Jaci Hodges (Fashion Design) and Nisha Hanna Btesh (Textile Design)
Using Shibori, the Japanese technique of resistance felting, Jaci and nisha presented a voluminous, boldly colored collection. Combining Jaci's inspiration of the late 1960's excessive prints and Nisha's vibrant textiles, we were treated to visual stimulation in color and entrancing patterns in wool. We're particularly fond of their quirky pink printed coat.
Arijana Kajdic
On the other side of the color spectrum is Arijana Kajdic with her soft, subtle tones of lilac. Of course this doesn't mean it was lacking in bold elements - paying homage to women who nurtured her, Arijana's collection features both feminine and masculine details, hand-dyeing and hand-beading were present in every look. Beautiful French Lace, provided by Sophie Hallette, was seen throughout the collection which also included fabrics such as alpaca, mohair, wool, cotton, and silk.
Flora Cervantes (Fashion Design) and Lori Solem (Textile Design)
It was quite easy to see the environmental inspirations in Flora Cervantes and Lori Solem's collection. The muted colors, raw, industrial and gritty textures, billowing yet structured shapes, and the influence of the illustrations of French artist Gustave Dore were the stars of the collection....in fact the shapes of the collection reminded us so much of Dore's illustration for The Divine Comedy, published 150 years ago.
Earnest Haung (Fashion Design) and Hong Ni (Textile Design)
Another vibrantly hued and graphic collection that wowed the show's attendees. Featuring pieces we'd gladly give up some of our favorite things for, Earnest Haung and Hong Ni's Fall 2014 collection boasted a mix of natural and man-made fabrications including viscose,phifertex, leather, wool and cotton. With design inspired by the relationship between spaces, social class and people combined with textiles inspired by scale, fine details of aerial photographic views and contour maps of the countryside, the structured collection made us see mixed fabrications and prints in an exciting new way. We also love the integration of bold orange, and olive green graphics into the collection.
Jasmine Gonzales
Featuring more earthy hues, the Fall 2014 collection from Jasmine Gonzales featured oversized shapes, including cozy, hand-knitted pieces and hand-made yarns with main details taken from the design of Faberge eggs. We also saw hand-dyed velvet with elements inspired by Jasmine's idea of all cultures coming together as one and her interpretation of traditional Alaskan Eskimo outerwear.
Mingyu Du (Fashion Design) and Joseph Khawane (Textile Design)
The final women's fashion design collection was also inspired by the 1960's and also featured oversized silhouettes, albeit not the bright and vibrant looks we saw from the first collection; this collection featured the attitude and freedom from the era. Mingyu Du used unique materials such as an army tent, wool blanket, a parachute and cotton canvas to bring life to her looks, which perfectly complimented Textile Designer, Joseph Khawane's military elements and his manipulation of fabrics, giving them new life in unconventional ways.
