Antoiné Slater looks over her sketchbook. Photo by Katlin McNally

By Kristen M. Foley

For as long as she can remember, Antoiné Slater was drawn to anything that was creative, allowed her to apply herself artistically, and was hands on.

A love of braiding hair inspired Antoiné to earn her cosmetology license during her last two years of high school, but she soon learned it was not the lifelong career for her.

“I was able to be creative in this area and I knew I wanted to do something with my hands,” said Antoiné. “However, after I graduated I didn’t want to do hair anymore. It was something I enjoyed, but I didn’t want to do it as a job.”

Her mom encouraged her to do some research and think hard about what she really wanted to study. It didn’t take Antoiné long to determine that fashion, something she’s always loved in one way or another, was the direction she wanted to pursue. Four years later, she’s ready to showcase her love of fashion with three of her final designs in the CCAD Senior Fashion Show.

Antoiné’s collection is inspired by a quote: “Sometimes the king is a woman,” by De La Vega, an American born artist of Puerto Rican decent who is best known for his street art and murals.

Fabric used in Antoiné Slater’s collection. Photo by Katlin McNally

Antoiné created designs that she felt reflected the strength of women. In her artist statement she predicted that her line would attract a woman who is “outspoken, open minded, always willing to try new things, never afraid to speak her mind, or stand out in a crowd.” Gold used throughout her designs along with bold and bright African prints adds to the sense of royalty.

“I feel like it all ties together, too,” reflects Antoine. “My culture and how I feel strongly about expressing myself and being comfortable with myself. It all connects.”

Antoiné recently discovered that a strong fashion sense runs in her family, and this discovery is reflected her collection. While reconnecting with her paternal grandmother last summer, Antoiné learned that she was not alone in her passion for fashion.

Antoiné Slater looks over her sketchbook. Photo by Katlin McNally

“She has everything you could imagine in clothes, jewelry, bags, and shoes from back then. She was a fashionista,” Antoiné said about her grandmother. “I learned that she is exactly where I get my instinct from, and I did not know that until this past summer. We bonded over that.”

Not only will her fashionista grandmother be in attendance at this May’s Senior Fashion Show, but all of the gold jewelry Antoiné is using in her collection comes from her grandmother. It’s another way Antoiné feels she was able to tie everything together and truly elevate the look for the runway.

“It all connects,” said Antoiné. “The opportunities I experienced with this collection always came at just the right time.”

As graduation draws closer she is already focusing on the new connections and opportunities that lay ahead, including a job.

“My dream job would be working with a fashion forward creative design team, traveling all over the world for inspiration and spotting trends,” she says. “I want to be that person who connects it all together.”

Make sure you make a connection of your own and order tickets today to see Antoiné’s collection on May 10.

Antoiné Slater is a native of Dayton, OH, and a graduate of Wayne High School.

Jurors look over a garment

By Kristen Foley

Facing a jury could perhaps be one of most daunting tasks any individual could ever experience, and the outcome, in this case, means earning a spot in the 2013 CCAD Senior Fashion Show.

This is THE moment when a year’s worth of a student’s design work is reviewed and critiqued by an elite group of professionals from the fashion industry. Their ruling will decide what pieces (or even entire collections) will grace the runway this year, and there’s no guarantee that every designer will make the cut. It’s a nerve-racking, nail-biting experience, even for me and all I have to do is sit here and enjoy the amazing works of wearable art.

This year’s jury of fashion professionals included alumna Katie Brennan (CCAD 2003), design director at Abercrombie & Fitch; Connie Ballenger, owner of Leal Boutique; Elizabeth Bean Smith, owner, Wardrobe Therapy; Kristy Eckert, editor for Capital Style; alumna Jennifer Porreca-Faux (CCAD 2002), design director at Tween Brands; Monique Morin, design director at Limited Brands; and Sara Zimmerman, art director and Express stylist.

Suzanne Cotton, chair of the fashion design department, kicked off the event by advising the jury that they really needed to consider what was the crème de la crème out of the 120 designs they would view. Is the piece a good design? Is it made well? Finally, will it look good on the runway?

Due to the large amount of pieces to consider for this year’s show, jury members had a little over a minute to view each garment and make their final decisions. The limited time didn’t stop them from asking the models to turn or step closer, and often they would reach out to touch and feel the fabric’s texture. Their questions were direct and pointed. They knew exactly what information they needed to gather in the short time they had to view each piece.

As noted in a previous post, this year brought an exciting change in that there was no overarching theme for the designers to use as a starting point. The students were challenged to find their muse and inspiration within themselves and then transfer that to their collections. It proved to be an exhilarating challenge, as the collections are unique and very personal. Glimmers of deep copper, rich knits, futuristic designs, tie-dye, fiberglass, sheer fabrics, and bright blues were just some of the design details this class put forth. There was even some canine couture this year!

It will take a few days to review and collect all of the jury’s comments before the final selections are announced, so be sure to check back here for the details. And keep following us as I’ll be profiling each individual designer and the inspiration behind their collections.

If you want to ensure you have a seat to see the chosen pieces, buy your tickets online now. They are selling quickly and prices go up soon. Based on the collections shown today, it’s a night you won’t want to miss.

Suzanne Cotton during a garment presentation, photo courtesy Luke Kramer

By Kristen M. Foley

There is a chill in the air and the promise of more snow before the first buds of a new season make their grand appearance. Yet, visions of spring and the fashion event it brings have long been on the minds of CCAD’s senior Fashion Design majors who will create the looks for the 2013 CCAD Fashion Show, which will hit the runway on May 10.

In just a few short weeks the students will face the jury, where they will present up to six looks from their collection to be considered for the runway event. Students need to present their best and most complete work to be considered, and the professional jury will not only choose what goes in the show, but will also provide invaluable, constructive critiques. With 27 students in this year’s class, Suzanne Cotton, chair of the fashion design department, expects this to be a much tougher selection process.

“There is a limit in how long the show can be,” notes Cotton. “This year it’s going to be the crème de la crème that ultimately get picked for the May 10 event.”

This year brings an exciting change for the students. In years past, students were given a theme at the end of their junior year that they would use to inspire and drive their final senior collection. Previous themes have included the circus, paintings and sculptures of famous artists, and leaders in fashion design. This year, there is no overarching theme for the designers to use as a starting point. The students were challenged to find their muse and inspiration within themselves and then transfer that to their collections.

“It’s something we’ve been thinking about for a while,” said Cotton. “Each designer has their own individual personality and this show is really about showcasing their work. We’re giving the students the opportunity, really from conception all the way through to design and construction, to really show a truer feeling of what their work is all about.”

Suzanne Cotton during a garment presentation, photo courtesy Luke Kramer

Although the students were initially ecstatic about embarking on their senior journey without a pre-determined theme to guide them, they soon found unique challenges in creating a cohesive collection without an assigned starting point.

“When someone gives you your starting point, it really takes the pressure off,” explained Cotton. “Thinking anything can be your starting point is kind of overwhelming. They had to look inside of themselves and that can intimidating. These kids have worked for four years and this is the big finish and they want to do something spectacular.”

The result of this new direction is a group of diverse collections that are more personally tied to the individual designers.

“The exciting part is getting to hear the personal stories behind their collections,” said Cotton. “We have one student who has done work in science and physics and that came out in her collection. Another student is working with Plexiglas and yet another who has looked at her traditional clothes tied to her heritage and how she could update them to be on trend today.”

Cotton also believes this process has allowed the students to grow even more as designers and utilize what they’ve learned in their years at CCAD.

“They began to understand that the great idea might not always be the first one they think of. It may be the fifth or sixth that really turns into something amazing,” said Cotton. “It’s a process that will help them as they move into the career world.”

There is a lot more to share about the 2013 CCAD Fashion Show, including the jurying process, the photo shoot for the show’s lookbook, and one-on-one interviews with each participating designer—so stay tuned.

Tickets for the 2013 Senior Fashion Show event go on sale February 1, and don’t forget this spectacular event is a fundraiser to support the next creative class with scholarships and more.

When Julia Ruan couldn't find fabric she liked, she made her own.

One of the key things for any design is the fabric. The Fashion Design seniors this year shared stories of how they spent countless hours in fabric houses in New York City, Chicago, and Cleveland looking for just the right color or feel. Others embellished their fabric to make it more of what they wanted. Julia Ruan made her own.

“I am very proud that I made all the fabric by myself and with my own hands, even though it took a long time,” she says. “I bought wool and placed netting behind it so I could roll the wool out.  Then I dyed it and washed it. The whole process took around eight hours for each piece.”

Julia, a native of Hangzhou, China, wanted to create fabric that was very abstract in nature and reflected the inspiration she gained through viewing the works of Chu Teh-Chun, a famous modern artist from China. She paid close attention to the patterns and abstract colors he used throughout his works and tried to mirror that, but still add her own personality to the mix.

“He is best known for his abstract oil-on-canvas works. He paints a country whose existence is found only in his paintings, and is both imaginary and real at the same time,” reflects Julia. “I am inspired by Chu Teh-Chun’s work where light looms up and creates and develops a broken succession of echoes.”

Illustrations from Julia's collection.

Julia admits she took great risks with the designs of her collection. Not only did she create her own fabric and dyed each piece in bold, vibrant colors; but her collection also differs from every other designer’s garments in the Senior Fashion Show. She jokes that it is not pretty or feminine yet each piece certainly makes a statement.

“In my collection, the structure is simple and pure, but the colors and textures are full of rich levels.  It’s not sexy and it doesn’t take the female shape at all because it’s very abstract and the shapes are very stiff,” she says. “But, it combines splashy prints and contrasting colors with geometric shapes to create a fantastic style.”

Julia loves that she is able to challenge, disturb, provoke, and entertain people with her designs and hopes to someday design clothes professionally either back home in China or in the U.S.

Until that time, you will get the chance to see her creations when they take the runway on May 11. The show is just a little more than a week away, buy your tickets today so you can say you saw these incredible designers when their works were first introduced to the fashion world.

Tasha Dircksen originally thought her career path was in automotive services, lucky for us she chose fashion.

Not many young designers can say that their original chosen career path involved automotive studies, but Tasha Dircksen’s path to CCAD started just that way. As a high school junior, Tasha enrolled in a vocational program for automotive services. But, she soon found that she wanted her future to include something far different than fixing cars and changing oil.

“I really thought the automotive world was where I belonged, but I hated the class so much that I spent the entire time on the computer looking at art colleges,” she remembers. “I didn’t even know art colleges existed until then.”

Although she ventured into the automotive world for a brief moment, her passion for design had long been with her, thanks to her mother and a desire to create her own wardrobe.

“I realized that what I wanted to wear wasn’t being made,” says Tasha. “My mother, who had plenty of experience sewing, lent me her machine and it took off from there.”

Tasha’s collection includes four different pieces, all inspired by her chosen muses (a process that took her all summer to complete simply because she had so many ideas to choose from). Her final choices include a painting by Max Ernst entitled “33 Little Girls Chasing Butterflies” and the sculpture “Blütenmotiv” by Rudolph Belling.

Tasha created jewelry for her models to wear during the show.

“The painting has this epicenter of color that I tried to bring out with gems that I have,” notes Tasha. “The sculpture echoes the asymmetry of my garments as well as the feel of the jewelry I made.”

Like many designers before her, Tasha’s own personal style is very different than the style she creates in her pieces. She readily admits that when selecting her own clothing, she is attracted to things that are basic and gray, yet her pieces are filled with silks and chiffons that flow with the subtle colors she picked up from her chosen painting.

“The painting has an explosion of blues and whites and I’ve applied this sort of design element in a rather toned down way,” she says. “It’s present in the way the beadwork radiates downward, or how the flowers are laid out with their pops of color.”

While completion is one of Tasha’s favorite parts of the design process, she shares that she’s not quite ready for the CCAD Senior Fashion show to be over or even for her own graduation. The idea of what’s next is still on her mind. She would love to continue to design jewelry and perhaps even move into bridal wear design. Until then, she still has one more piece to complete for the show—she plans to create something of her own to wear.

To see Tasha’s final creation and to enjoy an amazing night filled with fashion and fun, make sure you purchase your tickets today.

Jennifer Tang's final fashion show design evokes a sense of airy delight.

Fabric plays an important part in every designer’s collection. Sometimes it is the inspiration that leads to the design and other times the design itself leads to the final fabric selection.

Jennifer Tang knew she wanted fabrics that were flowing, soft, and fully embraced her color palette. Making her designs come to life meant choosing organza, silk and lots, and lots of chiffon. While those selections made the most beautiful fit, they were not necessarily the most agreeable fabrics to work with.

“Organza and sheer fabrics are more difficult to sew,” notes Jennifer. “It’s pretty challenging to work on any fabric that is silk-like, as it takes a lot of time to do rolled hems and add details.”

Her collection includes dark purples, fuchsia, navy, and a little bit of silver, each with various facets of texture that are then mixed with the sheer and silky selections. She also alternates dramatic effects between the top and bottom portions of her creations—combining fitted pants with a flowing top or a skirt with a detailed waistband paired with a less dramatic top.

One of Jennifer's favorite fabrics, a feather-embellished chiffon.

She delights in the way her fabric selections and ultimate designs mimic the various features that originally drew her to the works of her muses. A painting, ”Composition VI” by Wassily Kandinsky and “The Little Mermaid” sculpture by Edward Erikson, both conjure a sense of airiness complimented with points of sea-like shimmer that Jennifer was able to transfer to her work.

“I adored the movement, flow, and color palette in the painting, but also the fact that it was more abstract in shape and it felt like an ocean,” she says. “The sculpture of the mermaid displayed her smooth bare skin, and reminded me to show a little more skin in my collection. It was also shiny, flowing, and relaxing.”

When asked if she is more at ease now that the Senior Fashion Show is so close. Jennifer just laughed, since there is a still lot of work to be done before her model takes the stage on May 11th.

Tickets are going fast for this spectacular, once-a-year experience.  Choose from VIP, Fashionable Friends or General Admission Tickets. It’s a night that you don’t want to miss.

Design created by CCAD alumna Allison Woelfel while studying at CCAD.

Fashion site Fashionista.com recently ranked CCAD 20 out of the world’s 50 best fashion schools.

Cheryl Wischover created the list after speaking with students, employees at the schools, companies who hire graduates, and industry professionals. The list also considered tuition costs, demographics, famous alumni, and variety in programming.

“It’s not scientific, but we tried to be as objective as possible,” Wischover wrote. “The take-home message? These schools are all amazing, or they wouldn’t have made the list.”

CCAD’s fashion design major offers both design and technical skills, with a curriculum that leads students through all aspects of garment design and construction. Courses in the program include pattern making, surface design, and tailoring. Students are also provided experience in merchandising methods and sales psychology.

Each year Fashion Design seniors design and build their own collection, which they unveil at the senior fashion show. Presented on a professional runway, this is one of CCAD’s most popular annual events for the public and for professionals in the fashion industry. Go behind the scenes of this event with our fashion show blog.

Want to know who else made the list? Check out all 50 schools here.

Edward Buchanan, 2010 Alumni Fashion Icon honoree

Edward Buchanan is to be honored as the recipient of CCAD’s second-annual Alumni Fashion Icon award at the 2010 Senior Fashion Show on Saturday, May 8.

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. 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.

In 2001, Buchanan partnered with fellow Bottega Veneta designer Manuela Morin to release LEFLESH, an independent line fusing knitwear and ready-to-wear garments that brought worldwide success to both Buchanan and the brand. Two years later Buchanan launched another line, Sansovino6, and showcased his fall/winter 2011 collection of Sansovino6 during Milan and Paris fashion weeks. Sansovino6 is sold in Milan, Paris, Berlin, and Tokyo boutiques.

Buchanan joins Amy Butler, class of ’88, as an Alumni Fashion Icon award recipient.

See the full press release.

Go to the 2010 Senior Fashion Show page for more info.

Check out the fashion show blog.

Backstage at the senior fashion show

More than 500 people attended CCAD’s sold-out senior fashion show, Under the Big Top, on May 9, 2009.  Dressed-to-impress guests came to CCAD’s campus where they got a taste of NYC fashion week—including the beautiful white tent. Top-tier tickets included a champagne brunch and preferred seating to see dazzling circus-inspired garments from 26 senior fashion designers.

Read a related press release.