Otis College of Art and Design Stages First Fashion Show and Annual Scholarship Benefit on Elaine and Bram Goldsmith Campus
First fashion show and annual benefit on the Otis College Westchester campus brings talent from fashion and entertainment industry
As part of this year’s mentorship program, industry talent from the fields of luxury, lifestyle, and entertainment have participated, including Otis College alumni who now work in top creative and leadership positions. Alumni include Rod Beattie of Bleu, Marisol Bradford of NBCUniversal, Chris Chang of Poesia, and Sapna von Sick of Alo Yoga. Additional mentors include Claudia Cividino, CEO Americas at Bally, costume designer Louise Mingenbach, Jose Fernandez of Ironhead Studios, Johnson Hartig of Libertine, and Davora Linder of Prairie Underground.
Of particular note this year is the close collaboration that students have enjoyed with Universal as represented by Marisol Bradford, who challenged students with creating garments inspired by the Jurassic World franchise. As part of this collaboration, students have had access to physical and visual materials from the studio to consider and structure their designs, addressing the theme of recycling old materials for new, adaptive uses.
In addition, the involvement of costume designers Jose Fernandez and Louise Mingenbach represents a close collaboration between Otis and entertainment industry talent. Fernandez, the owner of Ironhead Studios, is one of the leading costume designers for numerous Hollywood productions, including many of the Marvel Studios films. Mingenbach, a close collaborator with Fernandez, is responsible for costumes featured in the X-Men series as well as feature films Hancock and the upcoming Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Both designers have challenged seniors with creating an evening wear collection based on the signs of the Zodiac.
2017 - 18 Mentor Projects
Rod Beattie, of Bleu, questions what the future of swimwear will look like, and asked students to find out by creating pieces that were extraordinary, sexy, modern, and sophisticated.
Marisol Bradford, Vice President Production and Design, Universal Brand Development, worked on a special collaboration with students, offering them an inside look at the upcoming 2018 feature film Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and challenged students to create designs that were inspired by the Jurassic World franchise. Students were directed to use the DNA of dinosaurs as inspiration to create a sportswear collection that utilized texture and pattern to create pieces that reference recycling and rejuvenation.
Chris Chang, founder and designer of Poesia, embraced the mantra "Couture Chaos", asking students to create the ultimate dress collection for the high fashion socialite
Claudia Cividino, CEO of Bally Americas, tasked students to create a collection of refined luxury separates for men and women, inspired by the Earth, using shape, proportion and fabric mixes that also paid homage to Bally’s heritage of craftsmanship.
Jose Fernandez of Ironhead Studios, and costume designer Louise Mingenbach, are responsible for the finale assignment for senior students to end the show with an elegant evening wear collection inspired by each of the sun signs of the zodiac
Johnson Hartig, founder of label Libertine, challenged students to take things beyond Earth, with a street-style sportswear and dress collection influenced by aliens and their spacecraft.
Davora Lindner for Prairie Underground, a sustainable sportswear collection inspired by a “Lunar Eclipse”, grounded in various weights and finishes of black and white, or navy and white.
Sapna von Sick, of Alo Yoga, worked with students to develop an ultra-modern athleisure collection that focuses on high volume and rich, celestial color with extreme proportions.
Image: This year's invitation features an illustration by faculty member Daniel Paige Toney.
