Designers find inspiration in the little things

While many on the outside see fashion as simple collections of patterns and fabrics, fourteen of N.C. State's up-and-coming designers proved that true fashion has much deeper roots, an inspiration that comes in all forms.

Art to Wear, a collaboration between the College of Design and College of Textiles, celebrated its tenth anniversary by highlighting both the rich history of the event as well as its drastic changes, and according to Emily Parker, director of college relations in the College of Textiles, this year's showcase is the largest and most successful yet.

"This whole show has grown a lot over the years," Parker said. "The whole process of how the event is run has changed; it's more of a production now."

Each of the 14 designers, selected by a panel of jurors, focused his or her collection on a specific theme, something Cynthia Istook, associate professor of textile and apparel technology and management, said is a sign of progression from previous years.

 "The designers have definitely gotten better through the years," Istook said. "I think they learn from the past mistakes from other designers."

Each of the designers was also responsible for directing the styling of their models.  Some of the models did more than just walk in their garments, as junior in art and design Danica Dewell demonstrated as the models for her collection danced onstage to portray her vision of dancing out of darkness.

For Keely Cansler, senior in textile technology, her inspiration came from an intense emotional experience-the loss of a friend.

 "My inspiration came from the loss of my best friend. I had a very difficult time with it and her death has come up multiple times in my work," Cansler said.

While Cansler said this idea is a recent one, she said she felt it was the best time to unveil her creation and personal message.

"This is my last year and I felt ready and fully committed to the topic," Cansler said.  "I feel it's something many people can relate to, and the line is not meant to be sad, depressing or anything like that. Its purpose is to serve as a sense of hope for others, closure for myself, and to honor the memory of my best friend. It's really a story of my journey through the grieving process and my personal interpretation of each step."

Veronica Tibbitts, junior in art and design, said she wanted to make people aware visually of their physical impact on the world.

"The message of my collection is awareness. Daily, we consume an enormous amount of resources of every kind-money, food, energy, animals, products-the list is endless," Tibbitts said. "I was inspired by these throw away materials, and created garments which re-purpose these items."

Another designer, Rebecca Walker, a sophomore in art and design, said her inspiration was a combination of transforming the worthless into the priceless.

"The inspiration for my collection really started with the concept of a lucky penny. You know, the slogan 'find a penny, pick it up, all day long you'll have good luck.' I was thinking that if a person used their penny to wish for glamour, beauty, and drama how would a penny achieve these traits? I decided to treat the pennies like jewels and embellishments," Walker said. "After beginning the process the line really evolved into the juxtaposition between creating beauty, glamour, and high fashion out of something seemingly so worthless."

Overall, Istook said she was impressed the hard work of the designers, and also with the student turnout.

 "This was a pretty phenomenal show," Istook said.  "The designers really went all out with their creations."

Technicianonline