Abraham Azamy Sketch
“My concept derives from the playfulness of undressing while being fully clothed; only giving the illusion of skin,” Azamy said. “I was focused on eliciting a response from the people who see this dress.”
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Image Credit: Abraham Azamy -
Abraham Azamy Dress
Image Credit: Abraham Azamy “My approach to design comes from my interest in the contrast of a discreet yet highlighted personality,” he added. “I wanted to create looks that catch the eye while excluding all of the bells and whistles.”
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Rian Core Sketch
Image Credit: Rian Core “What makes my thesis collection ‘The Onyx Obscurity’ unique is the inspiration and the use of an unconventional material: bobby pins,” Core said. “My first look is an homage to Maria Martinez, an artistic visionary and Puebloan black on black potter. An innovative way I decided to interpret the matte and lustrous black ceramic was by stacking 1,105 bobby and roller pins together, then pairing them with a dark grey woolen fabric. The craftsmanship and intricate detailing on Martinez’s pottery, influenced my beading design details.”
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Rian Core Ensemble
Image Credit: Rian Core “In total, I hand sewed an assortment of 3,740 semi precious, bugle, and seed beads to the ensemble,” Core added. “I also got to create an embellishment of my own, integrating the pins and seed beads, to create roller pin dangles. This embellishment can be seen on the front and shoulders of the sweater. Last but not least, the alluring black on black pottery of Maria Martinez was the catalyst that led to my innovative creation.”
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Ece Sena Ercali Sketch
Image Credit: Ece Sena Ercali “My thesis collection, ‘Zero,’ is themed around the mystic nature of the number zero. Zero, as a number, symbolizes the beginning and the end. It is the only number that is endless and has no meaning at the same time,” Ercali said.
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Ece Sena Ercali Evening Dress
Image Credit: Ece Sena Ercali “The collection was started from the mystic and intangible world of numbers and was translated into garments with embroideries, beadings and textures created by me,” the designer added. “I focused on using natural-based, biodegradable materials such as fox fur, silk charmeuse, silk organza and silk wool.”
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Jiashan Liu Ensemble
Image Credit: Jiashan Liu “My thesis collection is unique because it is an expression of my individuality. Rather than drawing inspiration from trends and external sources, I looked inward to create a product of the self—a design unique to who I am,” Liu said. “Growing up in two extremely different cultures and being a Libra has definitely influenced my design process. I found ‘balance’ and ‘roots as the key words that represent all my works.”
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Jiashan Liu Back View
Image Credit: Jiashan Liu “In this collection, I was inspired by 1920s architecture in China, which was the result of a cultural merge of the East and West. This mirrors my personal experience of moving to the U.S. at a young age and trying to figure out who I am,” she added. “Beside adding cultural elements to my work, I also explored materials, silhouettes, concepts, and inspirations that were polar opposites. For example, traditional and futuristic, feminine and masculine, soft and edgy, streetwear and couture, combining characteristics from each to represent the complexity of human beings.”
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Hawwaa Ibrahim Children’s Apparel Sketch
Image Credit: Hawwaa Ibrahim “I believe that my inspiration and use of fabrics and techniques is what makes my thesis collection unique,” Ibrahim said. “Combining genderless fashion with art from The Islamic World is not something people would initially think to put together. However, because these two things are huge influences in not only my work, but also in my day to day life, I wanted to showcase both aspects to a wider audience.”
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Hawwaa Ibrahim Kids’ Ensemble
Image Credit: Hawwaa Ibrahim “I created original patterns that were inspired by arabesque designs found in Islamic art and in at-home machine embroidery techniques. The combination of both elements is what I believe elevates the collection,” she added.
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Saemi Jeon Knitwear Sketch
Image Credit: Saemi Jeon “The inspiration and materials I used made my thesis collection, ‘The Memory Vessel,’ unique. The concept is from an artwork post about memory jugs. The origins of the memory jug are somewhat vague, but they were made as memorials for deceased loved ones,” Jeon said. “After learning about the concept, I asked myself, ‘If I were to make a memory jug, what memory would I put inside of it?’ Many things came to mind, including a dogwood flower.”
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Saemi Jeon Knit Ensemble
Image Credit: Saemi Jeon “A teacher I had, gave me a dogwood flower at my graduation, saying that when he saw the blooming white dogwood flowers by the sidewalk, they reminded him of me,” she added. “For this collection, I used a variety of techniques, including hand-knitting, knitting done by a stoll program, weaving, and latch hook skills.”
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Yitao “Esther” Li Sketch
Image Credit: Yitao "Esther" Li “My design process and materials both make my collection unique. I experimented with the distortion process on plaids and played with prints on the body by manipulating them on myself,” Li explained. “I looked at sketches and fabrics through distorted lenses to see how they changed.”
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Yitao “Esther” Li Dress
Image Credit: Yitao "Esther" Li “Using textiles of printed sheer lace, I tried to create ‘floating plaids’,” she added. “The plaid fabric manipulation created the illusion of movement on the body.”
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Natalie Rapallo Sketch
Image Credit: Natalie Rapallo “Throughout the process of designing my thesis, I found it difficult to design evening wear since many of us spent the last year locked up in our homes. I wanted to create something that was representative of the times and more importantly, inspired by where special occasion dress advances from here,” Rapallo said. “My thesis collection is unique because my approach to design is to redefine what elegance looks like. My designs are typically feminine, but with a modern
twist, that uses the experimentation of different materials.” -
Natalie Rapallo Special Occasion Dress
Image Credit: Natalie Rapallo “In my thesis look, I manipulated hand-dyed sections of tulle to replicate the cable knit I found on a sweater. This was my effort to draw a connection between evening wear and the loungewear trend that took over 2020,” she added. “I love to play around with different shades and values achieved through layering sheer fabrics, as well as drawing inspiration from the world that surrounds us.”
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Lauren Starobin Intimate Apparel
Image Credit: Lauren Starobin “My thesis collection was inspired by large-scale abstract paintings that my aunt made in New York City in the late ’70s,” Starobin said. “One of these works, a beautiful whirl of iridescent pastel, hangs in my room and I ended up spending a lot of time with it during the pandemic.”
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Lauren Starobin Robe
Image Credit: Lauren Starobin “It caused me to think about what part of me and my love of aesthetics was inherited and the legacy of art and style within myself and my family,” the designer added. “The collection is very pretty, but I hope the people also get a sense of this depth within it when they see the clothes.”
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Kerrigan Steger Sketch
Image Credit: Kerrigan Steger “The title of this collection is ‘Rethink.’ It is inspired by Maria Bartuszova, a post-war plaster artist who was often inspired by the haptic and fleeting shapes found in nature,” Steger said. “This collection is about reducing my interpretation of Maria Bartuszovas’ work to find a certain purity.”
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Kerrigan Steger Ensemble
Image Credit: Kerrigan Steger “It was important for me to rethink basics and make them relevant for today,” he added. “Familiar shapes in unfamiliar fabrics and unfamiliar shapes in new fabrics and with new detailing.”
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Gabriela Villatoro Knitwear
Image Credit: Gabriela Villatoro “Taken from the idea of upcycling, I wanted to make multifunctional garments. By showing the wearer how the same pieces can be used to create different looks, the wearer can ‘upcycle’ the garments themselves and extend the product’s life cycle,” Villatoro explained. “The process was unique because as I was developing the garments, I had to make adjustments that would allow them to be transformable. The fabrics are also one of a kind.”
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Gabriela Villatoro Knitwear Look
Image Credit: Gabriela Villatoro “The beauty of knitwear is that you can make your own fabric. By fully fashioning garments, you reduce the amount of waste that would come from cutting yard goods,” she added. “All of the fabrics used in the garments are handmade or designed and programmed by me. I used hand knitting, machine knitting techniques, and felting wool on sheer silk.”
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Jingwen Xuan Mood Board
Image Credit: Jingwen Xuan “Versatility! The 3-in-1 parka is perfect for commuters. It combines a tyvek shell with detachable sleeves and an organza layer revealed by a leather piece, which can be worn as a skirt or a dress separately,” Xuan said of her collection.
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Jingwen Xuan Transformable Designs
Image Credit: Jingwen Xuan “The epaulettes with snaps are designed for securing the backpack straps,” she added. “The backpack is transformable into nylon bermuda shorts and a tote bag.”