Aspiring Designers Showcase Denim and Technology Collections

Fashion and art are colliding this summer thanks to a new partnership between Scottsdale Fashion Square and Arizona State University’s School of Art. The shopping center is currently showcasing new works of art by students in the fashion program, which draws from all areas across campus, including engineering, architecture, painting, drawing and music.

“Scottsdale Fashion Square is one of the most innovative shopping centers in the country,” says Christina Lanoue, assistant vice president of property management for Macerich. “As a leading luxury destination, we’re always looking for ways to reinvent, reimagine and plan for the future. So, a partnership with Arizona State University’s School of Art makes a lot of sense, as these talented students are bound to transform the industry with their creativity and inventiveness.”

A denim collection, created by undergraduate students as part of a Fashion Construction II class assignment, is on display in a retail space at Scottsdale Fashion Square, on the upper level of the shopping center, in the Harkins Theatre wing. While learning the fashion basics, students in this intermediate sewing class incorporated sustainable practices into their work, sourcing denim from their own closets or thrift stores.

A technology collection, produced by engineering and fashion design students in the School of Art’s Fashion Technology class, is also on display with the denim collection. Not only did students in this class have to incorporate technology into their work, but their designs also had to address a pressing societal issue. One of the pieces on display in this collection, Hierarchy Queue, is the capstone work of ASU fashion student Carol Wong. Born and raised in Arizona, Wong recently launched her own brand, Kayun.

“Hands-on projects and experiences like this help us to prepare our students for a variety of roles in the fashion and art industry,” says Galina Mihaleva, the ASU School of Art instructor who led the Fashion Construction II and Fashion Technology assignments. “Our students are thrilled to have their work on display in such a high-profile location in our community.”

The exhibition at Scottsdale Fashion Square also features pieces by two new alumni – Layne Farmer and Cami Galofre – from the ASU School of Art’s Master of Fine Arts program in drawing and painting. Farmer’s work has been exhibited at the Kura Gallery in Japan, the Contemporary Art Space in Quingzhou, China, and Bentley Gallery in Phoenix. Galofre has exhibited her transformational landscape paintings at the Más Arte Galería in Ecuador, the Biblioteca e Auditório on Pico Island (Azores) in Portugal, Eric Fischl Gallery in Phoenix and Mesa Contemporary Art Museum.

Established in the fall of 2017, ASU’s fashion program combines a global perspective with strong industry ties. Classes in the program include fashion illustration, merchandising, design, construction and technology. ASU’s fashion program is led by Dennita Sewell, an ASU School of Art professor of practice who is also The Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion Design at Phoenix Art Museum, along with a team of professionals.

About Perrine Adams

Perrine Adams is the Managing Editor of The Red Book and Lifestyle Editor for Frontdoors Magazine.
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