School Of Fashion Menswear Program
Three menswear designers will premiered their collections at the Graduation
Fashion Show on Friday, April 27th in San Francisco. The University developed the men's design
program in response to the growing menswear industry. Menswear design students are encouraged to
develop their personal vision and design philosophy while deepening their understanding of the
various international market segments. 2-dimensional design courses work in tandem with
3-dimensional technical design studios, enabling the designer to fully understand the process of
concept through to product. Students are able to support their specialty with options in knitwear
design, printed textiles and fashion merchandising.
BFA graduate collections
BFA Menswear Designer
Kenneth Ning has created a collection inspired by the modern soccer thug. The
collection is a mix of sports and leisure for a lifestyle that is carefree and all about the World
Champion Italian Soccer Team, Forza Azzurri.
Kenneth used the build of a well-trained soccer player for his body shapes and the cunning
attitude of the player comes through his collection. The colors are loud for the rowdy fan who
causes a ruckus after the game, win or lose. The leather is shiny like a patent-leather soccer
ball. Coated fabrics are incorporated to repel the harshness of the environment that this soccer
thug is drawn to.
Kenneth is from Oakland, California.
BFA Menswear Designer
Mun Soo Kwon was inspired by vintage military uniforms for his Fall / Winter
collection. He altered the traditional uniform and created unexpected draped silhouettes with
rounded shoulders, inside-out lining details and custom epaulets. He excluded the obvious khaki and
opted for fresher colors.
Mun Soo is from Seoul, Korea.
BFA Menswear Designer
Chelsea Rae Snyder was inspired by the fusion of industrial and organic. She used
architecture and nature in sourcing colors, textures and moods.
Chelsea's collection is a great example of sustainability as she combines technical, organic and
eco-fibers throughout her collection such as Alpaca from a local farm in Vacaville. She also uses
fabric that is hand-worked by spinning, weaving and felting, as well as hand-dyed using natural
dye.
Academy of Art University is one of the few schools in the country that implements
sustainability into the curriculum and recognizes the importance of educating young designers in
the need to take action in support of environmental improvement and social responsibility.
Raised in North Hampshire and Indiana, Chelsea now lives in San Francisco.
MFA graduate collections
The following MFA graduate collections premiered during New York Fashion Week in September 2006.
Academy of Art University School of Fashion is the first and only school to premier its graduate
collections in the Bryant Park Tents during New York Fashion Week beginning with September '05,
again in September '06 and this year's graduate collections will be separated by season for
September '07 and February '08.
Fashion designer
Masamichi Matsushita collaborated with textile designer Susan Fort on a futuristic
menswear collection using 'O-Wool by Jasco' organic wool donated by Vermont Organic Fiber Company
[www.vtorganicfiber.com] and organic cotton has been donated by Specialty Fabrics.
Susan is from Texas and Masamichi from Japan.
Pablo Fernandez, a native of Uruguay, incorporated his fashion and knitwear design
focus into an avant-garde collection inspired by the early-80s, vintage cartoons and WWI
paraphernalia. Pablo was a 2004 CFDA Scholarship Award recipient. In May 2006, Pablo was awarded an
internship at Louis Vuitton in Paris for 2007 after Christophe Girard, Deputy Mayor of Paris
Responsible for Culture and Director of Fashion Strategy of the LVMH Fashion Group, met Pablo and
viewed his portfolio.
Stephanie Sauceda visited her Spanish roots drawing inspiration from armor and
military. She based each look on a Spanish conquistador and hopes to return to Spain to pursue a
fashion career.
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