The 14th annual Art2Wear production will be held in Talley Student Ballroom Friday at 8 p.m. The show will also be displayed on the screens in Talley Student Union to expand the audience. Faculty directors, Justin LeBlanc and Katherine Diuguid, both assistant professors of art and design, want to showcase the student’ work to as many people as possible.
Students have been planning and preparing for this year’s Art2Wear since the last show ended April of last year.
“Students, volunteers and directors all jump in because it’s an eye-opening experience that is different from the classroom,” Leblanc said. “They learn about vendors and running a collection.”
A jury chooses designers to kick off the season. Each designer must create two looks as well as include a mood board, sketches and inspiration to show their vision. The 10 designers chosen are announced over winter break, then preparation begins. Designers get to choose their own music and models.
According to Bianca Harris, student co-director of Art2Wear, open calls are held for models and sponsorships are ideal for hair and makeup.
Diuguid said every piece of the show is based on the vision of the designers. Faculty usually pick broad themes to give students room to be creative, so this year the theme is ‘Telling a Story.’
“Students can create whatever they what. We give them some direction but keeping it broad ensures everyone doesn’t go down the same path,” Diuguid said.
LeBlanc and Diuguid have instructed and encouraged the young designers and are key in facilitating confidence in students, not only in preparation for the show, but also in their professional careers beyond the College of Design.
This is the most diverse group of students in terms of collections because each designer has a different story to tell,” LeBlanc said. “Looks are going to range from ready-to-wear to avant-garde.”
Diuguid elaborated on just how diverse the looks can be.
“This is not just typical fashion. Students really push boundaries,” Diuguid said. “Look at the past, what people wore on their bodies and explore why, look at the culture, jewelry and other body coverings.”
The event is hosted by the College of Design in collaboration with the College of Textiles. Andre West, Assistant Professor of Textile and Apparel Technology and Management is one of the faculty support. There will be two student designers from textiles in the show.
“This is definitely a learning experience for them. It’s not just making clothing, it’s coordinating everything also,” LeBlanc said. “It’s a great opportunity for them to prepare, so when they graduate they know what they need to do to make things happen.”
According to Harris, their team has worked hard to see it come together. She added that Amanda Casper, a senior in art and design and student co-director split many responsibilities.
Art2Wear begins with some lecture series during the whole spring semester. Guest presenters include Raleigh Denim Co-founded by Sarah Yarborough and also Michele Carragher who does embroidery for Game of Thrones, just to name a couple. The show on Friday will begin with the Cotton Inc. exhibition and a trunk show which is an opportunity for anyone to display their work. There will be an after show to see the exhibition for those who didn’t get a chance see it before the show.
The vision for Art2Wear is to inspire and challenge the audience and designers to think about clothes in a different way.
“I want people to see how hard our students worked. They’ve given a part of themselves to the show. This is what NC State is about and this is what our designers are about,” Harris said. “I always thought Art2Wear was a magical event because people have always brought out different things that you would never expect.”
Emma Ptak, a senior studying art and design makes changes to the fabric as she prepares for Art2Wear, an event set to take place on April 17, 2015. Art2Wear is an annual event hosted by the NC State College of Design in collaboration with the College of Textiles where students produce pieces with their own artistic expressions. "I'm really excited for the event. This year had the most number of applicants and I feel like it's going to be a lot of fun," Ptak said.
