Fashion School News Eco Spotlight: Eco-friendly Wine Producer French Rabbit and Academy of Art University

Academy of Art University and eco-friendly wine producer, French Rabbit, challenged University students to create works of art, products, sculpture and fashion pieces inspired by and using the French Rabbit environmentally friendly packaging. Jean Charles Boisset, president of Boisset America, awarded scholarships to the winners of this challenge.

An exhibition of this project was on display until June 29th at the Academy of Art University Annual Spring Show, 601 Brannan Street in San Francisco.


Jean Charles Boisset, president of Sausalito-based Boisset America, and Dr. Elisa Stephens, president of Academy of Art University in San Francisco

For years, the Boisset family has been a leader in introducing sustainable, biodynamic and organic winemaking methods at all of its vineyards. With the launch of French Rabbit, Boisset and French Rabbit took things to the next level with the introduction of the “Tetra-Prisma” containers. 100% recyclable, the containers take less energy to produce, transport and recycle. They reduce packaging waste by 90% compared to glass bottles as well as reduce emissions and greenhouse gases during shipping. Imagine – 25 trucks of empty glass wine bottles is the same as one truck of empty French Rabbit cartons; once filled, three trucks of glass wine bottles is the same as one truck of French Rabbit. Since launching in July 2005, French Rabbit has saved over 4,400,000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions, which is the equivalent to taking 146,600 cars of the road for one day or 400 off the road for one year.


The Best of Show French Rabbit Scholarship Award winning project was “Rabbit with a Green Heart” by Zachary Roberts, Michael Feeney and David Sekoll, all School of Fine Art Sculpture. The welded steel rod rabbit has panels made from the French Rabbit packaging and stands over 11 ½ feet tall. Through an empty panel, one can view a potted tree where the rabbit’s heart would be. This represents French Rabbit’s partnership with nonprofit America Forests, pledging to plant a tree for every four containers sold. To date, more than 35,000 trees have been planted.


Scholarship Award Winner: Rocket Ship by Stephan Krasner, School of Fine Art Sculpture.

Scholarship Award Winner: Hooded Scarf by Van Kim Le, School of Fashion.

Scholarship Award Winner: Evening “sequined” gown by Virgil Sparks, School of Fashion, landed the cover of the May 3rd Issue of FashionLines.com.

Scholarship Award Winner: Jackie Lee-Nakayama and Sarah Alvidrez, School of Fashion, designed this dress dubbed by fashion designer Loulou de la Falaise as the “bubble dress” and covered in the May 6th edition of San Francisco Chronicle.

Scholarship Award Winner: Necklaces by Tura Sugden and Emi Ando,
School of Fine Art Sculpture.

Scholarship Award Winner: Umbrella by Paul Galang, School of Industrial Design.

Scholarship Award Winner: Rabbit Herb Garden by Robin Casey, School of Graphic Design.

The opening night of the Academy of Art University Annual Spring Show on May 24th was packed with a stellar crowd admiring the showcase of student work. Over 200 executives scouted talent and were on hand to give advice to graduating seniors including Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks, General Motors, ILM, Kodak, Nickelodeon, BMW, Mercedes Benz, MTV, CNN, Electronic Arts, McCann-Erickson, Ogilvy-Mather, BBDO, Insomniac Games, Sony, Activision, Warner Brothers, Mazda and Nissan, among others.

Zac Posen, Loulou de la Falaise and Jean Charles Boisset chat about the French Rabbit fashion creations at the fashion show.

The School of Fashion premiered their French Rabbit creations at the April 27th graduation fashion show to an audience of over 1,500 guests. The show was produced three times equaling over 4,500 attendees including Mayor Gavin Newsom, former Mayor Willie Brown, Fashion designers Zac Posen, Loulou de la Falaise, Joe Haller and Ian Hannula of Nice Collective, as well as Wilkes Bashford, Maria Manetti Farrow, Gina Gallo, and executives from Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom. Media in attendance included Robin Givhan of The Washington Post, Titti Matteoni of Italy’s leading Fashion magazine, Kimball Hastings of Teen Vogue, and editors from Womenswear Daily, San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, San Francisco magazine, and many others.

All dresses were created using the French Rabbit packaging and select looks were shipped to Bordeaux, France where French Rabbit will display them at Vinexpo, the world's largest wine and spirits fair.

Runway looks from the School of Fashion

Aisha Drake, Helen Jang and Megan Rork created the silver and green “lace” dress.

Ashleigh Tucker created the “shredded” dress design that ended up in the pages of the
May 17th issue of SF IS.

Rhiannon Hartig designed the orange and purple “molecule” dress.

Maho Fujita and Sook-Yeong Kwon designed the “ruffle” dress.

Dulce Chavez designed the “armor” dress.

Surf Board by Derek Smith, School of Graphic Design.

Hand Woven Bag by Solomon Choi, School of Industrial Design.

Rabbit Wonderland by Vic Setiawan, School of Graphic Design.

Trivia Board Game by Jessy Dewi, School of Graphic Design.

Tote by Katrina Cordiale, School of Fashion.

Lamp by Sandy Kim, School of Graphic Design.

Purple dress by Erin Kears, School of Fashion.

“Flower” dress by Wendy Cheung and Darana Phonoi, School of Fashion.

Photos by Randy Brooke and Bob Toy.

Fashion Textile School News Academy Award: Ya-Ling Hou Wins Grand Prize For Surtex 2007 International Student Design Competition

The winners and honorable mentions of the SURTEX® 2007 International Student Design Competition have been selected in four new categories: Home Interior, Hospitality (Restaurant/Lodging), Housewares/Tabletop and Stationery/Paper Products. A jury of design industry professionals selected winners of this year’s competition, themed “Nature’s Inspiration,” from some 90 entrants representing 27 schools worldwide.

“It is exciting to see the energy, creativity and innovative concepts that this competition inspires in art and design students from around the world,” said Gina DeLuca, show manager. “SURTEX is proud to nurture and encourage these young designers with a professional challenge early on in their careers, and to reward and honor their vision, talent and fresh ideas.”

The Grand Prize was awarded to Ya-Ling Hou, Academy of Art University, San Francisco CA, for Lovely Garden, inspired by the soothing “sunny and breezy feeling” and “flower wave” that she experiences during afternoons in her own garden. Hou’s Stationery/Paper Products designs include gift boxes and bags, wrapping paper, photo albums, journals and notecards. Her project won for its compelling designs, beautiful use of color and distinctive prints. Judges singled out her work for its outstanding presentation, excellent mixture of color and pattern, and “high-level, market-ready” quality. Hou will receive a $1,000 cash prize and a trip to the 2007 edition of SURTEX, including round trip transportation and hotel accommodations, plus a one week internship within the design industry.

Jungmin Choi for Urban Green and Henry D. Reyes for Lost City Hotel received honorable mentions for their outstanding design submissions.

A jury of design industry professionals selected winners and honorable mentions based on surface design development; creativity, style and use of color and pattern; potential for viability in the commercial marketplace; and overall presentation. Judges for the SURTEX 2007 Competition were Britt Bivins, director, Promostyl Americas; Dorothy Cosonas, creative director, Knoll Textiles; Gordon Kaye, publisher/editor, Graphic Design; Bingka Leung, managing design director, Dwell; Jane Wicks, design director, Designtex.

The SURTEX International Student Design Competition is open to all third and fourth year students enrolled in a surface design or related program in an institution of higher learning. Students were challenged to create a collection of coordinating surface designs (minimum six, maximum nine), inspired by nature, within one category and with a specific end use in mind. The collection had to be themed and the designs original. Students are invited to create the surface designs in the medium(s) of their choice.

Online Fashion Illustration School News: Online Student Danny Roberts

Online fashion student Danny Roberts doesn’t need virtual life to live out his dreams – he’s doing it in his real life - via the Internet. This hyper-creative student has hyperlinked himself to a full-fledged Fashion education through Academy of Art University’s online program. The dedicated cyber student has managed to continue his life as a wrestling coach while strengthening his talent in fashion - all from the comfort of his own home.

Why did you choose to do your degree online?

I am highly motivated, and when I am working on line I am able to spend a lot more time working, as many hours as I want. For example, I remember my first semester of school, I would draw 14 hours every day just practicing, and doing my assignments over and over again, trying to get everything down. One time, I had to stop drawing because my drawing hand was swollen. Location is also a factor. It was convenient to take online without having to move and leave my job.

What is your major/concentration?

I started out as a Fashion Design major with plans of launching my own line eventually. My first class was Fashion Illustration, and from there, my interest shifted from fashion design to Fashion Illustration.

What inspired you to pursue a degree in this field?

When I was in fifth grade, I started making and selling shirts with iron on designs. By the time I got to high school, the little shirt company grew into a small clothing label. At that point, I decided that I couldn't get by on my own "Dummies Guide to Fashion Design" and maybe I should get some real training.

Can you describe specifically what type of work you are involved in?

Freelance Illustration: Fashion, Storybook, and Portrait. I use an assortment of materials including gouache, ink, spray paint, pens, pastel, and acrylics on anything from paper, cardboard, and canvas.

What has your experience been like at the University?

My freshman year, I was an Art and Design major at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with an emphasis in photography. Within my first quarter, I was told by the head of the department that it was not fair for me to compete with 4.0 students. I realized that they placed a much higher priority on being a good academic student at the expense of my artistic development. At that point, I decided to transfer to Academy of Art University, and my experience has been a breath of fresh air. Here, creativity is rewarded.

Fashion School News Academy Award: 2007 CFDA Scholarship Awards

The CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) awards scholarships each year. This year's $3,000 Award Winners are Dahae Kim and Kara Laricks from the School of Fashion. Daniel Emir Armosilla received an Honorable Mention.

The CFDA is devoted to supporting and nurturing new and emerging design talent. The CFDA’s Educational Initiatives were established to assist aspiring designers in the high school, collegiate, post-graduate, and early stages of their careers. The goal of the four Educational Initiative programs is to ease the transition from student to professional designer. In order to best serve the interests of its different constituent groups, the CFDA operates a Scholarship Program, a Master Program, and Professional Development Program, which includes the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund.

Postcards From Paris: Internship Spotligh John Galliano and Christian Lacroix

BFA Fashion and Textile Design 2006 Graduate, Christine Ligan, studied at Studio Berçot through the Sister City Scholarship Exchange Program during her junior year and was the grand prize winner in the Concours International de Dessins Dentelles et Broideries. She won the 2005 Grand Prix Gagner Pour Dentelle Mode. The competition was held among 26 fashion design schools throughout France and Belgium. Christine’s award included two thousand Euros and a weeklong internship with D.M.C. Group. She also interned with French designer Delphine Murat.

After graduating last year, Christine landed an internship with John Galliano. Her designs ended up on the runway in his Paris show. She feels her experience was not only amazing but also occurred during a historically pivotal moment for John Galliano as she was there when Steven Robinson died.

Christine also designed the debut collection for a company called Artless. As the first collection has been a huge commercial success in France, Spain and England, they have asked her to design the second collection.

She is presently working at Christian Lacroix in Paris.

Press Book: May 4, 2007 California Apparel News story on April San Francisco Fashion show

Lene Andersen's collection makes cover of California Apparel News.

Press Book: May 02, 2007 Korean Times

Korean Times coverage of April San Francisco Fashion Show with photos
from Mun Soo Kwon and Yu-Shin 'Mue' Kim's collections.

Speaker Series: Special Guest Daniel Vosovic from Season 2 of Project Runway

At the third and final show of our fashion week, on Saturday, April 28th at 3:00 PM, Academy of Art University in San Francisco presented the runway collections of the graduating class of 2006 with special guest star Daniel Vosovic from Season 2 of Project Runway. Daniel signed autographs and address the audience before the show. The University has constructed three tents reminiscent of New York Fashion Week with a 184-foot runway for top models to sashay down at 601 Brannan Street at Fifth Street. This event was open to the public.

Academy Award: Fashion Internships Awarded at April Show

Dr. Elisa Stephens, President of the University, Jenny Schweitzberger and Zac Posen.
Photo by Bob Toy.

Jenny Schweitzberger and Lene Secher Andersen on stage after being chosen to work with fashion designers Zac Posen and Loulou de la Falaise. Photo by Scotty Morris.

Zac Posen chose Jenny Schweitzberger to work with him over the summer in his New York Studios. Photo by Scotty Morris.