/me strikes haughty pose: Ahuva, Model. Yes, it’s that time again – Ahuva walks the runway. *grin* Oh – wait. This post isn’t supposed to be about me. It’s supposed to be about the fashion designers. /me rolls eyes. Okay. I’ll behave. But I’m stealing most of the text. *grin*
My good friend Shenlei Flasheart has been teaching a course this summer for new fashion designers. She has been working with three top-rate student interns, teaching them the ins and outs of the emerging field of virtual design and development. Her interns are currently matriculated at higher ed schools around the US, and log in from their geographically dispersed homes for weekly discussion, lecture and review sessions. I love this concept. I truly believe that more and more we will all be logging in from all over the world to meet and work in virtual worlds.
The summer interns have been working for the last three months using a virtual world as their low-cost, low-risk prototyping tool to develop their avatar apparel collections. 
Using FRI’s avatar apparel framework, they were guided through the design cycle from concept board, to selecting a color story, to developing a new piece every week. Their internship culminates with the fashion industry’s version of a final exam: namely a runway show where their work will be presented with live models, in a formal setting. Aha!! LIVE MODELS. *grin* That would include me. (Hey folks – this is MY blog!!) So……
Please join the Fashion Research Institute on Tuesday, August 25th at 6 pm SLT for a very special runway show, Fluid, showcasing the work of the Summer 2009 student interns!
FRI intern designers, Trinity Hartunian, Missy Lavecchia, and Palette Schuttelanz, are senior design students from fashion design schools around the US. 
Trinity’s label is Category Five, and her collection “Linear” is clean and sleek and can be easily mixed and matched. Missy’s label is Bella Fantasique, and she designs formal and evening wear from demure to the minx. Palette’s label is Mooged, and she is showing streetwear with an urban flair. Each of these ladies has invested many late nights and long hours learning how to develop avatar apparel, and FRI is very excited about their work and their future abilities. Palette’s, Missy’s and Trinity’s work may all be found in the marketplace stores in Shengri La. These hot new talents are currently pricing their work at student rates, but the quality isn’t student quality.
So I expect to see you all there with us on Tuesday, August 25 at 6pm SLT. I will be there with Chestnut and Oura and Callipygian and Dz and many others. Come and see us strut our stuff in these hawt outfits. My favorite part??? Listening to how happy and excited the interns are as their work is modeled for the public for the first time. Come share their excitement and joy – it’s fun, it’s interesting and their pleasure will lift your spirits too. See you there!
Ahuva's Blog 