F R C AT A G L A N C E
Over 2,000 designer garments, and accessories Over 3,000 publications including designer biographies, look books, and journals
The Great Tease of Clothes that Whisper SAIC Visiting Artist Sophie Théallet talks to students about her career and harnessing fashion as a vehicle for positive change
26 fashion, lifestyle, and design magazine subscriptions Regularly updated files containing designer biographies, and interviews Over 600 audiovisual materials covering diverse fashion disciplines A comprehensive fabric library Over 1,000 magazines from 1900–present including Vogue, and Harper’s Bazaar
FRC
Lectures, film screenings, and tours
T H E FA S H I O N R E S O U R C E C E N T E R
F RC 2019 -20 LECTURE SERIES B I L LY AT W E L L :
Mastery of Craft: Unraveling the Myths of Haute Couture During its 34-year history, the Fashion Resource Center (FRC) has evolved into a hybrid research hub as well as a meeting space for faculty and students within SAIC’s Fashion Department and the school’s larger community. Supporting its growth is a dedicated team of volunteers and donors, who have helped build and maintain the FRC’s unique hands-on collection of late 20th and 21st century designer garments and accessories representing innovations in construction, materials and embellishments. The FRC is also home to an extensive library of rare books, thought-provoking publications, documents, and vintage magazines covering fashion’s complex relationship with the larger world. In challenging times we continue to support our community in their pursuit of knowledge.
FRC DIRECTOR
F R C VO L U N T E E R S
Alex Aubry
Alexandra Katich
Lorraine Williams Bock
Chris Williford
Margarette Alfaro
F R C G R A D UAT E
Cie Bond
Nancy Dedakis
A S S I S TA N T S
Claris Cahan
Nancy Mollers
Bradlee Murch
Cynthia Buciak
Raoul Basa
Martha Wilde
Donna Whitacre
Ruslana Litinskaia
Elizabeth Cohen
Shirl Bennett
Elizabeth Houlihan
Yanet Ramirez de Grech
Jane Ottens
Zent Keymole
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CONNECT TO FRC
Fashion Resource Center School of the Art Institute of Chicago 36 South Wabash Avenue, Chicago, IL 60603
R I K KI BYR D : Thinking Through Luxury Fashion Across the Black Diaspora LEE ANDERSON : Fashion’s Future: From the Mercury Missions to the New Space Age L AU R E N T C O T TA :
Curator at that Palais Galliera Fashion Museum, Paris SOPHIE THÉALLET:
frc@saic.edu
A Conversation with French Fashion Designer and SAIC Visiting Artist
312.629.6730
N ATA L I E W R I G H T,
Web: saic.edu/frc
L I Z J AC K S O N A N D
Facebook: /FRC/SAIC
BESS WILLIAMSON :
Instagram: @ fashionresourcecenter
The Lost History of Disability in American Fashion Design
“There are moments when you have to take risks in life as a creative and stand by what you believe in,” said SAIC Visiting Artist Sophie Théallet, after spending the day conducting studio visits with students in the Fashion department. She is referring to her decision to move to Montreal, Canada in 2018 with her husband and business partner Steve Francoeur. They would make a new home for themselves amongst the city’s community of artists, designers, musicians, and filmmakers. “We hadn’t planned on moving, but we instantly felt a sense of freedom and connection to Montreal, at a time when I needed an alternative to New York and to recharge creatively,” says the French designer, who discovered a network of small ateliers with skilled seamstresses and patternmakers. Relocating to a new city and country is nothing new for Théallet, whose career as a successful designer is not only peppered with interesting encounters and individuals, but also
reflects the changing nature of the fashion industry over the last few decades. At 18, she moved to Paris to attend the prestigious Studio Berçot, the influential school that became a breeding ground for emerging fashion talent thanks to its director Madame Marie Rucki. “She was a big influence on me as a student. She’s an extraordinary woman with a deep knowledge of fashion. But at the same time she challenged and pushed us as students to do our best, knowing full well that the fashion industry is tough,” says Théallet, who graduated early after winning France’s National Young Design Award. “I worked very hard at Studio Berçot and wanted to learn as much as I could. My parents were paying for my tuition and I didn’t want to disappoint them,” says the designer, whose diligence earned her a summer internship with Azzedine Alaïa thanks to Madame Rucki. Considered a master among couturiers, Alaïa’s studio was then
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