D + M Magazine: Arts of Fashion: Master Classes

During the past 48 hours I have had the opportunity to gain an inside view of the Arts of Fashion Master Classes that are currently being held at Drexel.
Students from all over the world have come together, enrolled in in four fabulous intensive classes that are being taught by some of the most innovative young designers in the fashion industry.

The diversity of the students working together in these classes is truly impressive - I was able to speak to many of them as I helped to complete interviews, which will be included in a documentary that is filming this week. Their excitement to be here is contagious, and after spending time with them in the studios over the past two days I cannot wait to see their final projects debut in the fashion show and awards ceremony at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Wednesday, October 28.

The four classes that were offered were:

Flower Power: Taught by Christian Wijnants and Matthew Ames
A class where the students started with jacket, floral fabric, padding materials and shoulder pads. Once the original jacket is deconstructed, it will be reconstructed as a new jacket with added volume and embellishments.

Trench Mutation: Taught by Matthieu Blazy and Julie Perrin
Starting with a standard menswear trench, the students deconstruct the garment, and then using cut shapes from other fabrics, they will reconstruct a new garment, marrying the form of the trench to that of a cocktail dress.

Bag Pocket - Pocket Dress - Dress Bag: Taught by Anthony Vaccarello and Arnaud Michaux
The students create a dress using only the materials from various handbags and sports bags that they provided.

Wishing to See is Enough to Believe That You are Seeing: Taught by Aurore Thibout and Laurence Teillet
The students take garments of their choice, and using screen prints of their own design, they alter the surface of the fabric, which is then reconstructed into a garment - with the goal of creating the illusion of movement in the new piece.