02 01 2014 Fashion Windows

FASHION WINDOWS.COM February 1, 2014 Circulation: 1.2 million page views per month. 560,000 + unique visitors per month "AAU Presents Fall 2014: Flora Cervantes and Lori Solem" Fall 2014 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week http://www.fashionwindows.net/2014/02/aau-presents-fall-2014-flora-cervantes-and-lori-solem/

Flora Cervantes, M.F.A. Fashion Design, grew up in Warwick, NY. Before coming to Academy of Art University, she earned a B.A. in International Political Economy and Business Administration and an A.F.A in Fashion Design.

She continually draws inspiration from the environment, especially the raw gritty textures of the city.

She collaborated with Lori Solem, M.F.A Fashion and Textile Design, on a Fall 2014 womenswear collection constructed from canvas, cotton, wool, and latex. She found inspiration in both the twisted shapes found in nature as well as the way human emotions are bent and gnarled by life experiences.

Lori Solem, M.F.A Fashion and Textile Design, hails from Sumas, WA. Before coming to Academy of Art University, she earned a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis on Fashion Design, Sustainability, and Social Accountability.

She has also studied art, participated in an international art show in Florence Italy, worked as a show coordinator and fashion designer for Vancouver Fashion Week, and has completed a fashion design internship with gr.dano and a textile design internship with Chum’s Design and Printing Company.

For Fall 2014, she collaborated with Flora Cervantes, M.F.A. Fashion Design, on a womenswear collection. She was inspired by gritty industrial textures and by the illustrations of the French artist Gustave Doré.