The Walk 2010 at The School of the Art Institue of Chicago
Minami Furukawa
The Walk 2010 at SAIC
It’s that time of year again! Students at the School of the Art Institute’s fashion program have been dying, pleating, and hemming fabrics all year, readying their creative visions for the school’s 76th annual end-of-the-year fashion show. This year, in celebration of the AIC’s newly opened Modern Wing, the school will host the show on Friday, May 7th at the Renzo Piano-designed Griffin Court, returning the event to the museum for the first time in fifteen years.
If you’re still unfamiliar with the work that comes out of SAIC’s fashion department, let me enlighten you. Concept development is incredibly valued and nurtured in all departments at the school, and this is reflective in the fashion program as well—these clothes are by no means “wearable”, and rather focus on artistic expression. The level of inventiveness that is required of off-the-cuff designs like these not only display creativity in design, but the students’ capabilities to problem-solve to create difficult shapes and sew unconventional patterns. This sets the annual fashion show apart from others in the area, verging closer to haut couture than the looks for the every day displayed during Chicago’s Fashion Week.
The Walk 2010 at SAIC
Sophomore students, showing one look per designer, will be showing garments around themes inspired by the architecture of the Modern Wing. Seniors, showing whole collections consisting of five looks, have developed various concepts based on personal interests. Some of the topics explored by the seniors in this year’s show include Repo! The Genetic Opera, the Mercedes Benz Silver Arrow racecars of the 1930s, and the original tale of Cinderella by the Brothers Grimm.
The Walk 2010 at SAIC
With tickets ranging from $75 to 500 dollars, this event is not to be taken lightly by any means. The show will feature more than 200 original designs worn by 60 professional models from Factor Model Management. THE WALK 2010, SAIC’s annual gala benefit, will begin with a cocktail reception, set to hold a presentation of the SAIC Legend of Fashion Award to SAIC alumnus and New York-based designer Gary Graham, finalist of the prestigious Council of Fashion Designers of America/Vogue Fashion Fund in 2009. Ten of Graham’s designs will be shown at NIGHTWALK 2010, taking place later that night during the standing-room-only “Best of Show” runway presentation.
The 76th Annual SAIC Fashion Show will take place three times on May 7th, 2010: 2 pm for general admission seating, 7pm (THE WALK 2010), and 9pm (NIGHTWALK 2010). Ticket information can be found via www.saic.edu/fashionshow.
