Meet the Designers
Get to know the 17 Art2Wear designers that are exhibiting this year.
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Larissa Baransky
I am an Anni Albers Scholar with a minor in Industrial Design. I find inspiration in emotions, human behavior, and that which is not normally considered to be beautiful. I use non-porous materials—plastic, vinyl, resin, and rubber. Styling the overall look, sculpture, fabric, makeup, and the unusual has led me to pursue special effects makeup for film. My LOVESICK line is a wearable embodiment of naked feelings expressed with a range of multimedia techniques. |
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Rachel Bridge I’m a sophomore in the Anni Albers Scholars Program (a double major in Art + Design & Textile Technology). I am interested in pursuing a career in fashion and textile design and would love to be able to travel. Art has always been a huge influence in my life shaping me into the designer I am today. M line is inspired by paintings which are dear to my heart, and also highly recognizable. |
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Ella Brooks I am both a fashion and a theatrical costumer designer. My pieces are designed for specific characters that I create for each of my models. In my current line of Steampunk Adventuresses, each girl has her own distinctive characteristic that is depicted in each look. The character may be independent, a tomboy, a seductress, an inventor, or a student. Each one is proud of her heritage. |
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Lauren Caddick I am a sophomore Park Scholar majoring in Art and Design. I displayed a passion for the arts at an early age when I began a commission pet portrait business in my hometown of Gastonia, NC. Now, I also frequent the local theatre scene. I have been the recipient of many regional art awards, and was named a Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation Scholar. This is my first foray into wearable art. |
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Sarah Hazel Cannon I am a sophomore Anni Albers Scholar. I am interested in pursuing a career in fashion, and one day having my own label. I derive my inspiration from the world around me. My collection is an exploration of how modern day fashion is inspired by history. |
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Suzanne Cash Through Art to Wear I have drawn many parallels between fashion design and architecture, which is the primary focus of my studies. I realize that as designers, our design tactics transcend any one field. Designing outfits and buildings are very different, but my approach is the same. I am a conceptual designer with emphasis on process. A concrete inspiration turns to intense research, which is further explored through messy sketches, diagrams, and experimentation. This yields an eccentric concept, which undergoes countless iterations, and culminates in a final design. Most of my effort in the project is in the process, and when successfully completed, the concept and the process work will read as one final product. |
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Sandy Chen
High fashion, haute couture, is an artistic and creative expression of beauty. I strive to create aesthetically pleasing garments for women that are figure flattering and wearable, while also challenging my abilities as a designer. My garments are hand-dyed, beaded, sequined, and ruffled because I believe in following the couture fashion house tradition of sewing by hand. My favorite designer is John Galliano, regardless of his current disappearance. |
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Morgan Cox
I find myself constantly observing the world around me. Nature and people inspire me the most– their complexities and tendencies are interesting and diverse. I enjoy translating these inspirations through knitting because as a medium, it gives me control and manipulation over the product. It also pushes me to go into unknown territories. My line for 2012 A2W is inspired by tissues in the body and aims to capture the aesthetic beauty that lies within our biological structure. |
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Jessica Dillard I am a dedicated problem solver, artisan, and perfectionist. With a penchant for both the practical and the fantastical, my work is a blend of these two worlds. I pride myself on my craft and attention to detail. I want people to be intrigued by my work, and appeal to their sense of imagination. My concept is exploring the archetypes in science fiction, specifically those found in retro‐futurism, and re‐imagining those archetypal characters using found objects. |
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Nicole Kligerman & Gregory Hayter Currently a senior in the College of Textiles, inspiration comes to me through my travels and interest in organic form. I use my experiences from studying in Prague and working in Philadelphia to guide my designs and explore different ways to use textiles, moving from yarn to a line of clothing. I am working collaboratively with Greg Hayter on this line. Greg is completing his senior year in Industrial Design at the College of Design. He is inspired by the way people interact with every day objects and wants to create meaningful experiences. While designing for Art to Wear, we have bonded over our mutual love of nachos and Hip Hop. Incorporating Greg’s knowledge of industrial design with my skill in garment creation, we have come up with a collection that shows both of our talents, unified into one cohesive line. |
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Jenny A. Le My work is a form of personal communication with the world. I feel inspired to bring my vision into 3-D visual forms. My artistic vision is a culmination of events I have encountered; colors that I have seen; textures that I have felt ;and all that I have experienced. As a reflection and means of learning, I design and create. I learn and understand by doing hands-on work. My work is diverse with respect to concepts and techniques, adding my own personal touch to each. Everything I do is a reflection of myself as an artist and designer. My collection for A2W explores the metamorphosis of moss, capturing its stages of growth and decay. |
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Meredith Morrison In my creative development, I have found it imperative for my thoughts to manifest into tangible forms. With these forms I strive to create a dialogue and relation between materials and the viewer. I seek to uncover the natural, inherent characteristics of a material and enhance the richness of those qualities through my manipulation of them. This A2W collection provides a material and form exploration investigating the interconnectedness between human life cycles and earth. |
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Courtney Schaffer I was born with a desire to create. I enjoy many forms of artistic media, but fashion design is my true calling. I have done several ready-to-wear collections and hope to create many more in the future. Art to Wear is a chance to embrace my creativity and passion for sewing and create wearable art. I am excited at this opportunity to release my imagination and design an unexpected collection filled with surprises. |
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Afaf Seyam I have been preparing for a career in fashion since I was a little girl. Most of what I have learned has come from hours of trial and error in studio and from my apparel teacher in high school. My inspiration comes from my childhood imagination and people. People and human behavior fascinate me, this is the basis of my concept for Art to Wear this year. After college, I plan to pursue a career in design. |
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Sydney Smith In my design process, I set out to create multi-functional designs inspired by the simplicities of the world. I fight against the consensus and norm of everyday acceptances. My goal through design is to show a different way of thinking rather than the socially acceptable. My line explores the alternatives to destructive fashion of animals. I bring them to the forum of the issue by elevating them from objects to cohabiting participants. This way, we can ethically approach the relationship between animal, person, habitat, and fashion. |
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Veronica Tibbitts Veronica Tibbitts is a senior in the Anni Albers dual degree program, and will graduate in May 2012 with a Bachelor’s of Art & Design and Bachelor of Science in Textile Technology. Her work combines traditional textile techniques with unconventional materials, manipulating objects on the body to create an otherworldly, exaggerated persona. This is her third year as a designer in Art to Wear. |
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Rebecca Walker I am a Junior Anni Albers Scholar and am co directing the Art to Wear Fashion show this year. This is my second time designing for Art to Wear; this year I’m just excited not to have to use penny’s again! I have loved fashion from a young age and know that whatever lies ahead will include it. In my Art to Wear line I am using fabric manipulation and patterning in order to portray my journey of self discovery as I approach adulthood. |
