“Botanica” – SRISA Fashion Show Fall 2016

Fashion Waste: Performance Art Piece

In an era of a multitude of global catastrophes and environmental damage, sustainability and fashion go hand in hand, and especially in contemporary design, these two industries need each other more than ever. Intersecting their studies in performance art and sustainable fashion the students from Washington University in St. Louis, taught by Enrica Guidato, explore the negative environmental and emotional acts of waste generated by the fashion industry and consumer culture, using performance art as the medium. After a semester-long study into the complex systems of production and manufacturing, students communicate their own message of hope in the face of a daunting problem.

https://youtu.be/RJJHNg72jk4
Video By: Bre Legan

Design Studio Collection:

In the course Fashion Design Studio: Illustration and Construction, taught by Enrica Guidato and Sophie Springer, students learn how to develop their own designs from beginning to end. Students are provided with a basic foundation of sewing, construction, and illustration techniques throughout the semester-long course. From androgynous to ultra-femme, designers collected inspiration from Milan Fashion Week trends for Spring Summer 17 in order to put together their idea.

Femininity

Students inspired by 1950’s retro silhouettes have created a unique top and circle skirt for a modern twist on vintage pieces. Focusing on clean forms and minimalist lines, students produce garments that emulate a feminine and youthful style.

Extinct

Created by student Christopher Hardgrove, pieces are inspired by the honey bee, their immense importance to the ecosystem, and the growing concern about the decline of the species, which pollinates a third of the world’s food supply. The collection lends strength by using both male and female models. Using muted colors, hand-dyed organic patterns, and blurred gender roles, “Extinct” paints a provocative and dismal picture of what our future will look like if the deterioration and destruction of the natural world continues in its current direction.

Essence

Designers referenced images from all things nature to create renewed and sophisticated silhouettes. Each with a unique perspective, designers have created dresses that push their construction skills to new levels, and that test boundaries within their own design style.