California College of the Arts recently held its annual fashion show, showcasing eight exquisite collections created by CCA’s senior Fashion Design students.
The term-ending event, juried by a team of industry professionals, featured a variety of cutting-edge creations worn by runway models. 7x7 presented its Emerging Talent award to Tisina Parker, who is the granddaughter of CCA Honorary Doctorate recipient Julia Florence Parker, one of the country's preeminent basketmakers. Tisina's stunning collection was inspired by Native American textile traditions and aesthetics.
CCA Fashion Design Program chair Amy Williams stated before the show, "These young design innovators stretched their thinking and making skills far beyond the confines of their studio training. They have all questioned for themselves the hows and whys of today’s fashion market, and each strives to respond by showcasing a material answer constructed from their personal perspective. I am so excited to introduce the public to this year's emerging talents."
The show's website provided additional information on the participating designers:
Inspired by her Mexican heritage, Marisol Duran based her collection, titled Lágrimas Eternas, on the legend of La Llorona, the weeping woman. Each stage of the narrative -- the seductress, the killer, the remorseful one -- is captured in a different design, and the character maintains a ghost-like appearance throughout.
Duran emphasizes colors and materials that underscore the idea of the dramatic: maroon, black, and white, and leather, wool, and sheer chiffon.
Polly Lai titles her collection Doll in a Bubble. The pieces are sheer organza and lace, with double layers and high collars that lend themselves to youthful, ready-to-wear feminine silhouettes. Her mix-and-match outfits consist of shorts, jumpers, skirts, and dresses in cream white, pale pink, peach, and beige. Her collection flirts with sugar and spice to create what she calls a sweet, fresh statement of pure femininity.
Irina Murphy emphasizes the physical and metaphorical fragility of human beings via clothing that represents shelter. The pieces in her collection, titled Haven, cover most of the body -- even serve to hide a person's identity -- via high necks, long sleeves, and sunglasses. They are made from wool, leather, and silk, with a great deal of hand embroidery.
The colors are mostly dark -- navy blue, dark purple, dark red, and dark green -- but Murphy uses bright fabrics for the linings, which reveal themselves on the runway as subtle flashes of color. Form-fitting smocking around the chest and shoulders introduces a subtle element of femininity.
Tisina T. Parker created her collection, titled 4th Dimension, using mathematical algorithms based on geometric patterns. The patterns are inspired by Native American textile traditions and aesthetics, but with a contemporary twist; she is particularly influenced by the fashion designers Iris van Herpen and Issey Miyake.
Photography by Stevan Nordstrom
