PASSION FASHION

38 Apparel Majors, Hundreds Of Designs On SUNY Catwalk


3-12-10


By LAURA COX : ONEONTA

It’s fashion week in Oneonta.
Needles are flying, shears snipping and tempers occasionally bubbling over as 38 student designers are putting the finishing touches on hundreds of creations.
At 6 p.m. Saturday, March 20, SUNY Oneonta’s Student Fashion Society will be doing its annual thing, and student models will walk the catwalk in Alumni Field House, flaunting the results – we can only hope and expect – before an adoring and excited crowd.
When most people think of fashion school, they think of large cities and institutions such as Parson’s/The New School of Design and The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City.
But fashion students – from New York State and elsewhere – looking for a safe campus, affordable tuition, top-of-the-industry connections and the full college experience need to look no further than SUNY Oneonta’s Apparel & Textiles major in the Human Ecology Department.
This four-year program introduces students to design and merchandising, and offers numerous internships, educational outreach  and opportunities to showcase their work.
Students have learned at the feet of such masters as Vera Wang, Michael Kors, French Connection, Betsey Johnson and DKNY, and  such  fashion magazines such as Marie Claire and Teen Vogue.
 Alums have had a real impact on the industry.   Like Alex That, Class of ’91, who is president of Caffine Inc. in New York City, a clothing line targeting the mixed martial-arts lifestyle.  Like Daniel Lagani, Class of ’85, who was named president of the Fairchild Fashion Group in 2006 (he has since left the company.)
 Other alums have gone on to land jobs with Michael Kors, Armani, Donna Karen, Ursula of Switzerland and Kenneth Cole.
“I am came to Oneonta because it had a piece of everything: the full college experience, a fashion design program, study abroad opportunities, FIT connections, internships, and the possibility to double major,” said fashion and studio art double major Allison Platé, a junior from Quogue, on Long Island.
The Apparel & Textiles major has been around since the beginning, and its standing has grown over the years.   Lately, TV shows like Project Runway have spurred an interest in fashion design for many young students and the program has seen an influx as a result.
Currently there are 309 Apparel & Textile majors, 280 on campus and another 30 studying at FIT this year under a program that allows SUNY Oneonta students to obtain a bachelor’s locally in three years, and spend the fourth getting an associates at FIT.  Eight additional students are studying abroad in England and Japan.
Of the two tracks students can choose, fashion design or merchandising, about 30  percent of the students are in the design track and 70 percent in merchandising, said department chair Katherine Angell.   She would like to see it evolve a bit more toward 50-50.
The five fulltime faculty members hail from around the globe:  Mali, Australia, Korea and Zimbabwe, as well as the U.S.   There are also two adjunct professors.
Most of the students are women.  Fifteen come from Japan and Korea.  For many, the Spring Fashion Show is a highpoint of the year.
For one thing, it allows the students to showcase their creations, said Platé and classmate Ashley Peraino, the society’s vice president and president respectively.  And it gives provides experience in putting on a large-scale fashion show.
The students organize the entire event, including set design, marketing, model selection, music and backstage coordination.   There are two 45-minute halves, with a brief intermission.
This year’s catwalk will be modeled after Project Runway’s, with a backlit screen at the end to show the shadow of the models, Peraino said.
Of the two tracks students can choose, fashion design or merchandising, about 30  percent of the students are in the design track and 70 percent in merchandising, said department chair Katherine Angell. She would like to see it evolve a bit more toward 50-50.
The five fulltime faculty members hail from around the globe:  Mali, Australia, Korea and Zimbabwe, as well as the U.S.   There are also two adjunct professors.
Most of the students are women.  Fifteen students come from Japan and Korea.  For many, the Spring Fashion Show is a high point of the year.
For one thing, it allows the students to showcase their creations, said Platé and classmate Ashley Peraino, the society’s vice president and president respectively.  And it provides experience in putting on a large-scale fashion show.
The students organize the entire event, including set design, marketing, model selection, music and backstage coordination.   There are two 45-minute halves, with a brief intermission.
This year’s catwalk will be modeled after Project Runway’s, with a backlit screen at the end to show the shadow of the models, Peraino said.