February 08 New York Fashion Week - Sherise Eways, Fashion Designer, and Melissa Christensen, Jewelry Designer, collaboration collection

Fashion Designer Sherise Eways and Fine Art Sculpture major Melissa Christensen collaborative collection.

Swarovski Crystal sponsored the crystals on her garments in which the silhouette and structure of is based on the metamorphosis of a woman into a bird, butterfly or flower. Born and raised in Fairfax, VA, Sherise is a first generation American of Palestinian descent.

Jewelry designer Melissa Christensen, a Fine Art Sculpture major, created the jewelry for this collection. Melissa has manipulated the metal by hammering and hand-bending to appear to flow like fabric. All pieces were made by hand. Melissa is Native American from the Mashentucket Pequot Tribe in Mashantucket, CT and has spent the past 10 years in the Bay Area of California.

Fashion School News Jewelry Collaboration Update

Sculptor Mike Feeney's acrylic corset.

The School of Fashion and the School of Fine Art Sculpture have one of the most successful collaborations within the University. For the fifth year in a row, the annual spring fashion show will showcase a group of fine art sculpture and fashion design students working together to create a collection.

This year may be the most successful collaboration by far, as the students have been meeting often to brainstorm and update their directors on their progress.

We checked in on the last meeting to see what they were up to.

A-Lan Baik and Tura Sugden's piece.

More of Tura Sugden's work.

Tura Sugden and Sooji Lee's creation.

Mimi Perez and Emily Melville's creation.

Click here to read about the 2007 Jewelry Collaboration.

Click here to read about the 2006 Jewelry Collaboration.

San Francisco Fashion Show April 2007 Fashion and Jewelry Collaborative Project

Photos by Randy Brooke.

For the fourth year in a row, students from the School of Fashion and the School of Fine Art Sculpture have worked together creating a jewelry segment for the San Francisco graduation fashion show. Last year this collection was also featured in the Macy’s Passport Fundraising Extravaganza fashion show in both San Francisco and Los Angeles. Macy’s Passport has raised nearly $22 million for HIV/AIDS research, care, prevntion and education programs.

This collaborative endeavor is between BFA sculpture, metalsmithing, jewelry design and MFA fashion design students.



Stephan Krasner, BFA Fine Art Sculpture, and Warot Subsrisunjai, MFA Fashion Design, collaborated on a dress with jewelry that illuminated from under the fabric.



David P. Sekoll, BFA Fine Art Sculpture, and Anne Jones, MFA Fashion Design, collaborated on a look that showcased David’s aluminum sculpture, which focused on balance and harmony through symmetry and repetition of form.



Kelsey Simmen, BFA Fine Art Sculpture, and Johanna Hatzenbuehler, MFA Fashion Design, collaborated on a simple look with Kelsey’s “sea bean” necklace. Kelsey found her “sea bean” pods washed up on the beaches of Haiti.




Melissa Christensen, BFA Fine Art Sculpture, and Daniel Emir Armosilla, MFA Fashion & Knitwear Design, worked together on two looks. Sculptor Melissa Christensen manipulated metal with hammering and hand bending to look like flowing fabric.



Basia Sienko, BFA Fine Art Sculpture, and Jaime Cole, MFA Fashion & Textile Design, used found objects such as skeleton keys, glass, leather and cork for their creation inspired by the romance of the sea.





BFA Accessory Design student Rachel Arends created what she calls “restrictive body sculpture” having spent most of her life in a back brace from scoliosis. After extensive surgery, she was left with two titanium rods in her back and having to learn to walk again. Two of her designs were showcased in a collaboration with MFA Fashion Designers, Desiree Daniels and Aurelie Martin-Chiari.

Video: San Francisco Fashion Show April 2007 Jewelry Collaboration

Design Notebook: Nine School of Fashion Students Showcased at Macy’s Passport 2006

In September, Macy’s Passport 2006 Gala Fashion Show premiered in San Francisco before opening in Los Angeles. Special guests included Dame Elizabeth Taylor, Sharon Stone, Priscilla Presley, Brooke Shields, Jimmy Smits, John O’Hurley who is most recently recognized from his well-publicized stint on Dancing with the Stars, Italian pop opera star Vittorio, Sean John designer Sean Combs, and Heatherette designers Richie Rich and Traver Rains.

Nine School of Fashion students and one Fine Art Sculpture student saw their collections featured on the runway with fashion labels such as Hugo Boss, Sean John, Heatherette, American Rag, Greendog, MAC Viva Glam and more.

For the past 24 years, Macy's Passport has increased social awareness of HIV/AIDS related issues, and raised nearly $22 million to benefit HIV/AIDS research, care, prevention and education programs. Passport 2006 supported the continued commitment to vital vaccine research, as well as community-based prevention, education, care and advocacy programming. These programs reach thousands of men, women, teens and children who are living with or at risk of contracting HIV, ensuring they live their lives with dignity.

Following the Heatherette segment which ended with designers Richie Rich and Traver Rains taking their runway bow on roller skates, the Academy of Art University segment began.
BFA Fine Art Sculpture student Crystal Powell showed her hummingbird sculpture jewelry on a dress by MFA Fashion designer Channing Bui. Their combined outfit was shown alongside two looks from Patty Chan, MFA Fashion Merchandising. One look showcased Patty’s jewelry with a dress by MFA Fashion designer Andrea Vence and the other with a dress by MFA Textile and Fashion designer Kyung Min Kim.

Four collections that premiered earlier in September at New York Fashion Week were showcased as well. Not only is Academy of Art University the first and only school to premier graduate collections during New York Fashion Week but is honored to be included in Macy’s Passport 2006.

Handsome models strutted down the runway in MFA Fashion designer Masamichi Matsushita’s collaborative menswear collection with BFA Textile designer Susan Fort. Their futuristic collection incorporated organic cotton donated by Specialty Fabrics and O-Wool by Jasco organic wool donated by Vermont Organic Fiber Company [www.vtorganicfiber.com].
MFA Fashion designer Shanti Rose Markstrom’s collection was inspired by Commedia del’arte and Victorian circus performers as well as French artists Jean-Antoine Watteau and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

MFA Fashion and Knitwear designer Pablo Fernandez created an avant-garde menswear 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.
MFA Fashion designer Avani Pratap Bhansali’s passion for ancient civilization and dynasties led to her inspiration from the intricacies of Persian art. She researched archival metal work, pottery and textiles and incorporated the texture into her designs. She also took architectural elements and was inspired by the loose silhouettes worn at that time.

May 24, 2006 Fashion Show Jewelry Collaboration

MFA Fashion Design and Fine Art Sculpture students work together to create a jewelry collection. MFA Fashion Design students include Tilla Abbit, Channing Bui, Kyung Min Kim, Tara Shannahan, Soo Jung Sung, Andrea Vence and James Donal Yoest.

PATTY CHAN, MFA Fashion Merchandising

CHRYSTAL POWELL, BFA Fine Art Sculpture

MERYL PATAKY, BFA Fine Art Sculpture