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STUDENT DESIGNS 2016
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raining young students to become fashion designers today, is a complex challenge. With technical skills to acquire, new technologies being added to traditonal ones which are still necessary to master garment specifications to understand, time management and methodolgy to develop - there is a lot to pack into the students time, ready to prepare them for the ever quickening pace of today’s fashion industry! And in educational terms, there is an addittional challenge - in this fascinating field of fashion, existing between art and industry, everything starts from the personalities of the future designers. Understanding their own universe, their reference systems, cultural background and individual creative matrix, is the basis on which to guide their curiosity, sharpen their vision, and help them to shape personal ideas. Creative intuitions must be transformed into new, sometimes surprising, and always wearable products, and coherent collections. At IFA Paris, we are fortunate to have a thriving bastion of strong and diverse talents, who come to Paris from all over the world, ready to eventually take their place in the competitive industry of which they dream. We wanted to share with you the work of a selection of these upcoming designers, from the three year Bachelors course in Fashion Design & Technology, and the Masters of Arts in Contemporary Fashion Design. We hope you will appreciate their creative endeavors as much as we do – they represent years of study, research and experimentation! We hope that this will give a small insight into the creative minds of a new generation, and perhaps ignite a curiosity to discover more‌ At IFA Paris we love their talent! Jean-Marc Chauve Fashion & Image Director
Akim Ekial
BFD 2016 • Instagram : @akimekial
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Canadian citizen, originating from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Akim Ekial, embraces his roots, in his love of La Sape, and African musicians including Wendo Kolosoy, Franco Luambo Makiadi, and Papa Wemba, whose beats subtly infuse Ekial’s bold designs. His dandy inspired collection, influenced by his own inimitable style, used colourful textiles, with Ekial suggesting the aim was: «to give men back the freedom to wear any type of colour and volume.»
Since graduating, his work was selected for the China International Fashion Designers Contest 2016, ‘Beyond The Little Black dress’ in Washington DC, and was shown at TRANOI in Paris. Ekial is currently seeking an internship in Paris, before starting his own label in Toronto
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Angel Tran Vu BFD 2016 • tf_tran@yahoo.com
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One of IFA Paris’s more flamboyant student’s, Angel Tran, used to skip meals in his small home town of Hai Phong in North Vietnam, in order to buy beautiful clothes and fashion magazines. The youngest child in the family, Tran would style up his hand-me-downs, and customize his school uniform, tightening the trousers, and shortening sleeves. This rebellious, individualistic spirit infused his final collection, which focused on flamboyant fur, influenced by his imitable personal style. Tran notes,
“I want to make fur more modern and fun and create a new way to wear fur, so it’s not just somebody grandma’s coat you find from a thrift shop.” Tran presently works for an online trends site, as well as designing small accessories, and is working on funding his next collection
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Avgousta Theodoulou BFD 2016 • facebook.com/Avgousta.Theodoulou.Designs/
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Theodoulou worked as a Computer Science Teacher before following her heart to Paris, where she moved with her husband’s job, freeing her to follow her love of fashion. Theodoulou’s passion for creativity, however, was already evident in childhood, and she would spend time learning to crochet with women of her Cypriot community. Her collection stemmed from this early childhood love, and Theodoulou developed an advanced macramé technique at her time at IFA Paris,
combining it with inspiration from the myth of Daedalus and Icarus, and over a hundred meters of fabric for the five final looks! Since graduating, Theodoulou won the bronze award at the ‘China International Fashion Designers Creation Contest’ 2016, and was selected as a finalist in the ‘Humen Cup –International Youth’ contest.
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the circle
Chandani Pradhanang BFD 2016 • Instagram : @pngchandani
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Nepalese student Chandani Pradhanang was obsessed by optical illusions and colour placements in her stunning conceptual tulle collection. Circles of overlapping stiff tulle appear effortless, but as Chandani suggests, “ I wanted to bring the freshness of the colours, so had to spent hours just placing different coloured sizes of circles.” The challenge of late night sewing sessions with invisible thread, however, paid off, as Chandani’s graduate collection was showcased at a fashion show “Beyond the Little
Black Dress,” organised by Alliance Francaise de Washington, and was featured in Grazia magazine. She also won a scholarship onto the Masters at IFA Paris.
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Dyah Hapsari Kusumaningrati BFD 2016 • issuu.com/dearhapsari Instagram : @dearhapsari
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At IFA Paris, Hapsari came to understand fashion in the context of art, aesthetics, and attitude, and her final collection was inspired by the idea of perfection within an urban context. Influenced by her hometown of Jakarta, which inspired her ambition, Hapsari notes, “ the work has to be done well, but elegance, precision and a strong aesthetic has to be there as well.” Hapsari dug deep within herself at IFA Paris, and her work is inspired by her own style, “infused with ethereal and fantasy expression.“
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Hapsari is presently working with Inditex, and is looking to experience different aspects of the fashion industry, before starting her own brand or working as a fashion editor.
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Lindsay Lee Custodio
BFD 2016 • lindsayleecustodio.com Instagram : @lindsayleecustodio
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Dress: straight with 3 panels, above the knee length; invisible zipper in center back; fringe draping detail for each panel Notions: invisible zipper, hook and eye, black fringe of 25cm
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San Francisco native Lindsay Custodio has come a long way since the summer sewing camps of her childhood. During her time at IFA Paris, Custodio worked backstage at Emanuel Ungaro and Roberto Cavalli, and embroidered at Chanel, Saint Laurent, and John Galliano, alongside stints at concept store Tom Greyhound Paris, and the Diane Von Furstenberg showroom, before starting on a new brand development for pleaters Nizam Plissage.
Her love of tactility, and the textile techniques and transformations seen in her collection were developed during her time at IFA Paris. “My teachers taught me specific techniques used in Haute Couture, so that my garments are of the best quality,” she comments.
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Mary Owolabi
BFD 2016 • www.beefashionanddesign.com
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Owolabi appreciates the silent communicative qualities of fashion, stating, “my style greatly influences my work and gives me the opportunity to instil my identity on people without saying a word.� Having completed a fashion apprenticeship in her native Nigeria, Owolabi joined the vibrant creative community of IFA Paris, where she accepted the challenge of making a jacket for her graduate collection from 36 yards of fabric, whilst looking after her infant! Owolabi pushed herself throughout
her final year, to complete a striking collection inspired by the elegance and sophistication of Barcelona, combined with an extravagance of individual style, and the tribal uniqueness of Africa.
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Mei Po NG
BFD 2016 • issuu.com/mabellejuilletng/docs/ss2017_lookbook
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Mei Po came from a museum going family. Having proved her adult self to her parents by working for the Gucci Group, she came to IFA Paris, where her final collection fused her multi-cultural Hong Kong influences with Parisian touches, acquired by her time spent studying in the capital. She describes her dreamy collection of delicate pastel organzas, as a mix of hazy dreaming and nihilism, drawing on youth culture.Heavy silver zips offset the prettiness, with a self stylable quality, that gives a contemporary twist,
and a sensitive yet commercial feel. Mei Po comments, «We should all listen to the voice deep in our heart, don’t be scared as a dreamer. It helps us to release our soul and infuse it with passion.» Presently continuing her studies on the Masters at IFA Paris, perhaps she will be the next Phoebe Philo, whose modern wearability the student admires.
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Nathinee Somvadee BFD 2016 • rabito_b@hotmail.com
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Somvadee took the grand subject of the meaning of life for her graduate collection, reflecting on the uncontrollable ebb and flow of life, and balancing harmonius colours with strong silhouettes. She says, “every look in my collection used more than a hundred different pattern pieces, a variety of colours, and intricate hand stitching to create a whole new shape.”
She is presently working for a local Thai brand, whilst preparing to launch her own label, and advises potential students to, “just follow your heart and do not hesitate.”
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Octaria Yostaman
BFD 2016 • issuu.com/octariayostaman
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Presently working in the Haute Couture atelier of Giambatista Valli, Yostaman eventually hopes to bring a Parisian touch to her own brand, and is inspired by the tradition and culture of her homeland of Indonesia, as well as her adopted city of Paris. The starting point for her collection was as an artwork by a Spanish artist, Rocio Montoya - a collage of photography of humans and nature, which reminded Yostaman of the Alter Ego. After some psychological pondering, Yostaman’s collection
was selected for the IFA Paris fashion show, which, the student notes, required patience, hard work and determination – especially with the textile developments!
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Oluwafeyijimi Otaru-Akpoti BFD 2016 • o.oluwafeyijimi@yahoo.de
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Oluwafeyijimi Otaru-Akpoti
Otaru-Akpoti delves into the origins of mankind, as well as her personal roots, infusing traditional African handwoven fabrics, with a Western spin, resulting in a vibrant contemporary collection. Bright, bold colours allude to her African heritage, and pop artist Roy Lichtenstein alike, whilst Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction is referenced, adding just a touch of danger. Otaru-Akpoti playfully experiments with volumes, adding structured short bell sleeves, echoed in bulbous skirt volumes.
The true international flavour of IFA Paris is thus embraced - curved lines are inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s building for the Guggenheim Museum, as well as the stunning oversized volumes of traditional garments of Otaru-Akpoti’s homeland.
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Andrea Obradovic BFD 2016 • andrea.m.obradovic@gmail.com
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Obradovic grew up amidst the nature and beauty of California, where her homeland influenced her early love of painting. This artistic and natural approach is evident in her 1960s and 1970s inspired collection, which uses patchwork and smocking techniques. Obradovic states, “I was very inspired by the colours of this period and wanted to find a way to use many colours in the collection without it looking like a rainbow explosion.�
Since graduating, Obradovic was in China where her work was shown as part of the Keqiao Textile Competition.
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Anne-Laure Fleurance BFD 2016 • Instagram: @island_sista
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Following a diploma in art and design Fleurance moved to Shanghai for over three years, engaging in the culture, and learning the language. Originally from Reunion Island, Fleurance delights in engaging with new cultures, and combining international experiences. Whilst she found sewing her asymmetrical looks challenging, Fleurance‘s creativity, flexibility and adaptability thrived at IFA Paris, where the atypical shapes of her final collection were based on
Basquiat’s tribal paintings, and the subtle fabric paintings inspired by instinctive writing. The selfconfessed adrenaline-junkie notes, “I wanted to create an organized mess, with a graphic line based on art and craft, primitive hand writing, graphicism and deconstruction.” Presently completing an internship at skate and streetwear label Volcom, Fleurance hopes to bring her multi-cultural mish-mash to Kenzo.
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Christine De Rouen BFD 2016 • cmderouen@me.com
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Following an international upbringing that took her from China to Austria, New York and beyond, De Rouen is taking her love of ballet and the theatre to the next level. Like her muse, Philippe Petit, the tightrope artist who walked on a wire across the twin towers, De Rouen isn’t afraid of a challenge. Her collection took on the tricky task of combining a multitude of fabrics in her final collection, including lightweight polyurethane and rabbit fur, with one skirt
requiring the hand stitching of over 3 meters of fur! Having developed her creativity at IFA Paris, De Rouen realised she enjoyed the narrative aspect of garments, and is working on further study in Costume Design.
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Adjoa Phillips
MACFD 2016 • adjoaphillips@hotmail.com
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Phillips modern take on femininity, combines contemporary wearability, with sensual touches of transparent organza, and subverted shirting. Coupled with a touch of whimsical danger, in the
form of bright red bows on the shoes, the collection well represents the fresh personal style of the Phillips.
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Astika Suprapto MACFD 2016 • astikasuprapto@gmail.com
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Suprapto looks to the cornerstones of the Western wardrobe; jeans, bomber jackets, trench coats and gently re-imagines them. The classical feel is elevated by the deconstruction and reconstruction of such garments, inspired by puzzle pieces. Mixed
denims, and classic shades of camel, are elevated with pops of pastels, and the collection can be worn back to front and vice-versa - working on men and women alike.
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Chen Xi Lu
MACFD 2016 • amelie_lv@hotmail.com
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Chen Xi Lu combines Paris & Shanghai in a collection for men and women, with volumes that strongly look towards the future. The famous Bund skyline of Shanghai is turned on its head - rendered as a print, and placed along sleeves and necklines of
this contemporary collection. Modern super-long sleeves, and oversized cocoon shapes, coupled with knife pleats and a fragmented triangular mosaic print, give a postmodern take on East meets West.
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Moa Zhang
MACFD 2016 • Cargocollective.com/moazhang instagram: moaaozhang
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Zhang’s menswear collection was inspired by the circular doors of Buddhist Temples, and circles are seen throughout the looks. It combines casual fabrics such as grey marl jersey, with structured woven technical tape, to give a fresh workwear-
fused with sportswear inspired feel. Having already worked at brands including Acne Studios and Derek Lam, jazz lover Zhang’s future looks as bright as the pops of colour in her collection.
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Yali Chen
MACFD 2016 • q470486534@163.com
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Chen’s zen streetwear collection ‘Pilgrim,’ was inspired by the culture, inner serenity and spirituality of Tibetan Buddhism. Tonal spicedred menswear looks, punctuated by mustardy
yellows and hints of orange, coupled with minimal silhouettes and white sneakers, give a calm contemporary feel.
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See You in summer 2017 for our next Look-Book
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