chic in the late nineties, he mastered the arts of draping, patternmaking and extensive hand-finishing techniques.”–excerpt from Grizzo’s online biography.

Check out the works of CCAD’s latest fashion design graduates during the 2011 Senior Fashion Show event on May 13. For ticket and event information, click here.

Add the following dates to your calendar.

As an alum, you are offered tons of opportunities to reunite with your classmates and reengage with CCAD through our programs and events. Since that event listing is just so huge, we figured we’d narrow it down for you and share just a few of our favorites:

April 16—Spring Art Sale
Come check out the fantastic work of your fellow alumni and our current students. Want to sell some of your work? Keep an eye on our Facebook page for the specifics.

May 13—Student Exhibition and Senior Fashion Show
Want a free ticket to the Senior Fashion Show? Become a member of our ticket committee and invite others to the show. Contact us for more information.

October 7–8—Homecoming and Family Weekend

For a complete list of upcoming events, check out our event listings.

A specific make-up design is created for each model.

When it comes to making a look pop on the runway, hair and make-up are as important as shoes and accessories. Every detail has an impact on that final walk.

This is one reason why CCAD schedules the fashion show hair and make-up consultations in the bitter month of January.

On a snowy Jan. 20th Tim Maurer of Mukha Custom Cosmetics, and Anjel McLaughlin and Tammy Mansfiled from AKADA Hair Salon met with the designers to work out a detailed plan for each model’s hair and make-up.

This is what I learned:

For hair we will see a lot of braids, volume, and texture. One look, described for a model with short hair, was “pompadour style, up, with texture and curl.” I can’t wait to see that.

Our hair stylists extraordinaire will also be working with custom hats and bands that some of the designers have made as part of their looks. Oh, and I learned a new term: fishtail braid.

For make-up, the looks will be as varied as the garments—but extended lashes will be a must. Bright, patterned garments will more likely see dramatic eyes but a neutral soft lip. One designer’s evening wear will get the classic Hollywood treatment—including custom made lipstick to match an accent color.

Runway make-up, like stage make-up, is always dramatic, even when the end result should read clean and simple to the audience. But, Tim will bring some extra wow touches to a few choice looks. One model’s eyes will have, what I can only describe as a “birds of paradise” treatment. Another model will have an ivy pattern sweeping from one eye with glued on metallic fabric flowers.

In less than two weeks (on Feb. 1) tickets go on sale at www.ccad.edu/fashion; in mid February the jurying takes place, which is a great opportunity for our student designers to get constructive feedback from industry professionals.

CCAD's Senior Fashion Show is May 13, 2011

CCAD’s annual Senior Fashion Show fundraiser has become THE event to attend in May. This year’s Master’s of Design event will shift from a high-class brunch followed by a runway show to a high-octane runway show capped by two parties. The event is growing and so are the number of community members and companies that want to be a part of it. With tickets going on sale in less than two weeks, CCAD has announced the roster of sponsors and host committee members who are supporting this year’s fundraiser.

“Our runway show is a high-energy and chic experience,” said Stephanie Hightower, CCAD’s vice president for institutional advancement. “But more importantly this is a benefit to raise funds for scholarships, and the support of these sponsors allows us to not only create an exceptional event, but to leverage the college’s educational opportunities for the next generation of creative leaders.”

Limited Brands is leading the pack as title sponsor.

Additional sponsors include: Après-Runway Dance Party Sponsor: alive!; Runway Sponsor: EXPRESS; VIP Pre-Party Sponsor: Nationwide; ICON Award Sponsor: Justice; Catalogue Sponsor: Abercrombie & Fitch; Couture Sponsors: Huntington Bank, Macy’s, and R.G. Barry/Dearfoams; Media Sponsors: Capital Style, CD101 at 102.5, Radio One, Fashion Wire Press; In-kind Sponsors: AKADA Hair Salon, Cameron Mitchell Catering, The Diamond Cellar, Donatos Pizza, FRESH French Floral Boutique, Heidelberg Distributing Company, Lasting Impressions Event Rentals, Live Technologies Inc., Mukha Custom Cosmetics, Ologie, Pepsi-Cola Bottling of Columbus, Scott Cunningham, Tork.

Find these sponsors and the host committee listed at www.ccad.edu/fashion.

Tickets go on sale with special early-purchase pricing on Feb. 1 at www.ccad.edu/fashion.

The three-hour, weekly class is, in large part, an opportunity for the designers to work on their collections with the hands-on guidance of the department chair, Suzanne Cotton and instructor Richard Hurley.

The students are still on winter break, and I have now had a chance to reflect on what I’ve seen, heard, and learned from sitting in on several senior-level fashion design collection classes.

The three-hour, weekly class is, in large part, an opportunity for the designers to work on their collections with the hands-on guidance of the department chair, Suzanne Cotton and instructor Richard Hurley.

The last class I attended was a critique of each designer’s second look (they will create four total, two of which will be in the show). The students had a chance to show their garment on a dress form, explain where they were going and in some cases share where they were stuck. Instructors and classmates then offered up feedback and suggestions. This feedback could be as simple as suggestions for a type of stitch or gather, to recommending an additional piece or accessory.

Blocking is the practice of using a card stock to create basic garment shapes (bodice, sleeves, ect) to the model’s measurements.

I saw designers that were in good shape and fully realizing their vision, and designers that had hit a roadblock, perhaps their fabric choice hadn’t worked out as intended, or the end result of the construction did not live up to the promise of the illustration. Some pieces were too simple others needed editing (according to the feedback I was hearing)—what I liked was that the designers all walked away with some ideas on how to move forward.

I learned a lot just listening and asking a few questions (and Googling a few unfamiliar terms).

For instance I now know that blocking is the practice of using a card stock to create basic garment shapes (bodice, sleeves, ect) to the model’s measurements. These blocks are then used to develop the garment-specific patterns.

A “draft” of a garment is created in muslin, which allows the designer to determine any tweaks that need made in the design before it is constructed in a more expensive fabric. Once this is done the designers can create their final patterns.

I also heard, for the first time, the term Hong Kong seam. Based on a quick Google search I can tell you that it looks difficult and seems to be the kind of extra touch that once expects in high-end tailoring. The student using the technique on her jacket, certainly seemed excited to have mastered it.

Tools of the Trade.

The most common mistake made by newbie designers: choosing the wrong fabric for their design—e.g. a silky, flowy fabric for a structured garment.

Another challenge these designers face it translating their illustrations into something that can be constructed and eventually sold. Fashion designers face this on two levels. One: they must be able to construct what they have drawn, and it must be able to be worn down a runway—even if it’s only meant to be worn on the runway. Two: they need to translate their couture runway looks to something that can eventually be sold (i.e. ready-to-wear) because that is where the rent gets paid.

A final observation: one thing I never get tired of seeing is student collaboration. After the initial class announcements, as students broke off to work on their collections, clusters of designers would form. I could hear them bouncing ideas off of each other and sharing solutions to design challenges. These students are generous with each other, sharing their time and their ideas. They already understand that creativity doesn’t happen in a vacuum.

Things are going to start picking up. Very soon (Feb. 1) tickets will be on sale at a special price—i.e. those who buy early will pay less than those who wait until March. Check the event page at www.ccad.edu on Feb. 1 to buy online.

Make up and hair consults are next week, should be fun.

Walking directly toward a panel of judges, striking a pose, executing a full turn, and then walking away—this was the scene as nearly 200 CCAD undergraduates tried out for the chance to model in Masters of Design, the 2011 Senior Fashion Show.

While senior designers have had months to research their Masters of Design muse, choosing the model is the next crucial step before they start constructing their garments.

“We’re looking for a wide range of people who can best show off the garments,” said Suzanne Cotton, CCAD Fashion Design chair. “It’s hard to tell from a picture how someone walks. I especially note the ones that keep a straight back and appear confident.”

Cotton, who was on hand as one of the judges, was impressed by the sheer number of students interested in helping with the show.

“This was our largest turnout ever,” Cotton said. “My senior (fashion) students are in charge of advertising and inviting models in for the tryout. It’s pretty amazing how much this has grown in just the last three to four years.”

Sloan Coffin, a 21-year old industrial design major, was chosen to model in last year’s show and hopes to be a part of the event this spring, too.

“It was a lot of fun and I’ve always enjoyed being on stage,” Coffin explained. “It’s a little nerve-racking at times, with a lot of 30-minute fittings my designer needed as the show got closer, but we became friends and actually hung out too.”

Coffin, who admittedly feels a bit unknowledgeable about fashion, says he enjoys learning from the designers and applying things to his own work.

“I know form well, since I’m industrial design. But all the subtle patterns are a little beyond me. These [fashion] designers are conceptual and good with craft. It’s something I’ve worked into slowly and really broadened my horizons on other forms of design.”

Another former model, Annie Lobb, agrees and feels that the model-designer relationship drives creativity and creates a win-win for all involved.

“Last year, Origins was such a cool theme and all the designers interpreted it in their own way,” Lobb said. “It’s fun to dress up and basically be someone you’re normally not. When I model, I’m wearing someone else’s art—my goal is to show off their creation as best I can.”

Cotton noted a palpable excitement in this year’s senior class and is ready for them to get started.

“To start out fresh with a new theme is exciting, and I’m proud of how much time the students put into their designs,” Cotton said.

After the models are selected the designers start sketching garment patterns for each collection.

Coming next: Check back in January for more on what happens after the designers select their model. Or, follow us on Twitter and get tweets when new posts go up.

Be sure to hit our Fashion Show event page on Feb. 1 for a special advance-purchase deal on tickets.

CCAD's Senior Fashion Show is May 13, 2011

As we survive our first snow fall of the year, May and CCAD’s annual senior fashion show fundraiser seem a million years away. But, the fact is, for the student designers, faculty, staff and everyone else involved in this event, work has been underway for months—for us, May and the 2011 CCAD Fashion Show is just around the corner.

Once again this blog will serve as a backstage pass to all things CCAD Fashion Show, but this year I am focusing on the student designers. Over the months I’ll have a chance to get to know them better, learn more about their approach to design, their process, and their inspiration.

Before we take a closer look at the designers, however, I have a few fun things to share.

1. This year’s show theme is Masters of Design, with each designer pulling inspiration from one of fashion’s greats—and these muses range from Betsy Johnson to Coco Chanel.
2. The event is moving from an elegant afternoon brunch and runway show to a high-octane night-time runway extravaganza. That means the beats don’t stop—after ticket holders have been energized and inspired by our designers they’ll take the party from the runway tent to the dance floor.
3. Finally, we’ve changed the show date to coincide with the opening of CCAD’s Annual Student Exhibition and end-of-year celebrations. Need a break from the post-show party?—cross the street and see high-caliber art & design from each of our nine majors. Check in to the auditorium for film screenings. It will all be happening on CCAD’s campus May 13.

You can wander through the archives of this blog to read about last year. It will give you a taste of what to expect, but just a taste. The changes in store for the 2011 event ensure it will be better than ever.

Coming next: Intern Aadam attended the model tryouts earlier this fall—on Dec. 16 read all about the best assignment an intern could get. Come back in January and find out why getting your model is the first step to creating your collection, and the answer to questions like what exactly is “blocking,” and why on Project Runway, do the designers put tape on the dress forms?

Feb. 1, check out the fashion show event page for a special advance-purchase ticket offer (buy early and save).