Drexel Students to Present Largest Fashion Show in University History

June 1, 2010

Drexel University’s Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design will host the largest fashion show in its history on Saturday, June 5. Forty senior and graduate collections from the Fashion Design program will hit the runway at 4 and 8 p.m. at the Urban Outfitters Corporate Headquarters. The show features eveningwear, men’s and women’s wear, sportswear and swimwear, children’s wear, lingerie and more with students drawing inspiration from dinosaur bones and vintage carnival settings to World War II aviation and Russian wind dams (picture giant sails harnessing wind in the Russian mountains). An overarching theme to the show is sustainability. The annual fashion show is produced by Design & Merchandising students and highlights the works of the graduating Fashion Design class. Tickets are $25 for the 4 p.m. show and $50 for the 8 PM show. A reception will follow the 8 p.m. show. Student collections will be eligible for awards from Lily Pulitzer, Carol Hochman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Destination Maternity and Joan Shepp. Pulitzer and Hochman donated fabric to the Fashion program for students to create garments for this year’s show. Both design houses have interviewed fashion students and will each hire one student based on work created for the show. This year a new jewelry award will be given at the show courtesy of local designer John Wind, in addition to Hochman’s lingerie award and Pulitzer’s eveningwear award. Students showcased in this year’s event are award-winners such as Milka Osoro and Ashley Pahler. Osoro won the grand prize at the international Arts of Fashion competition in October 2009, a year’s internship at the coveted Les Ecoles de la Chambre Syndicale de la Mode in Paris. Senior Ashley Pahler was the first student to win the Charles Evans Scholarship for Fashion Design students, part of a $1 million donation to Drexel’s Fashion program.Fashion design students begin the research for their collections in the fall and spend the next seven months creating pieces that exemplify their vision. Each student illustrates and then creates the patterns and final garments with great precision. Judging for show awards is Thursday, May 27th. Judges include: Kristin Munro, Deputy Editor, Philadelphia Style Magazine; Grace Agostino, Designer/Owner, Accentuations; Mary Dougherty, Owner, Nicole Miller Philadelphia; Bo Ram Houng, Designer, Anthropologie; Ivanka Radmanovic, Head Designer, Destination Maternity; Joan Shepp, Owner JOAN SHEPP; Carrie Sobkow, Designer, Anthropologie; Jaeyoon Jeong , designer/owner Jaeyoon Jeong Collection; and John Wind, Owner/Designer, Maximal Art.The fashion show is produced by Westphal College Design & Merchandising students who create an impressive production to rival professional shows. The Design & Merchandising students also produce a lifestyle and trend publication d&m magazine which is distributed to all who attend. DUTV, Drexel University’s cable television station, will record the Fashion Show for broadcast at a later date, with production handled by Cinema and Television students. Event Facts: What: Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design: Annual Fashion Show Where: Urban Outfitters Corporate Headquarters, 5000 South Broad Street, Building 543 When: Saturday, June 5, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Cost: $25 for 4 p.m. show, $50 for 8 p.m. show. Tickets available online beginning April 26 at www.drexel.edu/westphal. Free Parking at Urban Outfitters. More Information: 215-895-2390 or visit www.drexel.edu/westphal About the Fashion Design and Design & Merchandising Programs: The undergraduate and graduate Fashion Design programs in Drexel’s AWCoMAD are nationally recognized. The rigorous curriculum includes a unique six-month co-op experience that complements coursework in conceptual design, presentation skills, CAD and manufacturing procedures. Students conclude their senior year with the presentation of their collections in the Drexel Fashion Show, featuring professional models that attracts an audience of 1,500.The Design & Merchandising program prepares students for the challenges of the businesses of design. Students learn to create and merchandise fashion and design products, and also obtain practical knowledge in the areas of marketing, promotion, production and distribution. Each year students create d&m, a four-color glossy magazine. Students also produce the annual Senior Fashion Show.News Media Contacts:Zeek Weil, director, communications, Westphal College of Media Arts & Design 215-895-2629 or zw36@drexel.eduNiki Gianakaris, director, Drexel News Bureau 215-895-6741, 215-778-7752 (cell) or ngianakaris@drexel.edu

Drexel Students to Present Largest Fashion Show in University History

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