Media contact: Priscilla L. Hunter, 312.344.7805, phunter@colum.edu or Micki Leventhal, 312.344.7383, mleventhal@colum.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Chicago, April 2006--As we are reminded to spring forward this time each year and loose an hour's sleep, to the next generation of aspiring fashion designers, the annual spring tradition signifies something more. With nervous energy and excitement, Columbia College Chicago's fashion design and fashion retail management students leap into spring to showcase their skills and talent in Fashion Columbia, the college's annual student-produced fashion show.
This year the producers are taking the show to the streets. Matinee and evening shows will be held under a tent (a la Bryant Park), at the corner of Wabash and Harrison Avenues, in the heart of Columbia's campus in the South Loop.
The runway-style fashion show begins with a matinee show at 1 p.m. on Thursday, May 11. A second evening show will be held at 7 p.m., followed by a cocktail reception. Tickets to the matinee are $35 general admission and free for any student with a valid student ID. Tickets for the evening show and cocktail reception are $60 general admission and $35 for students with a valid ID. To purchase tickets or for further information call 312.344.6280. RSVP's will be held at the door. Tickets may also be purchased with cash at the door the day of the shows.
Fashion Columbia showcases the work of the Columbia's fashion design students. The designs are the students' original creations from inception to the final hem. The show is produced by fashion design and retail management students enrolled in the Fashion Show Production Class, under the direction of Nena Ivon, Manager of Public Relations Special Events/Fashion for Saks Fifth Avenue. As faculty advisor to Fashion Columbia and a leader in Chicago's fashion community, Nena understands the impact this hands-on experience has on the students (particularly since the majority of the student producers and designers are already working in the industry) and the fashion industry. "Each year the students look forward to this event with a healthy anxiety, say Ms. Ivon. "The production aspect of the show will reflect the students' aesthetic interpretation of the designs and bring together a collaborative and cohesive product from two academic departments."
This year attendees can expect to see several menswear collections, women's high-end couture designed for the modern woman and contemporary collections using stretch corduroy and hand-screen printed silks dresses and tunics.
Twenty-two-year-old Colleen Wasilewski, a junior fashion design major from Oglesby, Illinois will use denim, cotton and soft flowing chiffon for her collection. "For this collection I looked to the night's sky for inspiration. I want the collection to feel as if it were a universe that is unreachable and dream oriented," says Colleen.
For the fourth consecutive year the student producers and Ms. Ivon will don garments during the shows designed specifically for them by fashion design students.
Columbia College Chicago, an urban institution committed to access, opportunity, and excellence in higher education, provides innovative practice and education in the visual, performing, media and communication arts to 11,000 students in more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs. Founded in 1890 as a communications school for women, Columbia was revisioned in 1963 as a liberal arts college with a "hands-on, minds-on" approach to arts and media education and a progressive social agenda. Under the modern leadership of President Warrick L. Carter, Ph.D., Columbia is aggressively pursuing its mission to bring a richness of vision and a multiplicity of voices to the creation of culture through the diversity of our students and graduates. For further information visit www.colum.edu.