Vogue
May 16, 2022
“Academy ofArt University ‘Fall 2022
Ready-to-Wear’”
Vogue covers theAcademy ofArt University graduation show for Fall 2022 and the departure of the Executive Director of the School of Fashion, Simon Ungless.
https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2022-re ady-to-wear/academy-of-art-university
“Inmybeginningismyend,”wroteT.S.Eliotin Four Quartets.It’saline thatcametomewhenIsawthefinallookintheAcademyofArtUniversity’s graduationshow.ItwasawiredmetallicconstructionfromKeerIvyChen’s couture-inspiredlineupreminiscentofPaulPoiret’slampshadedresses,and thecircularitywasbothliteralandsymbolic;Poiretintroducedthese shockingsilhouettesinthe1910s,sonearthestartofanewcentury,asweare today.
Studentshowsareusuallybellwethersofthefuture,buttheworkofthisclass of2022(theshowincludedtheworkofninegraduateswhocouldn’tshowin ’20or’21)wasclearlyinfluencedbytheupheavalofthepasttwoyears.The knitsofRashidaBirdsong,incorporatingprotestsigns,referencedthesocial justicemovementthatstartedduringthepandemic;Nigerian-American
PatriciaFalowo’scollection,titledAfrofuturism,madeuseoftradition, incorporatingweaving,braiding,andknottingtechniques.
Itseemedlikethework-aroundsandadjustmentsthatareneededtonavigate theunknownsoflockdownsandmandatesmighthaveinfluencedthe students’useofdetailslikedrawstringsandsuspenders,whichallowwearers tocustomizetheirgarments.Knitsspoketothesameneed;ofparticularnote arethoseofMingyangZhang,whichtookinspirationfromdance;andTianya CandiceLi’ssoftgenderfluidpieces,whichreferencedearthquakes.The sinkingoftheTitanic,anotherdevastatingevent,wasthestartingpointfor JaclynShahan’sdeconstructedandreconstructedlooks.Eventhestudents focusedontailoring,notablyDanielKim,tookadeconstructedapproachto it.
That’snottosaya“she’s-come-undone”themewasuniversal.Domingo Cholula’slineupwasinspiredbyDutchandFlemishpainting,butinlightof theabortionrightsdebates,hislong-collaredcossakshadakindof Handmaid’sTalevibe.GabriellaWeinkauf’sprintswereinspiredbyCatholic imagery.Afewdesignerscreatedgarmentsusingwovenstripsofonekindof fabric(seedesignsbyAndreaAunniYoungandNazaninRamezani),sortof foldingitbackinonthemselves,whichseemedtospeaktoself-reliance.
Thereweremanyloose-fittingtabardsortunicshapesseenthroughout.One standoutwasadressbyMilijanaDelicthatlookedlikeawalkingMondrian. Shecreatedhercollectionwithherbrother,Milos,whoisstudyingatthe university’sSchoolofIndustrialDesign.YachenXieandVoonbinShine Leow,fashionandtextiledesigners,respectively,workedcollaborativelyona seriesofcolorfuldresseswithsilhouettesthatwereharmoniouswiththeir incredibleprints.WangyujingZhangaddedatouchoffantasytotheshow withherlushlydraped,ulta-femininepiecesthatborrowedelementsfromthe RococopaintingsofFranceandTangsuitsfromChina.Theiridescentbow wingsonthebackofonelookaddedanangelictouchtothewhole.
Speakingofwhich,theAcademyofArtUniversitywillbesayinggoodbyeto itsownguardianangelof25years;thiswasthelastclassguidedbySimon Ungless,ExecutiveDirectoroftheSchoolofFashion,whowillbeexploring newventures.SpeakingviaZoom,henotedthatduringthispandemicperiod, “thestudentsreallydoveintocraftinsomeway,reallymakingthingsthatare veryuniqueandspecialtothem.”Butperhapsthemostsignificantshift, whichinsomewaysisjuststartingtocometotherunways,isthefocuson theself;fashiondesignasbiography,ifyouwill,versusnostalgia-driven remixes.
“Everythingiscomingfromsuchapersonalselfexperience,”saidUngless. “Idon’twalkintoaclassandsay,“What’syourinspiration?’Andtheysay, ‘Oh,asunflowerandarainbow.’[Thestudentsaren’t]goingtoreally traditionalplaces—Victoriancorsetsorsomething—theyareselfgenerating theirstartingpoints.Ithinkthatthestudentsarelookinginwardlytotheir historyandtheirfamilyoforigin,butalsoabouthowtheycreatetheirstarting point,ratherthanjustgoingtoGoogleorgoingtothelibrarytobelike,‘I’m gonnadothe’60swiththeTajMahalorsomething.”
