Top Fashion Designers to Mentor Students at Otis College of Art and Design
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) October 31, 2013 -- Every year talented Otis fashion students work with top design professionals from the fashion industry to design one-of-a-kind collections. The garments are shown annually on the runway at the Otis Scholarship Benefit and Fashion Show in Beverly Hills to showcase upcoming stars while raising scholarship funds for new talent.
This year Otis will work with such leading lights as Isabel and Ruben Toledo, Rod Beattie (Bleu), Todd Oldham, Under Armour, Nike, Christina Kim (dosa), David Meister, Amé Austin (MaxStudio), Eddie Bauer, Johnny Was, and Western Costume. Original collections are based on directions inspired by a specific theme. A theme may include season, time and place, social or political movements, or specific construction techniques, fabrics, colors, and shapes, depending on the mentor’s vision.
2013-14 PROJECTS:
MATTEL / BARBIE with ROD BEATTIE OF BLEU – The successful brand launch of Bleu/Rod Beattie in 2011 solidified Beattie’s reputation as the top designer in the U.S. swimwear market. For the past twenty years his swimsuit designs have been the best-selling styles at department stores and specialty stores nationwide. Using the Malibu Barbie icon students will create swimwear for young women ages 18-24.
UNDER ARMOUR – Founded in 1996 by former University of Maryland football player Kevin Plank, Under Armour produces apparel that keeps athletes cool, dry, and light throughout the course of a game, practice, or workout. Students will design multi-functional garments for boys and girls - - from play to dinner with the family.
NIKE – A world leader in sustainable design, from footwear and apparel to equipment, Nike’s design team works directly with athletes and consumers to design authentic performance products. Designing for 2020, students will design uniforms for NYC’s Central Park Run Crew - part gym, part cross-country, part after hours club – that transform and adapt to weather conditions.
CHRISTINA KIM OF DOSA – Los Angeles based fashion designer Christina Kim is inspired by working with finite resources. Kim integrates recycled materials and the work of artisans from around the world into her eco-friendly, human-friendly dosa fashions. Garments from dosa are handmade, labor-intensive rather than resource-intensive, and combine traditional techniques with new designs. Inspired by the Huntington Library’s Flower Market, students will work with Christina to design separates.
AMÉ AUSTIN OF MAXSTUDIO – Established in 1979, MaxStudio sells through department stores with 46 of its own retail stores in the U.S and another 50 in the Far East. Students will work with Amé, an Otis Fashion Design alumna, to design tailored sportswear for men and women inspired by the architecture of Luis Barragan.
TODD OLDHAM - Artist, designer, and TV personality best known as host of Todd Time on MTV’s House of Style, Todd Oldham is president of L-7 Designs Inc. His fashion lines, interior design work, books, and television appearances have introduced millions to his exuberant style and playful aesthetic. Students will work with Todd on modern sportswear and dresses inspired by Native American culture.
DAVID MEISTER - David Meister is synonymous with sophisticated, beautiful, body conscious women’s wear. His designs are a red carpet staple, gracing Hollywood stars such as Diane Lane, Katherine Heigl, Queen Latifah, Fergie, Felicity Huffman, Tina Fey, Drew Barrymore, and Sharon Stone. Students will work with David to design jersey dresses that have a second life, transforming for multi-purpose use.
EDDIE BAUER - Eddie Bauer offers signature outerwear, apparel, outdoor gear, and accessories. Students working with Otis alumnus Robert Tuggle, Design Director for Men’s Sportswear, will use recycled clothes from Eddie Bauer to remake and rethink suburban trekking gear for a post-apocalyptic setting.
JOHNNY WAS - Eli Levite’s Johnny Was offers beautifully crafted, luxurious, flowing clothing for the ultimate boho chic. Students will design a gypsy-inspired collection informed by different cultures from around the world. They will consider tribes and national costumes of dancers from countries such as Pakistan, Mexico, Romania, Thailand, and Spain.
WESTERN COSTUME CO. – The Western Costume Co. has been dressing Hollywood since the days of silent film. The largest costume house in the U.S., they offer one-stop shopping for costumers, designers, and their crews, from made to order tailoring services and supplies to manufacturing. Students will work with Western Costume Co. to design costumes for dance through the decades.
ISABEL AND RUBEN TOLEDO – New York designers Isabel and Ruben Toledo have remained comfortably outside the mainstream fashion industry, despite high-profile clients like Michelle Obama. Isabel maintains a very personal style, based on a keen understanding of garment construction and appreciation for the geometric intricacies of pattern shapes. Her husband Ruben’s sketches often reference fashion, and are frequently incorporated into her work. Students will work with Isabel on designs for the jazz age.
ABOUT THE OTIS FASHION DESIGN BFA PROGRAM
Fashion Design at Otis trains students in all aspects of the design process, offering a fully accredited BFA degree. The school year follows the industry schedule and several seasons are designed simultaneously. Working with professional mentors, students learn far more than drawing, sewing, and patternmaking skills: they experience all facets of the industry, and they learn to meet deadlines with creativity and self-discipline. Graduates enter the profession as assistant designers, associate designers, illustrators, costume designers, textile designers, accessory designers, and product designers. Some start their own clothing lines immediately upon graduation.
ABOUT OTIS COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN
Established in 1918, Otis College of Art and Design is a national leader in art and design education. The College mission is to prepare diverse students of art and design to enrich our world through their creativity, skill, and vision. Alumni and faculty are Fulbright, MacArthur, and Guggenheim grant recipients, Oscar awardees, legendary costume designers, leaders of contemporary art movements, and design stars at Apple, Abercrombie & Fitch, Pixar, DreamWorks, Mattel, Nike, and Disney.
Otis enrolls approximately 1,100 full-time students, and offers Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in Architecture/Landscape/Interiors, Digital Media (Game and Entertainment Design, Animation, and Motion Design), Fashion Design, Communication Arts (Graphic Design, Illustration, and Advertising Design), Fine Arts (Painting, Photography, and Sculpture/New Genres), Product Design, and Toy Design. Otis also awards the Master of Fine Arts degree in Fine Arts, Graphic Design, Public Practice, and Writing.
The five-acre main campus is located on L.A.’s Westside near the beach and LAX; Fashion Design is in the heart of the downtown fashion district; and the Graduate Studios are on the Creative Corridor in nearby Culver City, and in the 18th Street Arts Center in Santa Monica.
2,700 adults and children participate in Continuing Education art and design classes and workshops.
Additional information is available at http://www.otis.edu.
John Axtell, Media Relations, Otis College of Art and Design, http://www.otis.edu, 310-665-6857, [email protected]
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