FRI – Ahuva’s Blog

Fusion Fashion

/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!

FRI Graduation

This is very late. Graduation was back on May 31. I was still recovering from being ill. I did make it to the fashion show, took some pictures, but was still not up to blogging. But I do want to show you the set that was built for the students to model their outfits. I confess – my initial reaction was that I hated it and wanted to leave. I have RL issues with height and falling. I was still fairly dizzy and unstable from my illness. So to be up in the sky on invisible platforms – well – you can imagine. I was NOT happy. I needed a tp to get up in to the actual show and then I was afraid to move.

But as I stood about and chatted with friends, I pulled my camera back. And that’s when I saw the whole build and understood the beauty and talent of it all. This build is what SL architecture and events can be. Think beyond the physical limitations of RL. Floating in air, not chained by gravity or physics. I ended up really enjoying the build and appreciating how it allowed the students freedom to model their fashions.

We Knew them BEFORE They were Famous

Yes, we can say that in all honesty. 🙂 Because you and I have known them for months! I believe that my first fashion show was also Jare’s first SL fashion show. I’ve been wearing Misteria’s gorgeous *PDD* Feather Dress for months. I get compliments on it every time. Don’t forget the dancing fairies extravaganza – that was also Misteria. I have a Wollemia Sands suit and just saw her great runway show. *grin* I feel like a proud aunt. I watched these designers grow up and blossom and really expand into fabulous designers.

You can see them graduate and showcase their work. Here’s the invitation notecard from FRI:

Fashion Research Institute “Designing Dreams”
Graduation Fashion Installation for Designers in the Emerging Avatar Apparel Design Program
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Time: 7 am SLT
SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Shengri%20La/155/227/21

Join the designers and friends of the designers as we bid adieu to four of our fine designers who are graduating from the emerging avatar apparel program in the Shengri La Vintage Marketplace. Fashion Research Institute Marketplace designers Jare Capalini (Au V), Misteria Loon (Pas de Deux), Xand Nagy, (Kicks & Twirls), and Wollemia Sands (Bull & Bear Careerwear) each showcase two of their styles apiece in this special graduation installation, created to highlight the dreams they have designed while in the program. Please join us for this uniquely designed installation of fashion displayed artistically.

Designing Dreams is hosted and sponsored by the Fashion Research Institute, Inc. FRI is committed to assisting emerging avatar apparel designers to bring their brand to the next level through programs ranging from courses for aspiring professional designers to incubation and mentorship programs. For more information about FRI and its programs and activities, please visit http://shenlei.wordpress.com.