Alumna Francine Lecoultre was the Costume Textile Artist for the film, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.
She was recently nominated for a Costume Designer's Guild Award for Excellence in Commercial Costume Design.
On Wednesday, November 16, learn about the latest in eco-friendly, sustainable textiles, materials, and trends at FIDM Orange County's Innovative Materials Connection. Guest speakers include Rachel K. Lincoln, Women's Performance Product Developer for PrAna Living, one of California's leading companies in the area of sustainability and Kristine Upesleja, FIDM's Textile/Interiors Manager. Kristine has conducted extensive research on sustainable fabrics and textiles since 2007.
While at the event, see the accompanying exhibition curated by Kristine Upesleja and Cynthia Aaron. It features the latest in cutting-edge and sustainable fibers, fabrics and materials, such as fabrics made from coconut, banana, milk protein, used coffee grounds, and crab shells (to name a few).
Also on display in the OC Museum & Gallery are selected garments from the the personal collection of Los Angeles-based historian Helen Larson. Gathered over a fifty-year period, the collection helped to establish the academic study of fashion history. This is the last collection of its kind still in private hands, and would be nearly impossible to duplicate in depth and breadth of objects.
Wednesday, November 16
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
FIDM Orange County Campus
17590 Gillette Ave.
Irvine, CA 92614
Light appetizers will be served.
*Please RSVP to careercenterOC@fidm.com or 949.851.6200 x1733.
FABULOUS! Ten Years of FIDM Museum Acquisitions, 2000-2010 is opening on September 13, 2011 at FIDM's Museum & Galleries. This exhibition will showcase an unprecedented array of dress and textile objects from FIDM's collection.
FABULOUS! celebrates the past decade of collecting at the FIDM Museum in Los Angeles. With a surge in extraordinary donations and purchases between 2000 and the present, the FIDM Museum collection has attained new eminence and richness, particularly in the areas of 19th– and 20th–century haute couture, mid–20th century American designers, and international contemporary designers.
The exhibition includes 175 donated and purchased garments and accessories worn by women, men, and children spanning 1800 to 2010. FABULOUS! highlights include: a white gauze French empire gown, a luxurious embroidered court suit worn by Austrian composer Johann Hummel (1778–1837), a Redfern court gown from 1907, and an Alexander McQueen couture gown from Fall/Winter 2008–09.
Exhibition categories include French Haute Couture, International contemporary designers, and Mid–20th century American designers. The exhibition catalogue (pictured) is for sale in the FIDM Museum Shop.
On Tuesday, July 19, 2011, learn about the latest in eco-friendly textiles, materials, and trends at FIDM San Diego's Materials Conference. Guest speakers include Alison Rojas, Menswear Product Developer for PrAna, one of San Diego's leading companies in the area of sustainability and Scott Shearer, Development and Sourcing Manager for Accessories and Footwear at Volcom, Inc.
Find out how Alexandra Hart's sophisticated and artful couture jewelry and metal sculpture is made in the USA from 100% recycled and refined metals and ethically sourced gemstones and FIDM's Textile/Interiors Manager Kristine Upesleja will discuss the latest in innovative and sustainable eco-friendly materials and textiles.
Don't miss the Beyond Bamboo exhibition on display in the library. Curated by Kristine Upesleja and Cynthia Aaron, Beyond Bamboo contains the latest in cutting-edge and sustainable fibers, fabrics and materials, such as fabrics made from coconut, banana, milk protein, used coffee grounds, and crab shells, to name a few.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
350 Tenth Avenue, 3rd Floor
San Diego, CA 92101
Light Appetizers will be served
*Please RSVP to Beverlee Cabral bcabral@fidm.com619.235.2049 ext. 1838
Design by Hualei Sun
FIDM Debut 2011, the runway show for the fashion college’s Advanced Fashion Design and Theatre Costume Design graduates took place over three exciting days in March.
Design by Lauren Grace Burns
The Barker Hangar in Santa Monica was the venue for the glamorous fundraiser featuring the work of 10 top Fashion Design Students and five Theatre Costume Designers. This year’s theme for theatre design “Carnivale in Rio,” inspired a breathtaking procession of samba-swirling models in 40 brilliant and outrageous costumes.
Design by Pamhidzai Mbanga
Inspiration for the Fashion Design students was global, with collections drawn from Paris, Russia, Manhattan, Japan, and Hollywood and materials ranging from silk chiffon and wool to sustainable cotton, wood, concrete, and grass. The collections focused on eveningwear, knit, active, street, and children’s wear.
“Chairing Styles,” the collaboration with Cotton Board/Cotton Inc. now in its fifth year, showcased the work of 30 students in three disciplines—Textile, Fashion, and Interior Design. Students, who were awarded $20,000 in scholarships, created ten sets of original matching garments and chairs with original textile designs.
Design by Tawny Ho (Fashion), Caitlin McCarthy (Interior), and Taylor Belanger (Textile). Haute House is manufacturer.
The event wrapped with a gala dinner and scholarship fundraiser, benefiting the FIDM Scholarship Foundation, a nonprofit organization, assisting students with the completion of their education.
Advanced Fashion Design Students who participated were: Ethan Bartlett, Adelle Louise Burda, Hannah Childs, Kristine Flanigan, Paul Hernandez, Airi Isoda, Pamhidzai Mbanga, Alexandra Paulus, Kamelia Stojanikova, and Hualei Sun. Advanced Theatre Costume Design participants were: Patricia Allin, Lauren Grace Burns, Cheryl Fitzgerald, Anna Osterwald, and Beth Teemley.
For more photos see our gallery at Flickr.
The FIDM Library and Alumni Relations presented three days of guest speakers and textile displays at the 2nd Annual Innovative Materials & Textile Conference, "Recycle, Reuse, Reinvent!" held recently on FIDM's Los Angeles campus.
Guest speakers discussed the latest eco-friendly and sustainable textiles and materials on the market. And students were invited to examine upclose these remarkable new materials available to designers.
The roster of speakers included FIDM Instructors and other industry professionals, including Taryn Hipwell, Julianne Pfister, Mallory Curlee, Rose Tourje, Sandra Garratt, Mike Farid, Susanna Schick, and Anna Mkhitarian.
Sustainable design was a common theme among the speakers.
FIDM Alumna Sandra Garrett (pictured above) is the Design Director at SilvrLining.com. She recently collaborated with with Project Runway designer, Andrae Gonzalo, among others, to create The Go Collection—urban outerwear that utilizes solar power for personal mobile devices.
Taryn Hipwell is an Instructor and Eco-Makeover Specialist at FIDM and has her own site EcoDivasTV.com. She has worked in both film and fashion for David Zucker and Anna Sui, and at the conference, she addressed sustainable design in terms of humanity, the environment, and the economy.
Julianne Pfister talked about eco-friendly packaging trends in the beauty industry. And Mallory Curlee introduced the topic of upcycling fashion—with her handmade, eco-friendly swimwear line, CurleeBikini.
Interior design was another topic of discussion when it comes to sustainability. FIDM Alumna Rose Tourje, discussed the evolution of ANEW, a non-profit she founded in 2005 dedicated to expanding Social Sustainability® through education and leadership. She highlighted the importance of sourcing locally, recycling and re-purposing, and the design and manufacture of sustainable products.
The event was a huge success. Free and open to all students, all seats were filled each day of the program. The conference moves to the San Diego campus this summer, July 19-20, and to the San Francisco campus in August, with guest speakers to be determined.
This exhibit was curated by Kristine Upesleja, FIDM's Textile/Interior Materials Manager. She has extensively researched and diligently collected these innovative materials over the past three years. FIDM Instructors invite her to give special presentations to their classes on these new textiles throughout the year. Students can find her in the Textiles Workroom in the Library, and can examine in person the latest materials on the market, including fabrics made from coconut, banana, milk protein, used coffee grounds, and crab shells. Her goal is to establish the largest materials collection on the West Coast. Free handouts describing these materials are available in the FIDM Library.
FIDM Textile Design Alumna Louise Wannier, Founder and CEO of TRUUdesigns, is featured in a new article in the Pasadena Star-News. Louise's new store gives customers the options to customize ready-to-wear desgns by choosing fabric, style details, and personalized fit adjustments.
"We design our collections in a different way - we collaborate with our customers," Wannier said. "(It's) a new way to begin conversations with women across the country who are interested in giving new life to their personal fashion dreams."
The FIDM Textile Design & Fashion Knitwear Design Student Show at the L.A. campus brought together industry reps from companies such as Guess?, 24 Seven, and BCBG, Graduates of FIDM, faculty, family, and friends. The FIDM Museum Promenade exhibition space on the 3rd floor featured exciting student work, sweaters from the Cotton Inc. collaboration, and a demo of the new Stoll knitting machine.
“Each year I am blown away,” said Textile Design and Fashion Knitwear Design Chairperson Anne Bennion. “This year I had a large, exceptional class and I’m just so proud of them.” Guests enjoyed drinks and a buffet while taking in the various exhibits and looking through student portfolios. “It feels amazing to be done and see all of our work in the windows after all of our hard work,” said new Alumna Kailey Pondella.
Pictured: Taylor Belanger, 2010 graduate from the Textile Design program and winner of the 2010 Textile Associate, Los Angeles (TALA) award for Surface Design.
FIDM Textile Design and Fashion Knitwear Design Students are now able to work on a cutting edge knitting machine from Stoll. "We often come to FIDM to present new collections which are developed for inspiration," said Beth Hofer, Senior Manager, Customer Relations & Educational Resources at Stoll. "The Students were excited to see what our machines could do and we started thinking, 'What if?'"
On October 1st, a Stoll CMS 530 HP multi-gage machine, which covers a large range of various stitches and features state-of-the-industry software, arrived at the L.A. campus. "This machine is what you find out in the industry -- it has become the industry standard," added Martin Legner of Stoll. "FIDM Students will be able to create new products and utilize the technology. I think they will be very excited when they see the outcome of the first sample."
There will be a special demonstration of the new Stoll knitting machine at the L.A. campus on Tuesday, October 5th during the Textile Show from 5:30pm to 7:30pm at the FIDM Museum Promenade, 3rd floor.
If you weren't able to see the Chairing Styles exhibition at DEBUT, you can now get up close and personal with the Fashion Design, Textile Design, and Interior Design collaborative effort at the Pacific Design Center through April 26.
And Michael Taylor Designs, one of the generous manufacturers who participated in Chairing Styles, has posted an article about the exhibition.
