NEW YORK, Feb. 5, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Breaking into
the fashion world takes talent, determination, and the unique
opportunity to showcase a collection in front of the industry's
biggest names. Twelve students and alumni of The Art Institutes
system of schools will put their talent and determination to the
test on one of fashion's biggest stages—Mercedes-Benz Fashion
Week—to prove that they've got what it takes. These budding
designers will debut their Fall/Winter collections Feb. 17, at 8 p.m.,
at Lincoln Center in New York
City.
Experience the interactive Multimedia News Release here:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7439351-art-institutes-fashion-week/
This marks the fourth season that The Art Institutes has
partnered with Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week to provide a
career-starting platform for up-and-coming designers. To earn the
honor of showing their collections, the 12 designers competed
against fellow students and graduates from across The Art
Institutes system of more than 50 schools. Their submissions were
judged by a panel of fashion experts including David Siedlarczyk, designer at Calvin Klein
Men's Intimates; Thuy Diep, fashion
designer, entrepreneur, and principal at wFOURTH/Creative +
Consulting; designer Douglas
Hannant; and Daniela Anastasio
Bardazzi, Creative Director at Etienne Aigner.
Since their selection, the 12 finalists have been closely
mentored by faculty and staff as they finalized their runway
collections to debut at the show. This year's crop of designers
brings an international component to the show, having spent their
childhoods in countries ranging from China and Thailand to Italy and Mexico. The designers featured in the show are
current students and graduates of The Art Institutes locations in
Dallas, Houston, Miami, New York
City, Philadelphia,
Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Vancouver.
A number of the designers changed careers to pursue their
passion for fashion. Three are veterans of the United States military, including
Parker Trumble, a Navy veteran who graduated from Miami International University of Art & Design
in 2014 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Design. While
stationed in Italy for most of his
service time, Trumble studied fine leather and metals. His desire
to learn more led him back to school and on a new career path in
the fashion world. While still a student, Trumble created a
collection that caught the attention of the Perry Ellis Company.
The relationship led to a scholarship, internship, and finally a
full time job as an assistant designer with the company. "I got
into fashion to create wearable art. [Friends] call me a fashion
scientist because I am always testing and figuring out way to
achieve what is in my head," Trumble said.
The Art Institutes have partnered with the Kennedy Krieger
Institute and Iron Hope to make one young lady's dreams of walking
the runway come true. Megan Silcott, whose dreams were put on
hold when she was paralyzed from the neck down as the result of a
tragic illness, will walk the runway as a model in The Art
Institutes fashion show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Silcott will
wear the fashions of designer Nina
Perdomo, an Associate of Applied Arts in Fashion Design
student at The Art Institute of New York
City.
Want to see the show? The Art Institutes is hosting a live
runway event on its website, www.artinstitutes.edu/mbfw, at
8 p.m. EST on Feb. 17, when viewers from across the globe can
watch as the designers debut their runway collections. Additional
information about the designers and their inspiration for their
collections will be posted to The Art Institutes blog,
http://new.artinstitutes.edu/blog.
The Art Institutes is a system of over 50 schools throughout
North America. Programs,
credential levels, technology, and scheduling options vary by
school and are subject to change. Several institutions included in
The Art Institutes system are campuses of South University or Argosy
University. Administrative office: 210 Sixth Avenue, 33rd
Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 ©The
Art Institutes International II LLC. Our email address is
csprogramadmin@edmc.edu.
See aiprograms.info for program duration,
tuition, fees, and other costs, median debt, federal salary data,
alumni success, and other important info.
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/students-and-graduates-from-the-art-institutes-system-of-schools-put-their-best-fashion-forward-at-mercedes-benz-fashion-week-300031630.html
SOURCE The Art Institutes