02 01 2014 Fashion Windows

FASHION WINDOWS.COM February 1, 2014 Circulation: 1.2 million page views per month. 560,000 + unique visitors per month "AAU Presents Fall 2014: Mingyu Du and Joseph Khawane" Fall 2014 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week http://www.fashionwindows.net/2014/02/aau-presents-fall-2014-mingyu-du-and-joseph-khawane

Mingyu Du, M.F.A. Fashion Design, is originally from Qinhdao, China. Before coming to Academy of Art University, she had received a B.F.A. in Fine Art and Calligraphy and won the National Dragon Cup Painting Calligraphy Competition in Beijing, China.

For her Fall 2014 collection, she used unique materials including an army tent, a wool blanket, a parachute, and cotton canvas. She was inspired by the mod fashions of the 1960s as well as the attitude and freedom of the youth from that period. She collaborated with Joseph Khawane, M.F.A. Textile Design, who created the textiles for their womenswear collection.

Joseph Khawane, M.F.A. Textile Design, was born in Fairfax, VA, and grew up in Baltimore, MD. After earning his B.F.A. in Fashion Design, he worked on theatre set and costume design, as well as millinery production. His design internship with Aysha Saeed in New York City inspired him to pursue his M.F.A. degree at Academy of Art University.

For Fall 2014, he collaborated with Mingyu Du, M.F.A. Fashion Design, on a womenswear collection and developed textiles with a focus on texture. His textiles were created with military elements, often using fabrics in unconventional ways, manipulating them to give them new life.

Additional inspiration was drawn from Ghanaian sculptor El Anatsui, and Syrian contemporary artist Diana Al-Hadid. Â