SCAD to honor John Galliano’s talent, creativity at annual fashion show
By Gray Chapman
On Saturday, May 17, SCAD will honor renowned couturier, John Galliano, with the Andre Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award. A recent press release confirmed President Paula Wallace and Vogue editor-at-large André Leon Talley will present the award to Galliano, who has been hailed for his innovative achievements in the fashion industry.
According to his online biography, Galliano began his fashion career studying at Central St. Martins
College of Art and Design (previously St. Martins School of Art) in London. He graduated from the
college in 1983, catching the public’s attention with his “Les Incroyables” senior collection. He became the creative director of Givenchy in 1995, and in 1996 became creative director of French fashion house Dior.
Throughout his career with Dior, Galliano has created many couture lines that some people, like
first-year fashion student Brittany Irby, consider to be works of art. “In the Spring 2007 collection, the construction of the more structured pieces can still be seen today, a year after the fact. And for an industry that prides itself on constantly changing and discovering the ‘next best thing,’ for a design to be relevant a year later says a lot,” said Irby.
Critics and peers have lauded Galliano as a visionary in the field. Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour said of him, “There are few creative people in the fashion world who, through their spirit, their creative joy and their personalities, really give fashion what it needs — some inventive madness.”
Many fashion students agree, seeing Galliano and his work as inspiration. Rita Watson, a second-year fashion student, said of Galliano, “the man’s a prodigy; I cannot name a designer with a bigger imagination or ambition.” Watson continued, in describing Galliano’s talent: “The most beautiful thing about Galliano’s work is that he creates in volume, which in the fashion world is tremendously risqué.”
“It’s overwhelming to work with so much material at one time, and most consumer’s are not confident enough to let the clothes wear them; people these days want to wear the clothes,” she also said.
First-year fashion student Brittany Irby also expressed her enthusiasm for Galliano’s work. “His work is forever creative and is always stunning. I am especially amazed by the couture lines for Dior.”
While the style of his work may not appeal to everyone, many fashion students agree that the creativity and quality of his work is inspirational.
Rachel Washington, a second-year fashion student, agreed, saying “I think his work definitely sets a certain standard for anyone who may want to come up behind him, so to speak. His work isn’t my personal style, but I really feel that he creates with such saturation that lots can be (and have been) derived from his designs.”
Galliano will be the joining the ranks of Lifetime Achievement honorees that include legendary figures such as Oscar de la Renta, Miuccia Prada, Vera Wang, and Marc Jacobs. The award, first presented in 2000 to André Leon Talley as a Lifetime Achievement Award, was thereafter renamed to include Talley’s name.
The award celebrates visionaries in the fashion industry, and will be the most recent of many bestowed upon Galliano for his ingenuity and talent, according to online press materials. Other awards given to Galliano include the British Designer of the Year in 1988, 1994, 1995 and 1997, and the Council of Fashion Designers of America 1998 International Award, among others.
The award presentation will take place at the annual student fashion show at SCAD-Savannah. This event will mark the culmination of the college’s annual month-long style and design event, SCAD Style. The fashion show will take place at 4 p.m. (matinee) and 8 p.m. on Saturday, May 17, at the Trustees Theater. The juried show will present the designs of nearly 50 SCAD fashion students.
For more information, visit the SCAD Style Web
site at http://www.scad.edu/events/scadstyle/2008.