SCAD-Atlanta to host trunk shows and lectures
By Gray Chapman
SCAD will be hosting five trunk shows in the upcoming weeks as part of the ongoing SCAD Style event. The trunk shows will exhibit the fashion designs of well-known alumni such as Jenny Little and Claire Sanchez. All the trunk shows will be located at shopSCAD and attendees will have the opportunity to meet each designer and receive a free gift with purchase.
According to press materials, the trunk shows featured designs of Domestic Construction (May 1), Little by Jenny (May 6), BAZZdeGRANT Jewelers (May 8), and will feature the works of Jenny Threads (May 14), and Claire Sanchez (May 16). The trunk shows encompass a variety of accessories, clothing and housewares, depending on the designer. Each show will offer a selection of items from each designer for sale.
Jen Swearington, a graduate fibers student, is one of the featured designers, showcasing her Jenny Threads collection. Her work is all handmade and hand-dyed silk, including apparel and accessories. According to her Web site, her work has been featured in the New York Times, HGTV, and galleries and boutiques internationally. The Jenny Threads trunk show will take place on Wednesday, May 14, from 1-5 p.m. Attendees will be able to meet Swearington and receive a free collage scarf with a purchase of $200 or more, according to the press materials.
Claire Sanchez, a SCAD alumnae, specializes in accessory design, particularly handbags. According to her Web site, Sanchez’s background in sculpture and fine art inspires her to create functional, artistic items. “The collections include an array of graphic cotton prints, vintage textiles, and hand-embellished silks,” according to her online biography. Sanchez’s designs have been featured in publications like Vogue, Lucky, Seventeen, Country Living, and The Atlantan. The Claire Sanchez trunk show will take place on Friday, May 16, from 1-5 p.m. Prices of her collection range from $60 to $85, and with a $200 purchase, attendees will receive a free bag.
The trunk shows are all part of SCAD Style, which is a month-long series of events that highlights the fashion, interior design, and architecture programs at SCAD with workshops, lectures, and exhibitions in both Atlanta and Savannah. In addition to the trunk shows, upcoming SCAD-Atlanta events include
lectures by influential people in the design world. Teri Agins, fashion writer for the Wall Street Journal, will present a lecture on Thursday, May 15. Jerrie Marcus Smith and Allison V. Smith, granddaughters of Neiman Marcus founder Bernie Marcus, will also present a lecture on Thursday, May 15.
SCAD Style events taking place in Savannah include a lecture by Anne Watson, vice president and fashion director of Henri Bendel, on Friday, May 9. Santiago Gonzales, president of the Nancy Gonzalez luxury bag company, will also present a lecture in Savannah taking place on Monday, May 12. Paola Antonelli, curator of the Department of Design and Architecture at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, will present a lecture titled “Design and the Elastic Mind,” Friday, May 16.
The 2008 SCAD Style event will culminate in Savannah on the evening of Saturday, May 17, with the annual fashion show. The show will feature juried student fashions from the senior collections. Additionally, SCAD will present the André Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award to fashion icon John Galliano. President Paula Wallace and Vogue editor-at-large André Leon Talley will present the award that evening.