Recent Graduates of the Academy of Art University School of Fashion Debut Collections During Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

 Kyung Min Kim, MFA Textiles and Fashion Design

Kyung Min premiered her textile work during New York Fashion Week in September 2006 when she collaborated on a collection with MFA Fashion Designer Mari Matsumoto.

This year, Kyung Min has designed her own collection of simple shapes, which act like canvases for her textile work inspired by fairy tales from her childhood.

Kyung Min is from Geoje Island, South Korea.

Kathryn Scully, MFA Knitwear Design

Kathryn has created a collection of beachwear with bikinis, cover-ups and sweaters based on her family vacations to the Atlantic Coast.

Kathryn is from Muster, Indiana.

MinSun Lee, MFA Knitwear and Fashion Design

MinSun’s collection is inspired by Russian Matryoshka dolls.   Also referred to as nesting dolls, these wooden figurines nestle inside one another.   Different styles have various names but the Matryoshka style was identifiable by its small dots.

MinSun is from Seoul, South Korea.

Andrea Vance, MFA Textile and Fashion Design

Andrea’s silhouettes are based on Japanese kites. Among the most spectacular in the world, a traditional kite consists of a bamboo or wooden frame with paper painted in bold motifs from legendary war heroes to geometric patterns.

Andrea’s textile designs were inspired by blown up images of basket and bamboo weaving.

Andrea is from San Carlos, California.

This collection is a collaboration between a fashion designer and a textile designer.

James Yoest, MFA Fashion Design

James has created a collection from organic, conventional and reused fabrics, including a parachute.

James is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Sharon Yeh, MFA Textile Design

Sharon was inspired by the rhythm of San Francisco.

Sharon is from Taipei, Taiwan and lives in San Mateo, California.

Haa Cheng Thai, MFA Fashion Design

Kirigami, the Japanese art of paper folding and cutting, inspired Haa Cheng, shown through her shapes, folds, and laser-cut fabrics.

Haa Cheng is from Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, a suburb of the capital Kuala Lumpur.

Yi-Ting ‘Maxim’ Lee, MFA Knitwear Design

Maxim was inspired by JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, a manga written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki.   The Japanese comic is famous for its original art style, over-the-top violence, intricate plot and rock music references.

Maxim is from Taipei, Taiwan.

Kenneth Ning, BFA Menswear Design

Kenneth premiered his first menswear collection at the April ’07 San Francisco show where he received so much noteworthy attention that the School of Fashion decided to showcase his menswear in New York.

So that the collections would not be identical, Kenneth has produced additional looks for the New York show.

Kenneth was inspired by the Champion Italian Soccer Team, Forza Azzurri .

Kenneth was born in China and raised in Oakland, CA.