FORM SS15 – The Resurrection Issue

F O R M T H E R E S U R R E C T ION SPR ING / SUMMER 15

LA VIE NAIL SPA

FORM SS15

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EDITOR IN CHIEF / CREATIVE DIRECTOR SHAYAN ASADI EXECUTIVE EDITOR JASON CHANDRA EDITOR AT LARGE CHRIS HURTADO

ART DIRECTOR CHELSIA YU SENIOR FASHION EDITOR ALLIE KENNY CONTRIBUTING FASHION EDITORS MBENOYE DIAGNE KATIE ZHOU MICAH ENGILSH HALLIE ASTON EDITORIAL DIRECTOR ALLIE TALLERING WRITERS JENNA GREENSPAN KATHERINE AHN WENDY GUZMAN SHIVAAN TANDON MADHAV DUTT SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR JENNA POCZIK PRODUCTION DIRECTORS GABI WEISS MADYN FIELD TORY MACDONALD ALI HOLZER PRODUCERS DEJANA SARIC LINDSAY GIBSON RISA PIETERS JESSICA YU SYDNEY BURNETT EMILY DUNKEL PHOTOGRAPHER NATASIA LEUNG CONTRIBUTING VIDEOGRAPHER ALEX LARK BEAUTY DHANAPORN CHOONG

PHOTOGRAPHY SHAYAN ASADI

ART JESSICA YU DUKEFORM.COM

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10 NEWS 12 FW15 FASHION WEEK SUMMARY 12 ALESANDRO MICHELLE 13 MET GALA 2015 14 TRENDS

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RENDEZ VOUS 22 #INSTAMODEL 34 FROM THE RUNWAY TO THE RACK 36 STYLISTS TO THE STARS 38 WEARING MASTERPIECES 39

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42 WEAR IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT 62 DOWN ON THE WEST COAST 70 WILD NAILS 76 VIBRANCE

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PAINT ME LIKE ONE OF YOUR FRENCH GIRLS 82 I CAN’T SEE WHERE YOU END AND I BEGIN 92 SELF SERVICE 104

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MEMO FROM EDITOR IN CHIEF SHAYAN ASADI WITH DESIGNER KIM SHUI

THE

BACK, BIGGER, AND BETTER THAN EVER In this young century, everything seems open and driven; no industry or government is impervious to a new generation’s demand for change, for reinvention, for advancement, for anything that feels like a revolution. With that, we welcome you to the new FORM. The changing nature of fashion is what makes it exciting for designers, editors, spectators, and consumers. Fashion is always hungry for new perspectives and new ideas. And in this issue, we wanted to translate this ethos into our pages.

Spring is synonymous with rebirth – it’s out with the old and in with the new. We seek to transcend above and beyond our previous issues, and to create content that’s relevant to the world outside of Duke, while still paying homage to its collaborative and inspiring environment. Our ideas are immense and now our pages are too. We’ve cleaned up our act, and introduced a new, sleek look and feel. Our strong words and stunning photographs stand stronger than ever.

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After a long and arduous winter, it’s time to bask in the sunshine. Winter was a time for reflection and restoration, to prepare ourselves for the future and to come back stronger than ever. We want you to have a fulfilling spring and summer season, and for that reason we have packed this issue with the best of what is to come. Get informed by reading news on upcoming events including the 2015 Met Gala and Björk’s exhibition at MoMA. From athletic wear to denim on denim, stay ahead of the game by following the latest trends.

The innovation doesn’t stop there. Get to know the faces of FORM’s friends and Duke alumni who are trailblazers in their filed – from fashion to art, music to film. This issue we bring you the most talented group of people we’ve featured yet.

Bryan Unkless, the producer behind the box office trilogy, The Hunger Games. The first Sikh model, Sonny Caberwall.

Fashion designer extraordinaire, Kim Shui.

And with the path of discovery, greatness, and ideas, comes collaboration. Learn how designers and artists collaborate to create wearable masterpieces and how stylists and celebrities work together to create jaw-dropping red carpet moments.

Aside from providing these inside scoops, we are also serving up a visual feast of masterful editorials. We paired up with designer, Kim Shui, and Duke’s own Mackenzie Drazen in Wear It Like You Mean It – our cover story this season. The strong structure of the clothing and poses are meant to inspire confidence and power.

Sometimes in the process of rebirth, we need to lose ourselves in order to realize who we truly are, as captured in I Can’t See Where I End and You Begin. Get rid of all the negativity in your life with some Self-Service.

As I look to the future and what lies ahead, I’m happy to have worked with some very talented people for this issue and cherish the relationships I’ve made along the way.

DON’T SETTLE. STAY RESTLESS. X SHAYAN ASADI

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JOIN THE TEAM AT FORM

PHOTOGRAPHERS MODELS WRITERS GRAPHIC DESIGNERS STYLISTS AD SALES HAIR AND MAKEUP VIDEOGRAPHERS PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS WEB DEVELOPERS

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LVMH PRIZE

INFORMED

Eight finalists out of thousands of applicants were announced on March 18 for this year’s LVMH Young Designer Prize, including Milan-based designer Arthur Arbesser, and LVMH veteran and London-based designer Craig Green. The winning designer will be chosen by a jury of well-known names like Nicolas Ghesquière, Marc Jacobs, Karl Lagerfeld, Phoebe Philo, Raf Simons, J. W. Anderson, Humberto Leon and Carol Lim, and Riccardo Tisci. The winner of the award will be announced on May 22nd and receive 300,000 euros and a one-year mentorship to develop their brand.

UPCOMING NEWS IN FASHION AND CULTURE

RIHANNA FOR DIOR

CFDA AWARDS

On March 13th, Rihanna followed the likes of Jennifer Lawrence and Charlize Theron when it was announced that she will be the new face of Dior. This will make fashion history as she is the first black woman to ever front this high fashion brand. She proved her ability to live up to expectations as the new face by wearing a Dior Spring 2015 lavender suit and skirt combo with her ‘bad gal’ twist to the launch of Tidal, bringing a new fresh perspective to the brand.

The Council of Fashion Designers of America Fashion Awards recognizes outstanding contributions made by individuals in the American fashion industry. It showcases the biggest names in fashion and this year’s nominees include Proenza Schouler for womenswear designer of the year, Thom Browne for menswear designer of the year, and The Row (Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen) for accessory design. The 2015 CFDA Fashion Awards will be held on June 1st at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center.

GOVERNOR’S BALL

The annual music festival is back for its fifth year, featuring artists like Florence + The Machine, Rudimental, Deadmau5, Lana Del Ray, and many others. It will have a myriad of popular NYC restaurants and food trucks including Momofuku Milk Bar and Pommes Frites, as well as numerous side activities including a silent disco and lawn games. The festival will be held between June 5th and 7th.

AMY: A DOCUMENTARY ON AMY WINEHOUSE

Amy Winehouse was adored by the world, winning five Grammys awards and sold 20 million albums worldwide. This documentary, made by filmmaker Asif Kapadia, features unseen footage and previously unheard tracks showing an intimate glimpse on the life and tragic death of one of Britain’s greatest artist. The film will be released on July 3rd.

JAMES TURRELL AT HOUGHTON HALL

James Turrell’s Lightscape exhibition is going to be staged in Houghton Hall, UK from the 7th of June to the 24th of October. James Turrell’s artistic style is unique, using surroundings and bold colors to play with spectator’s perceptions.

BJÖRK SHOW AT MOMA

A retrospective exhibition on the musical phenomenon Björk will be on display in MoMA (Museum of Modern Art), drawing from her extraordinary career of more than 20 years.

The exhibition will include her creative music videos, innovative music – played through four custom-made musical instruments – and avant-garde costumes. The exhibition opens on March 8th and runs until June 7th.

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TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL

Robert De Niro’s and friend’s downtown film festival will be showing a wide array of indie features, foreign films, and documentaries, from films chronicling 40 years of SNL (Live From New York) to a post-apocalyptic film showing the production limit in a world without supermarkets. Tickets for the 14th annual film festival, held between April 15th and 26th, are on sale now.

FW15 FASHION WEEK SUMMARY Fall/Winter 2015 has proved to be a season packed full of everything that makes shows memorable: Instagram-worthy moments, standout collections, surprise celebrity appearances, designer debuts, and a plethora of fall trends.

In New York, London, Milan, and Paris, some of the biggest trends from designers reflect a shift back to previous decades, as well as warm patterns, accents, and silhouettes. Anklelength duster coats made prominent appearances at Calvin Klein and Acne, as well as Dries Van Noten, Chloé, and Chanel, among others. These long silhouettes were reinforced by a resurgence of long nineties-esque slip dresses at Céline, Salvatore Ferragamo, and Prabal Gurung. Worn with heeled boots and mod block heels, reinvented these long coats and slip dresses proved to be a fresh, feminine style of winter layering.

Designers revisited the seventies and eighties in a big way for fall. Jonathan Anderson showcased Berlin club-kid inspired fashions at J.W. Anderson and Rodarte presented unabashedly glitzy sequined dresses in New York. Bold colors and retro patterns popped up at several shows, while mutton sleeves returned at Louis Vuitton. Reminiscent of Madonna, a punk vibe emerged at Alexander Wang, Proenza, and Saint Laurent.

However, this wave of retro-inspired collections extended back to the seventies in more peasant-like looks at Anna Sui and Tory Burch. Evidently, this season was all about throwbacks- a notable departure from the minimalism that has dominated ready-to-wear recently.

Some other runway looked seemed more focused on details than the whole silhouette. In terms of color, bright red showed up on coats, dresses, and shoes as a monochromatic statement.

Fur, instead of materializing as full, oversized coats, as it has in the past, accented everything from evening dresses at Proenza and Balenciaga to coats at Prada, Marni, and Michael Kors. Velvet also made its way into collections as patchwork at Christopher Kane and twists on the classic coat at Alexander Wang. Finally, this season seemed to be all about luster and shine, whether in fluid metallics at Loewe, sequins at Nina Ricci, or Lurex at Marco de Vincenzo.

However, it’s impossible to talk about this season’s fashion weeks without mentioning all the headline-making moments documented by paparazzi and cell-phone cameras alike. New blood came to old houses in a big way this season; John Galliano made his much-anticipated, ready-to-wear debut at Margiela, former Carven designer Guillaume Henry brought

a modern feel to Nina Ricci, and Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski debuted at Hermès. Kanye West also made a major reentrance to the realm of fashion design at his own capsule collection, a collaboration with Adidas in New York that boasted a starstudded front row: Kim, Rihanna, Diddy, and Beyoncé. By many accounts, with this collection, Kanye singlehandedly dominated the attention of viewers during Fashion Month, making it #yeezyseason all season. Later, in Paris, Kanye held a series of musical performances at Fondation Louis Vuitton. And last but certainly not least, Valentino’s show was immortalized by the surprise runway appearance by Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller, announcing the sequel to the perpetually relevant Zoolander in the only appropriate fashion – with a walk-off.

Fashion week every year is undeniably exhausting, but undeniably exciting as well. This season especially was fresh with styles, contrasts, and memories that will keep all followers of fashion inspired and keep them talking right up until Fashion Week next year. KATIE ZHOU

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ALESSANDRO MICHELE

GUCCI’S UNLIKELY NEW CHOICE FOR CREATIVE DIRECTOR IS READY TO USHER IN A NEW ERA AND BRING A NEW VISION TO THE BRAND After weeks of speculation, Kering announced that they decided on Alessandro Michele as the new creative director of their marquee brand, Gucci. Michele, 42, has been with the company since 2002 as a member of the design team and was promoted to head of leather goods, shoes, jewelry, and home in 2011. He replaces former creative director Frida Giannini, who left the company in December 2014 along with her husband, CEO Patrizio di Marco. Both members of the couple struggled with salary disputes and left the company dramatically. Rumors swirled about their replacement, given how public and successful they had been. Michele took charge of the AW15 menswear collection after Giannini left ten days before the show. The unexpected nature of her departure forced the team to redo the entire affair. Featuring a number of androgynous looks, including ruffled silk blouses, lace and cropped fur jackets, the collection received positive reviews throughout the industry.

The succession announcement, released on Jan. 21, surprised many fashion insiders due to his relative anonymity outside of Gucci. Marco Bizzarri, the company’s new president and CEO, told Women’s Wear Daily, “Alessandro Michele has been chosen to assume the role as Gucci creative director, based upon the contemporary vision he has articulated for the brand that he will now bring to life. Alessandro and I are fully aligned on this new contemporary vision needed by the brand and we will be continuously inspired by that new identity in our respective roles and duties.” Issues at the top of the brand came after two years of declining sales. Around 2012, Gucci’s growth stalled as they lost creative influence. Kering, the world’s third-largest luxury group, also owns labels like Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen and Yves Saint Laurent. Gucci remains its largest brand, accounting for nearly a third of the group’s annual revenue.

Michele debuted his first womenswear collection for the house in Milan on Feb. 25, building on the androgynous, romantic theme of the menswear collection. It was met with fairly positive reviews. Many hit on the lack of novelty and sophistication, while still applauding the collection’s charm and romance.

Only time will tell if and how Michele’s new vision for the company will succeed. MICAH ENGLISH

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CHINESE WHISPERS MET GALA 2015

The Met Gala, formally called the Costume Institute Gala, is an annual fundraising festival that is held for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City. It is a favorite in terms of New York Fashion events and is always something to look forward to. It’s probably the only time, among all the other red carpet affairs, where your favorite celebrities and designers are encouraged to go beyond and adventurous with their outfits. And it’s always entertaining to see how far A-list celebrities are willing to go to seek the approval of the Queen, Anna Wintour.

This year, the Met Gala has announced that its theme is “China: Through the Looking Glass.” They renamed it from the original, “Chinese Whispers: Tales of the East in Art, Film, and Fashion” in order to eliminate any potential allusion to the game Telephone, which is also called Chinese whispers.

When first announced, this year’s theme seemed unusual compared to past events as most themes are dedicated to either a specific designer or some revolutionary style such as “PUNK: Chaos to Couture” and “Great American Couturier.”

But looking back into history, Chinese culture is not unusual at all. In fact, China has been very present in Western and European history with the discovery of the Silk Road. With the trading of spices, porcelain, silk, and even gun powder, Chinese culture has one way or another affected civilization along the way. Through this exhibition, the Museum hopes to expose how the West has understood and misunderstood Chinese culture. The Met will be showcasing pieces from all disciplines of art - fashion, art, and film. This will provide the public with a rare chance to see and explore authentic Chinese art and film and their influence on Western fashion.

According to Andrew Bolton, the curator of the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan, “From the earliest period of European contact with China in the 16th century, the West has been enchanted with enigmatic objects and imagery from the East, providing inspiration for fashion designers from Paul Poiret to Yves Saint Laurent, whose fashions are infused at every turn with romance, nostalgia, and make­believe.” The exhibition will not only include traditional artworks, but also haute couture pieces that date all the way back to 1984 with Karl Lagerfeld’s porcelain-inspired dress designed for Chanel.

To have these modern pieces juxtaposed to ancient Chinese costumes and art, this showcase will unveil the influence that has been overlooked for many years.

The Met Gala will be a great opportunity for unexposed Asian designers, such as rising star Laurence Xu, to finally enter the spotlight with the beloved Jason Wu and Vera Wang. Hopefully people remember that the theme is to show deference and pay tribute to Chinese culture, not play dress up. KATHERINE AHN

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CAROLINE SANDALS

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AND MARTINA SHELLEYS

WEAR LONDON

S O L E

M A T E S

SANDALS HAVE WITHSTOOD THE TEST OF TIME, BUT THIS SPRING THEY’RE BRINGING SOMETHING NEW TO THE GAME. DITCH YOUR STILETTOS AND STEP INTO THIS SEASON’S FEEL-GOOD FOOTWEAR – TOWERING PLATFORM SANDALS. THINK BIRKENSTOCKS ON STEROIDS. PHOTOGRAPHY SHAYAN ASADI FASHION JASON CHANDRA PRODUCTION + MAKEUP GABI WEISS + LINDSAY GIBSON

Models Martina Tiku, Danielle Duhl, Caroline Vaters + Sinclair Toffa Fashion Assitants Mbenoye Diagne + Chris Hurtado DUKEFORM.COM

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LOOK GOOD WITHOUT BREAKING A SWEAT. CLEAN CUT ATHLETIC WEAR WILL HAVE YOU COMING OUT ON TOP.

OPPOSITE PAGE CAROLINE WEARS JACKET MADEWELL PANTS HER OWN SPORTS BRA FOREVER 21 SNEAKERS LANVIN DANIELLE WEARS SPORTS BRA FOREVER 21 LEGGINGS H&M X ALEXANDER WANG JACKET WITHWALLS SNEAKERS ADIDAS SINCLAIR WEARS SWEATER GIVENCHY SHORTS NIKE SOCKS NIKE SNEAKERS NIKE MARTINA WEARS TOP FOREVER 21 SPORTS BRA HER OWN SKIRT SILENCE + NOISE SNEAKERS BALENCIAGA ABOVE DANIELLE WEARS JACKET PHILLIP LIM DUKEFORM.COM

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DENIM

THE FABRIC OF REBELS AND ROCK STARS. UP YOUR WARDROBE’S QUOTA OF THESE STAPLE PIECES BECAUSE DENIM IS MAKING A COMEBACK THIS SEASON.

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OPPOSITE PAGE CAROLINE WEARS JUMPSUIT ASOS BUCKET HAT FARAH DANIELLE WEARS VEST LEVI’S TOP TRULY MADLY DEEPLY JEANS HEATHER THIS PAGE SINCLAIR WEARS JACKET ALL SAINTS SHORTS SEVEN FOR ALL MANKIND MARTINA WEARS OVERALLS DIESEL SHIRT JCREW

FEATU KIM SHUI LAUNCHES HER LABEL

SONNY CABERWAL, ENTREPRENEUR EXTRAORDINAIRE

STARS’ SECRET WEAPONS

EMILY CRONIN HEADS TRENDING NY

BOOTH MOORE ON WRITING FASHION

FROM THE CANVAS TO THE CLOSET

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URES RANDY ALONSO DOES DENIM

GABRIEL ENG-GOETZ CONNECTS DURHAM TO STYLE

HOW TO WEAR THE RUNWAY

#INSTAFAMOUS #BLESSED #SMIZE #MONEY

BRYAN UNKELESS, THE MAN ON FIRE

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R E NDE Z VOUS WE’VE MET WITH 7 DUKE ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF FORM TO BRING YOU A SERIES OF Q&A’S WITH VISIONARIES IN THE WORLDS OF FASHION, FILM, MUSIC, AND ART. THEY’RE THE PEOPLE YOU NEED TO KNOW, NOW.

KIM SHUI

DESIGNER, KIM SHUI STUDIO

AFTER GRADUATING WITH DEGREES IN ECONOMICS AND FRENCH FROM DUKE, SHE STUDIED FASHION DESIGN AT PARSONS AND CENTRAL ST. MARTINS. BORN IN THE U.S.,RAISED IN ROME, EDUCATED IN NORTH CAROLINA AND LONDON, AND NOW RESIDING IN NEW YORK CITY, KIM SHUI IS A JET-SETTER WHO SEEKS TO EMPOWER THE WOMAN WHO WEARS HER BEAUTIFULLY CRAFTED, INNOVATIVE, AND IMPECCABLE DESIGNS. MEET THE WINNER OF THE MEDIA AWARD AT THE OPENING OF MERCEDES-BENZ CHINA FASHION, DUKE’S OWN UP AND COMING DESIGNER AND VISIONARY WHO’S GOING TO TAKE THE FASHION INDUSTRY BY STORM. JASON CHANDRA

JASON CHANDRA: What was it like transitioning from Duke to Central Saint Martins or Parsons? Is there anything different or distinct between these two places – an art school versus a ‘traditional’ university?

KIM SHUI: It is not that hard moving from Duke to CSM or Parsons because I went to an international school growing up and I moved around often. I’m used to packing up my bags and being constantly on the go, so moving to CSM and Parsons is relatively easy for me. For me, fashion is not just about something visual; it is also a reflection of today’s society. You need to understand beyond just knowing what looks good; you need to get inspired. I feel that at Duke, you can get a very broad perspective. Even though Duke is not a fashion school, you can still get inspired by a lot of things here – science, economics – and that’s something that gives me an advantage. And at CSM, everyone is trying to take criticism for their designs since people have different taste and it definitely taught me how to have a thick skin, which is important if you want to survive in the industry.

Do you always know you want to be a designer?

KS I always wanted to be a fashion designer. I recently flipped through an old elementary school yearbook and saw this page that shows ‘what you want to be when you grow up’ and mine was fashion designer.

What are the main influences behind your designs?

KS I am really interested in capitalizing on the ability for clothing to empower the women who wear it. I am also intrigued at how clothing is 3D on the body, like the sculptural aspect of

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it. Especially nowadays, fashion has become ‘too fast’ – everything is mass produced – and we wanted to promote a brand that pushes time as a luxury, so we do a lot of custom and specialized one-of-a-kind garments that can take long hours to produce. We want people to know that time is being put into it and it is luxurious in that way.

Choose three words to describe your recent collection: Untitled.

KS I’ll do a phrase: abstraction of the body.

What’s the thought process behind the collection? How did you do the initial research for it?

KS Untitled is about the zero form, about metaphorically removing the female form of the body.

Inspired by Malevich, a painter who works with human figures that are distorted, I wanted to reflect this spirit onto the garments. I want to bring everything back to ground zero.

I see that Untitled is very structured and what I find different from your previous collection is that it’s more colorful. How has this collection evolved from the previous ones (Perception and Transcend)?

Untitled is a development of my previous collections. My collection always remains very sculptural, but I started off being afraid of color. I’ve grown on it. Each collection not only continues the story from the previous collection, but it also develops on it.

You’ve been everywhere in the world, from Rome to London and New York City. If you have to choose one country to live in for the rest of your life what would it be and why?

KS It’s probably between New York City or Paris, I can’t pick. New York because it’s so diverse and vibrant, and there’s an energy that you can’t replicate. Paris because I was there for a study abroad while I was at Duke, and I fell in love the city and its architecture. The good thing about Paris is that it is closer to home (Rome) but New York is great.

What is your opinion on the CFDA Awards or how LMVH helps these young designers?

KS There are a lot of new designers emerging every year, so I think it’s great to give them funding, press, promotion and basically support for the young designers.

What are the things you miss about being at Duke?

KS Well, I miss a lot of things. Just being able to live with your friends all together, the professors and classes, it was a really awesome experience for me.

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SONNY CABERWAL

FOUNDER AND CEO, BOND

ASHEBORO NATIVE SONNY CABERWAL GRADUATED FROM DUKE IN 2001. WITH A DIVERSE SET OF PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES UNDER HIS BELT, SONNY IS WIDELY KNOWN AS AN INTERNET ENTREPRENEUR AND AS THE FIRST SIKH MODEL IN THE WORLD. SHIVAAN TANDON

SHIVAAN TANDON: Tell us about your Duke experience.

SONNY CABERWAL: I did the Program II at Duke, so I designed my own major. I was very interested in globalization. I wanted to learn how different cultures interacted with each other so I studied international business and globalization. The impact was very significant as it helped define my career. I also started an organization called ‘Students to unite Duke’. There’s always been the question what diversity means at Duke. Being a Sikh at Duke meant having a very unique identity. There are barely any Sikhs on campus. Now that either meant being on your own or that you could go everywhere. But what I found was that for my white friends it was very difficult to go to minority events and for minorities to go to big white events. Now really they’re all the same. There’s a very tiny difference between people of 18 and 22 who go to Duke University. They all listen to similar music and have similar ambitions but sometimes let those tiny differences become big. So I realized that I wanted to create more diverse social environments. That is what my organization would cater to. We would have parties where different kinds of people would hang out. We would raise money by doing large-scale events at Duke and 2000 people from Duke attended our first event which was a big deal. It was a really interesting exercise in learning social dynamics. Now there’s book education that everyone receives at Duke and there’s also learning about yourself, which to me, was the most valuable.

The relationships that I built with people in that environment carried a lot of weight for me. Just walking into the door today I bumped into someone three years younger than me. And I have these experiences almost daily. It’s incredible. The whole Duke experience as a package was great and I’m glad I carry a very fond and positive memory of it.

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What is your take on the social environment at Duke?

SC I was a part of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity at Duke but I wouldn’t consider myself one of the most active members. I spent a lot of my time with people in Hispanic, Black or White fraternities. At least a lot of the fraternity system while I was at Duke revolved around housing. A huge part of it was getting good housing on West Campus but of course it was also about being social for a lot of people. I think that there’s just not many places to go as opposed to a large university and I guess around 3,000 people are actively going out at Duke out of around 7,000.

Then there are people just doing different kinds of things. I think that everyone gets to know each other just by seeing each other over and over again during these four years. Sometimes people tend to surround themselves with like-minded people but the value of going to a place like Duke is to interact with people unlike you. The biggest thing I’d take away from Duke is diversity in experience. It’s not only about racial diversity at Duke but sometimes its difficult to find socioeconomic diversity at Duke. Often people from different races also have similar backgrounds. Spending time with people with different backgrounds even if they’re the same race is an important part of learning. It’s incredible how your social experiences can widen your horizon in so many ways.There’s obviously still a value of being around similar people but it’s about finding the right mix and learning about things you wouldn’t otherwise come across. For example, I run a robotics company now. I didn’t even know that was a thing. It’s just fascinating how your interactions and experiences can unlock your capabilities and lead to things that can impact the world for the better.

During your time at Duke is there something that you would want to change or do anything differently?

SC I have a strong positive memory of my time at Duke. I made my best friends in the whole world and really enjoyed my time there. The thing is that with so many opportunities at Duke there is no downside. There is just so much power in exploring things with no risk. I don’t think

there is anything I would like to change as such. All I’d say is that I wasn’t aware of how unique those years of your life really are.

How does it feel to be the first Sikh model in the world and what does that tag mean to you?

SC It’s not something that I was looking for in the sense that I wasn’t actively pursuing it. I didn’t even know there could be something like that I could do. I am grateful I came across this opportunity and consequently the offer. Through this opportunity I got an insight into the power of fashion. I realized how people could see someone differently through this lens. People can feel underrepresented or walk a lonely road with a unique identity. I think this helped me channel my unique identity into the world. Then people reached out to me about how they were proud and happy that the Sikh religion was portrayed in such a good light. It’s just a confidence booster and makes people realize their potential and its utility as it did for me. I did not know a modeling campaign could make people that happy. Seeing how proud and well-represented people felt I saw the power of fashion and its influence on an individual and a group’s identity and from thereon I immersed myself into the world of fashion.

Tell us about Exclusively and Sher Singh and how you see India as a market for fashion.

SC I moved back to India three years ago. Now not many people move back to India after being born and raised by Indian parents in America. But it is a spectacular opportunity that I see. Of course it has challenges but there is a bright future in store for India as a fashion market. As I mentioned before fashion has the potential of being a strong reflector of identity. To begin with, I think it’s important to figure out what a certain band of consumers are looking for. In India today a foreign brand represents quality and aspiration and is also a status symbol. However, people only engage with a certain brand if they can relate to it and this is what my idea was for Sher Singh. I tried to combine all the elements of a foreign brand that Indians seek along with the authentic Indian relatable product. Sher Singh is a brand that arises out of the game

of cricket. Being such a stylish sport and with the esteem it held in India, I was surprised that there wasn’t any cricket based fashion brand yet. Cricket in India is like combining the hype and fame of all of America’s celebrities into one package! With such a famous theme in mind and the 2011 World Cup going on, I believed that it was the best opportunity to introduce Sher Singh.I see a lot of ‘made in India’ in foreign markets but have never really come across an Indian brand as such abroad. The idea of Exclusively was to bring Indian fashion to a global scale. To demonstrate the power and potential of Indian fashion. Now Indians or others living abroad can order Indian clothes online and receive them at their doorstep and I think that’s amazing for Indian fashion as an institution.

Being involved in the fashion world how did the idea for something like a robotics company, Bond, come to you?

SC Look now you came all the way to New York from Durham to conduct this interview. I might really want to properly thank you for doing that. Or maybe you might want to thank me for agreeing to do this interview. In daily circumstances or otherwise we can across many times where we really want to reach out and adequately appreciate what someone else has done for you. Sending someone a fashionable, good-looking handwritten note certainly won’t hurt. It just shows that you’re very appreciative and thankful. We at Bond do that job for you by adding a personal touch and help build and better interpersonal and professional relationships. I think that the first step in the diversity in my professional experience comes from my Duke education where I studied under Program two which was a very unique path. The whole entrepreneurial and start up feeling and confidence arised out of that. Once I ventured and explored things I kept fascinating myself with things that I had no idea about while at university. That exposure to starting something new every time has two sides to it. Every time you have to start from scratch, which is a big challenge. However, you expose yourself to so many things and with a lot of experience under your belt you’re ready to face the challenges as they come.

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RANDY ALONSO

GRADUATING AS A CIVIL ENGINEER FROM DUKE’S PRATT SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING IN 2006, RANDY ALONSO HAS APPLIED THE PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS HE LEARNED AT DUKE TO THE RETAIL INDUSTRY. WORKING IN RETAIL HAS ALWAYS BEEN A FAMILY AFFAIR, AS HIS GRANDFATHER, FATHER, AND UNCLE FOUNDED LA ÉPOCA, AN UPSCALE MIAMI DEPARTMENT STORE, IN 1965. SINCE GRADUATING FROM DUKE, RANDY HAS WORKED ALONGSIDE HIS BROTHER BRIAN ALONSO, PRATT ‘01, IN MANAGING OPERATIONS AT LA ÉPOCA. THIS PAST FALL, THE ALONSO BROTHERS OPENED A DENIM BOUTIQUE IN DOWNTOWN MIAMI CALLED LOST BOY DRY GOODS DENIM BOUTIQUE. HERE IS RANDY ALONSO ON HIS DUKE EXPERIENCE, HIS DAY TO DAY LIFE AS A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER, AND THE PROCESS OF OPENING UP A NEW RETAIL STORE IN MIAMI’S DOWNTOWN AREA. WENDY GUZMAN

WENDY GUZMAN: I wanted to start off by asking you about your Duke experience, how you chose to come to Duke, and what you studied.

RANDY ALONSO: I am one of six children. I am number 5 in the mix and I had two older brothers who went to Duke. By the time it got around to me, I had visited campus many times and had a legacy there. My brothers had a great experience. The first one his name is Anthony and he was Trinity class of 1998.

Brian, who is my brother and my partner in the retail business, was Pratt class of 2001. He was Biomedical engineering and he really was having a great experience. Visiting him made my decision that I also wanted to go to Duke and I wanted to study engineering as well.

La Época has a very long family history. Could you tell us more about how it was established?

RA My whole family, my grandfather started the store that we work in now, in Havana, Cuba. He originally built a large department store that was taken away by the Castro government in 1960. Then we moved to Miami where my dad went into the business with my uncle and they started the store over again in Miami. The current department store (La Época) will be going into its fiftieth year. The original store (La Época) still exists in La Havana, Cuba. My brother and I went back to Havana two weeks ago. It is the first time anyone in my family went back to the island since we left in 1960. The store is still there. We went and visited it. We met all the managers and the people who work there and it was a pretty incredible experience.

Is it still a department store like it originally was?

RA When we left it was the third largest store in the country and now it is the largest. It is now more like a mall than a department store, but we went in and met the general manager.

She brought usinto our grandfather’s old office where they had the board meetings and everything. They had an albumthere of old photos where they had a photo of my grandfather, my great uncle, and the whole family. They had no idea who they were.

The store still exists there, but we have had no association there since it was taken away in the 60’s. Retail has always been in my family. So when I did summer abroad in London at the London School of Economics and saw how they did retail in stores there, I started thinking about our history here in Miami.

I made the decision that I wanted to go into the family business but I would still continue my engineering degree and finish.

Is that when you decided to move back to Miami or was that always the plan?

RA No between sophomore and junior year I decided that I was going to come back to Miami and I was going to go into the retail store which we were currently expanding. We had a property that wasbecoming available and we wanted to move the store from the old location here in downtown Miami tothe newer one. It was kind of an opportunity to rebrand the store.

It was a moment when you couldchange the concept yet keep the hundreds of years of heritage you have from the name. At that time my brother, who was a biomedical engineer, also had the opportunity to move back to Miami and come into the business as well. He had been working for Ford Motor Company for five years. We basically came in at the same time.

We moved our store from its old location and redid it into the current location that we are in now. Along that process we were able to redesign. For me, I do all the buying, merchandising, and more of the interior design of the store, where my brother is all operational. He isthe real engineer and I am more of the fake one. I always joke around that when we were young, he was the one taking apart the VCR and putting it back together

CO-FOUNDER, LOST BOY DRY GOODS

where I was the one doodling in the corner.

Your new store, Lost Boy Dry Goods, focuses on selling denim products. How did you decideto establish a store that focuses on denim?

RA Downtown Miami, like most downtown areas in the country went through a decline in the 90’s. Save the major metropolitans, like Chicago or New York, everyone moved out to the suburbs.

We have been going through, in the last 20, 25 years, a regentrification of our neighborhood. We have always been downtown and we’re been big supporters of the area. Maybe born out of frustration of being the only nice independent store in our area—we were saying to ourselves—we can complain all we want about the street, but it is hard to become the only destination when you are one store and there is not that much retail around. So we started planning—why don’t we give our customers and Miami an additional shopping experience. Instead of expanding one store, opening up individual stores that have their own unique look and feel. We had the opportunity to go into a great location and go into one of the original spaces that my grandfather started in. We were thinking of different concepts that we wanted to do. We had a children’s clothing concept, a luggage concept, and one of them was a denim concept. Really, I had a little bit more passion on the denim side, as it has a lot Americana heritage. We decided to go ahead and start with that one. So we do have plans to expand further on the street and keep building the retail in the area, but Lost Boy was the first one.

I think that is actually one of the most interesting aspects of your new store is that it is not necessarily just a fashion store, but it is actually trying to build a community and improve the downtown area. Was it hard to make that decision though? I am sure there were plenty of other areas outside of the downtown area that were more established in retail. . .

RA Yes! You have Miami Beach and the retail is there. Rents are high, but there is high volume. We’ve always had a passion for downtown. Our father was always very involved, civically involved in the area and promoting it. So we’ve always had a passion and we really feel that the future of Miami is here. I mean I like Miami and all the neighborhoods around have their own personalities, but I don’t think there would have ever been the question that we would have gone outside of downtown.

For our concept which it to build our street, it gives us the opportunity to create something of our own and not piggy back on someone else but really lead it.

Can you talk a little bit more about the process of setting up the store? How did you choose what designers what you wanted to feature in the store or how did you choose the store’s interior design?

RA There comes in my civil engineering degree. I did all the design, I sourced everything. I drew it up on the programs that I learned to use in college and that’s how the contractor worked off of it. I have always had an interest and passion for interior design, vintage shopping, traveling, picking things up, and bringing them back, using them, and reusing them. For example, all the reclaimed wood in the store is from two different places in Tennessee. All the wood siding is from three different barns that were taken apart. Then we have some floor boards on our second floor, our mezzanine, that are from an old store in the mountains of Tennessee. It took me a month to find the guy who does that kind of work, a month to pick out the wood, and then a month to figure out how I was going to get 10,000 pounds of it from his backyard in Tennessee to our store. I feel like I’ve always had that personality to be determined to take your time, solve problems. Again, going back to what Brian and I learned at Duke with our engineering degrees, I feel like that is what engineering teaches you to do—how to think through problems and think logically.

Your business has always been very family oriented, what is it like to work with family? I’m sure it’s different than working with peers who aren’t your family?

RA You tend to show a little bit more emotion because you are allowed to. There would be a little bit more screaming and yelling. If someone was mad, you might say some harsher words than if you were in a boardroom with several people that were not family, because if you said those things there it would be more of a serious things. We learned be quickly that we could yell and scream and be passionate, but at the end of the day we are still going to go to dinner with each

other. It’s really nice working with family. We’ve always had great relationships with all of our siblings and parents. With that you also get strong trust from everyone.

What was the hardest obstacle you had to overcome when opening up the new store (Lost Boy Dry Goods Denim Boutique)?

RA If anything, any city a lot of the inner workings of government tend to be difficult especially permitting, working with fire inspectors, things with code. It was fun to get the store opened, decorate it, think of the name, and the logo. But you had a concept that you thought of that was not tested, you had no history on what it would do, and now that you are open the hard part is to figure out what does your customer really want.

You might have thought in your mind that your customer was going to come in and jeans were going to be the best seller, but you start working with what your assortments really should be, what is really selling, what is not. The hard part is listening to your customer and not getting set in your ways in what you believed your concept was going to be in the first place. For example, something with that I wasn’t expecting was that our jeans that are very high end, unique, made in American and hand stitched aren’t necessarily best sellers. I’m actually selling a lot of vintage clothing that I source from LA or Atlanta that is very reasonable prices, and it’s used. People are coming in andbuying that over high end jeans.

Having an online presence is so important now days in the retail industry. Have you taken any steps to promote both La Época and Lost Boy Dry Goods through these means?

RA With the La Época store since we are a department store we carry luggage, we carry footware, we carry children’s clothing, it is a little bit harder to really focus on a specific marketing strategy but something that we did starting in November and we do twice a year now is our own magazine. A high gloss really beautifully made magazine. We have a company out in New Jersey that does it for us, they produce the fashion shoots, we send them items, they take photos, and we get ads from our vendors and from local businesses. We then direct mail it to thousands of residents in our direct area. La Época has always been traditionally more of a tourist store. I am almost 75% tourist business. You have a lot out of South American and European tourists who come and usually want brand names. They want Polo, Lacoste. With Lost Boy I am 75% local and 25% tourist. So that was my goal, to bring a new customer into our area. I think now days you see the decline of independent stores and retailers when you are competing with big box, online, and malls. I think opening up the store and the type of store we did gained a lot of attention in the beginning. One of the ways that we really tried to put ourselves out in the market was we had some really good PR. We had a lot of nice articles written about us. I wrote an Op- Ed to the Miami Herald that got published. That kind of PR started the buzz. I use social media over there, but I want to keep it simple. I feel Facebook and twitter are a little over saturated, overused, a little complicated. I really just focus on Instagram and I push people through Instagram @lostboydrygoods Athleisure wear is becoming increasingly popular now days. Do you think it could affect denim sales?

RA If you look at the history of denim, it is work wear material.

When we look at denim now, specially the rise of premium denim, you’ve got stretch and elastin in them. I don’t know if we can really truly call it denim anymore, but it is part of listening to your customer. I brought a lot of raw denim, true to the history pieces, and what wound up selling were all the pieces that had the stretch — the elastin — because they truly are more comfortable. It is something that you put it on right away and a customer is going to be very happy. On the other hand with traditional raw denim you have to wear it, not wash it for a year, care for it a certain way, break them in. I think the way our lives are now we are all very impatient people, we want to have it comfortable and fit right away. Personally, I like the authenticity of a raw denim and that is my personal style, but thway I see the retail industry going it is the stretch the soft, thin ounced fabric that really are selling on the Men’s and Women’s side.

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BOOTH MOORE

FASHION CRITIC, LOS ANGELES TIMES

BOOTH MOORE GRADUATED FROM DUKE IN 1994 WITH A DEGREE IN HISTORY. SHE HAS WORKED AS A FASHION CRITIC AT THE LOS ANGELES TIMES FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS. SHE HAS ATTENDED AND WRITTEN ABOUT FASHION WEEKS ALL AROUND THE WORLD AND INTERVIEWED LUMINARIES LIKE KARL LAGERFELD, MICHAEL KORS, AND RACHEL ZOE. LINDSAY GIBSON

LINDSAY GIBSON: When you were at Duke what did you feel like the fashion was like?

Was it a big part of what people cared about?

BOOTH MOORE: Not at all. Fashion was not a major part of Duke and things like FORM did not exist when I was there.

You just got back from Paris Fashion Week. What was new this year? What were the major trends and things that excited you on and off the runway?

BM There was Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson walking the Valentino show to announce the sequel to their movie Zoolander. Having an announcement of the most democratic thing in the world like a film, having that on a high fashion runway, it is kind of a benchmark for how much fashion has changed and how acceptable its gotten. The Kardashians were everywhere, Kanye West, Lady Gaga, almost every big celebrity was at one show or the other and it creates a kind of crazy circus that is as much a part of what fashion is now as clothing itself. That for me was a big take away and also the individual styles on and off the runway and the way designers try and capture the notion of individual style through their collection, which is kind of a weird idea. The whole point of a collection is to be a statement or show a trend but there was a lot of talk about put forth more of an individual style on the runway, which was only partially successful. A good example would be the Dries Van Noten show where they took inspiration from rock singers. There were crazier looks that were more idiosyncratic.

Do you feel like the current fashion trends on the runway and worn by celebrities are in conversation with one another, or is it the designer who dictates what’s seen on the red carpet?

BM I think they have quite a bit. By and large, they’re wearing these clothes more than anyone.

For example, what is on the red carpet is very much a partnership between a celebrity and

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a designer as far as what the ultimate gown looks like. There is a lot of input from stylists, managers and publicists. As far as the runway collections, there’s consideration of what are we going to put out there that celebrities are going to be able to wear to premieres, film festivals or award shows. I think that that is something that is in the back of the mind of designers when they’re creating collections. On the other hand, so is the reality that the world has gotten much more casual in the last twenty years. That is why we have been seeing denim on almost every runway and lots of t-shirts. It is interesting because you have these two colliding ideas because the people who dress up the most in the world are celebrities but the people who might actually consume these clothes, in terms of wearing them in their everyday lives and by in large dressing much more casually.

You recently co-authored The Glitter Plan, a book about Juicy Couture. How did you get involved in that project? Are books something you would like to do more of in the future?

BM Juicy Couture was a brand I started covering almost from the beginning. It’s an L.A. brand and it had an interesting place because it helped bring L.A. style to the rest of the world with the tracksuit being such a phenomenon and also again, the casualness of the world. Juicy was taken seriously by New York and European fashion. It was an interesting brand to delve into.

The two founders, Pam and Gela, I’ve known for a really long time and they are real characters.

They’re easy to write about and I had never done a book before, but they wanted to do a book and we knew each other and it worked out. We wrote an outline for the book and a pitch and it got picked up. We wrote it together and it was a fun experience. It was different for me because I am used to being much more independent. When I work I am the only one writing, I’m the one coming up with ideas, I’m the one covering, so it was an interesting exercise to work on something more collaborative where I was channeling someone else’s voice. It was a cool thing to do and I’m not sure I would do it again but I would like to write another book from my own perspective. I’m not sure what it would be about but it’s hopefully something I would do in the next few years.

EMILY CRONIN

FOUNDING EDITOR, TRENDINGNY

AFTER GRADUATING FROM DUKE IN 2007, EMILY WENT ON TO WRITE FOR BRITISH VOGUE, ELLE UK, HARPERS BAZAAR US AND U.K. COMPETING IN A VOGUE WRITING CONTEST IN LONDON LED HER TO BE THE FOUNDING EDITOR OF NEW YORK’S NEWEST MILLENNIAL-FOCUSED MAGAZINE, TRENDINGNY. JENNA GREENSPAN

JENNA GREENSPAN: What do you do now and how did you get there after graduating Duke?

EMILY CRONIN: I am the Founding Editor of TrendingNY, Hearst’s new fashion, culture and beauty magazine for millennial New York women. We produced four pilot issues last year and are prepping for the publication of our first monthly issue in May. I moved to London after graduation. Winning a Vogue writing competition launched my career in fashion magazines.

Five years later, after working for British editions of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Elle, I moved to New York. Hearst was looking for an editor who could take the idea of a free fashion and beauty magazine for young women and run with it—conceptualize the content, give it a real identity, and see if it had wings. The opportunity to edit and launch a magazine for a national magazine publisher by the time you’re 30 is truly a rare one, so obviously I said yes. I ended up having an incredible experience and was totally thrilled and gratified when they asked if I would stay on board for a second phase, a monthly launch.

What are some things you did at Duke that still help you today?

EC My major and my academic focus weren’t really the typical background for someone who’s going to work in fashion magazines. But I wrote as much as I could. I joined The Chronicle the first week of my freshman year and ended up writing and editing long stories for Towerview.

I was as engaged in campus culture as humanly possible, cochairing the Nasher Student Committee, acting in student plays and films, and serving on my sorority’s executive board. I also minored in Fine Art with a Photography focus, so I was very involved in visual and written culture at Duke. I’m grateful that I extracted so much relevant experience and education from my extracurriculars. They gave me the sense that you can do just about anything if you ask the right questions and find the best possible collaborators, and that is something I think about almost every day in my work now.

What is something you wish you had known before graduation?

EC Sadly, very few people care where you went to school! The Duke name did not do me any favors in London, which was humbling. I wish I had known that it would be okay, because I think coming from a school like Duke and seeking to enter the competitive fashion indsutry, it’s easy to start to feel downhearted about how slow the progress is. But if you keep at it, it may just come together. You never know what could happen next.

What advice do you have for someone going into the industry?

EC Take smart risks. It’s a lot easier to accept another internship when you’re 22 than it is to re-set your career path when you’re 29. Also, you have to be your own publicist. No one else is going to advocate on your behalf… Unless you have your mother out there helping you get a job.

What is your biggest regret?

EC Even moves that haven’t been the most obvious choices in my career have paid off by adding competencies or introducing me to contacts who have become great friends or collaborators.

Last week I went to a dinner party hosted by a girl I worked with as an assistant at an online fashion startup, and we were reminiscing about sharing a desk — really a plywood plank — that was right next to the office bathroom. And now we’re sipping cocktails at an Upper East Side restaurant; she founded her own digital agency and I’m editing a magazine. So no regrets. But I probably wasted time being anxious when I could have been having fun.

What has been your craziest experience thus far?

EC Interviewing Mick Jagger. That one was at Harper’s Bazaar. I came to work, I practiced how I was going to answer the phone; he said, “Hello Emily, Mick here,” and I fell in love.

Any last words?

EC Graduating from Duke and going into the great unknown, you have to be a little brave. If there’s something you really believe in and want to do, you just have to do it. And if you’re not sure, then keep trying different things until you find it.

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BRYAN UNKELESS

SENIOR VP OF DEVELOPMENT, COLORFORCE PICTURES

BRYAN UNKELESS GRADUATED FROM DUKE IN 2004 AND MOVED TO LA TO LAUNCH HIS CAREER IN FILM. AFTER WORKING AT A PRODUCTION COMPANY RUN BY A DUKE ALUM, BRYAN WORKED AT DREAMWORKS AS A STORY ASSISTANT, BEFORE MOVING TO COLORFORCE PICTURES, WHERE HE HAS WORKED SINCE 2007. HE IS NOW THE SENIOR VP OF DEVELOPMENT AT COLORFORCE, WHERE HE PRODUCED THE HUNGER GAMES. JENNA GREENSPAN

JENNA GREENSPAN: Tell us about what you do now and how you got there after graduating.

BRIAN UNKELESS: I am the senior Vice President of Development at Colorforce Pictures, which entails trying to generate and oversee new film and television projects. I read a lot of scripts, books, articles, watch a lot of movies, and try to come up with new potential movies or TV shows and then work on pushing those projects forward. I meet with writers, directors, and actors, and help pull the projects together, making sure they are being developed creatively into the best versions of the story. I help the director realize his or her vision as much as possible while trying to make sure that we stay on track.

Is there anything you learned at Duke that was helpful getting you where you are today?

BU Definitely. For one, when I was a senior I was able to take more screenwriting and directing classes. My screenwriting and directing professors were both really inspirational and helpful in making me feel like I could pursue some sort of career in film. The other thing I think back on a lot was that I produced the Last Day of Classes (LDOC) Party, which was a really good experience because it made me strengthen a lot of skills that I actually use in my day-to-day now, like overseeing projects, making sure the creative people involved felt comfortable and ready to go, making sure we stayed on budget, kind of just making sure that all the details were attended to so people were able to have an enjoyable time. I think Duke is making great strides since I left towards being more oriented towards the arts, which makes me happy. I feel like, particularly when I was there, it was very much oriented towards fields like finance and medicine. I remember going to the Career Center and saying I wanted to work in film, and they were not as prepared to be helpful as I think they seem like they have become now. I also think there’s great programs now like Duke in LA, which I’m really actively involved in out here, and I think that that is a great way to find your way into the arts. I’ve also been impressed by what the Nasher Museum has been doing – it seems like they’re moving forward in the right direction.

What are you most proud of in your career?

BU The one that comes to mind first would of course be part of the Hunger Games. Being able to push that book forward and work with Suzanne Collins and Nina Jacobson and really helping bring that book to life on the big screen - that was an amazing experience and something I feel fortunate to have been a part of. I really love the story, and feel that it has a lot to say while also being incredibly entertaining and accessible, and that’s exactly what I wanted to do when I first came out here. I’m also just proud of the day to day. It’s easy to look at certain successes and say “Those are what I’m proud of,” but in this industry it’s very much a rollercoaster. If you can stick it out and be a part of it long term and navigate the highs and lows and still keep fighting – that’s something that you need to be proud of. You’re still out there trying to help make stories, because a lot of people aren’t. Even people I started with, and I haven’t even been here that long, but, a lot of people get out here and then pursue other things and I’m proud that I’m still doing it.

You talked about really enjoying “The Hunger Games” story; is there ever a struggle between staying faithful to the authors’ intentions while still producing an entertaining movie?

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BU We’ve been lucky to have had a lot of book adaptations at the company, and that’s always a careful line that you walk. You’re trying to really be as faithful to the source material as possible, make it feel like the source material and have the spirit of the source material, while of course you need to make some departures, just because you’re working in a different medium. If you just did a B for B translation, it wouldn’t work. We try to do everything possible to be faithful and when we do depart, we make sure we really earn it and we have a real reason as to why we need to depart. We are in constant conversations with our authors to try to find the best solution when we do need to depart. It’s especially important when you’re adapting a book that is as beloved as the Hunger Games, where you have a really passionate built-in fan base that we love and respect. You have to really try to stay true to the original story and we want to do that anyway, because we love and respect Suzanne and her vision, and we’re trying to protect her book. So yes, that is always a conversation, almost in every meeting: when do we depart and do we need to?

Any advice you have for people going into the industry?

BU I would say one: it’s okay to take the chance. You’re young, and just right out of college. You don’t have to have all the answers or have to take the more expected, conservative path. Believe in yourself and bet on yourself enough to at least try to pursue something that is potentially more risky and if you do that, remember that it is a bit of a journey and it’s not gonnna come quickly. You have to pay your dues when you do get that first internship, really know your role and work hard at that role and learn as much as possible. Your first job when you get out into the workforce is to learn as much as possible to be able to make an educated choice as to what you wanna do within the desired industry, and once you can make that choice, direct everything at that. Job #1: figure out what you want to do and job #2: put everything into that and don’t be sidetracked. It’s so hard to do anything out here – you have to really focus on what it is, but you don’t want to make that decision prematurely. You want to make sure you’ve spent some time exploring as much as you can to find what that path is.

Is there anything you regret in your career?

BU Yes there are regrets, but they are experiences in their own way. I hear “I wish I had pursued a certain project,” or been more aggressive on certain things, but that helps form who you are and you can learn from that. Big picture, I don’t regret moving out here or pursuing this career.

The biggest regret I could have had was not doing it, and so I’m glad that I did.

Any last words?

BU Duke is an amazing place, but the student body is comprised of some real overachievers who are so eager to take on that next step and to put themselves in the right position. The student body is so oriented towards thinking about the best way to put themselves in the position to get that job, award or grade, and while that is necessary and it is a more increasingly difficult job market, your task at Duke is to pursue everything that you find interesting and make yourself as interesting as possible. You rarely have the opportunity in life to just go and explore whatever it is you want, and I wish that people valued the freedom of thought that Duke provides - the idea that you can go and make the best version of yourself and not get wrapped up about how it is going to end up paying off but just do it to find the best version of yourself. Surprisingly that often leads to the best results when you’re actually here – people are most interested in not necessarily the traditionally driven person, but the type of person who is unique and interesting and creative and takes advantage of weird, crazy, opportunities and has something to say from a singular perspective. So do what you can to form that singular perspective.

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GABRIEL ENG-GOETZ

FOUNDER AND DESIGNER, RUNAWAY

GABRIEL ENG-GOETZ WAS BORN AND RAISED IN DURHAM, NC. HE WENT TO UNDERGRAD AT SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY AND NOW LIVES BACK IN THE AREA. HE IS A FREELANCE ARTIST AND DESIGNER, WHILE ALSO RUNNING A CLOTHING COMPANY CALLED RUNAWAY. JENNA POCZIK

JENNA POCZIK: Can you tell me a little bit about how growing up in Durham shaped you?

GABRIEL ENG-GOETZ: So I’m a product of Durham Public Schools. Essentially, a lot of my inspiration in my art and in the clothing company is inspired by the city of Durham and my upbringing.

Could you talk a little bit about your experience at undergrad?

GEG I went to Syracuse and got a BFA in illustration there. That was my formative education in arts. Of course, I took classes in high school in art, but the funding and the resources weren’t exactly ideal. Durham Public Schools don’t really have a lot of money, especially for the arts.

So that was a valuable experience for me socially, mentally, artistically, but again, that was an interesting experience because I experienced going to an outside college and obviously there was a kind of relationship between the city of Syracuse and the university, and there definitely was this weird relationship between locals and students and locals who actually went to the school. My roommate was actually one of those people who fell into that category. There was definitely a stigma against him.

How did your travels around the U.S. and the world influence you?

GEG Basically through my dad’s line of work, he did a lot of international relations work so I lived in Ukraine for a little, in Australia for a stint, in Italy for a while, just traveled to tons of countries in my time and those experiences spent outside the US were definitely very key in forming my visual eye as well as my education, not formal, but more so just life. Obviously, that translates into my art as well. While I was in Australia, that was the time when I came up with Runaway, the brand that is currently a big focus of mine. Those were extremely valuable experiences and definitely extremely important to my artistic development.

Can you tell me a little more about Runaway?

GEG Essentially, I started the brand about three years ago. It kind of started off as a side project, like a hobby almost. As an artist, I realized pretty quickly that you have to be pretty versatile. Its not the easiest field to get into and make a living out of so I just feel extremely fortunate that I’m basically able to work for myself and live my lifestyle solely based on my artistic expression. So, Runaway was basically just a whole new avenue for me to express my artistic vision, and granted, as a young adult, especially when I first got out of college, I was broke, all my friends were pretty much broke, it’s not like they could afford some painting that I spent six months on. The gallery scene in Durham, you know, it’s a smaller city so the scene here isn’t necessarily up to par with the larger, metropolitan areas where the art scene is really big and young, contemporary artists can actually make a living. In the gallery scene around here, unfortunately, the people who are willing to pay a decent amount for it are looking for more living room art like landscapes, cityscapes, and that’s not really what I do.

Can you describe your art?

GEG It’s hard to describe, but I will say my inspirations are definitely surrealist. I’m inspired by the whole surrealism movement, Dutch Vanita’s as well and 90s comic book art. It’s pretty dark.

I wouldn’t call myself a dark person, but when people first look at it, they generally see this darkness. I touch on some subjects that are a little more risqué or maybe not so mainstream.

There are definitely drug references, nudity, a lot of references to life and death, which is obviously a heavy topic. A lot of this is just experience from my life and just things I’m interested in.

What about the style of your clothing? How does that relate to your art?

GEG So the clothing brand is very inspired by Durham. It’s pretty hyperlocal right now. We have

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13 retailers and they’re all within a 30-mile radius, which is kind of intense. We sell online too, so it gets out there, but in terms of retail, it’s very centralized here. Most of our designs say the word “Durm,” which is a local pronunciation of Durham. Basically, the whole campaign behind that is “say it like you’re from here.” In that sense, some of my art goes into other designs that aren’t so Durham focused, and that’s kind of the part of the line that we like to push outside the area, and that’s a big initiative for this coming year as well, pushing the line to new boundaries outside of Durham. It will always be a very Durham thing, but we want to get our stuff out there to the rest of the world as well.

So what are your plans for the future with that once you bring it to the rest of the world?

GEG The primary goal of the brand is really trying to be more of a lifestyle brand. We’re moving into products outside of clothing. We’ve been hosting a lot of events and parties and whatnot.

We sponsor all kinds of different shows, whether it be music or art. Essentially, we’re trying to create a scene here in Durham that is definitely lacking in the arts and music realm. As much as Durham grows in terms of the food scene or the tech scene, we’re really trying to promote the art scene here and fashion can be a vehicle for that and that’s essentially the prime target of the brand, just focusing on creating a scene here but also showcasing what Durham has to offer to the rest of the world and getting our stuff out there to the rest of the world is obviously going to bring that attention back to Durham itself. I definitely feel indebted to the city of Durham just because I literally am a product of the city. Taxpayer dollars helped fund my education. Most of my experiences in life have been here, so in a sense, I feel like this is my way of giving back. We have done a decent amount of charitable projects as well and we hope to do more of that, too.

Do you see any other collaboration with Duke in the future or any ideas for that?

GEG I hope so. I led a workshop focused on branding and entrepreneurship for ArtCon, which was at Duke in March. Right now, we’re actually in a startup incubator run by Google called American Underground, located in downtown Durham. Granted, it’s like a tech hub and we’re kind of an anomaly there just because we’re the more art-focused, design-focused company that’s currently in the building, but I think they enjoy that diversity, especially me being half Asian. There’s an initiative where they’re trying to make it a more diverse area through diversity in the company’s goals as well as race and gender, and so I think it’s a valuable time and asset being there. I’ve been there for like a year. One way we would like to reach Duke more, and another primary goal for this year, is to just be more integrated with Duke’s community and audience. That’s a huge part of the city. There is still a pretty big wall, I feel, between Duke and the city itself, and I can totally relate. I remember when I was an undergrad at Syracuse there was this air of like, oh, it’s a totally different world, and I don’t want to be part of that.

We were just kind of in our bubble at the university. I think there is always going to be that, and I know Duke is launching a lot of initiatives to try and bridge that gap, but I want to do it in an organic manner. I don’t want it to be forced at all. Whether that’s working with Duke’s arts programs, whether that’s just being a part of certain things, like in the past, we’ve had tables at LDOC and stuff like that, just basically integrating the brand into cool things that are going on at Duke. I think that as the city gets cooler, the students will kind of relate more to what’s going on here. I would like to see more students get out to artistic events and what not. Just basically enjoy Durham and kind of want to rep Durham, and that’s a lot of what we’re doing, and even if its them wearing one of our shirts that says D-U-R-M on it, Durm, it could be as simple as that, just to show a little pride, and maybe when they go back home to wherever they’re from, they’ll take a piece of Durham with them.

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#INSTAMODEL

Social media today is a prominent part of most people’s daily lives. It changed the way people think about themselves, perceive others and also impacted how they wanted to portray themselves. But it’s not limited to cases of interpersonal relationships. Social media has become a key player in the professional world- influencing many professional fields and businesses. The fashion world is no exception to this phenomenon. Specifically, the field of modeling has witnessed a sea change with the use of social media platforms. In this day and age, models’ careers are being launched through social media like Instagram, leading to the term ‘insta models’.

This is very different from the earlier supermodel era. This change reflects larger aspects of culture, as the fashion world becomes less insular and more dynamic.

This change may seem like a positive development in the scouting process, but not everyone has the same take on the issue. Naomi Campbell, the iconic 90’s supermodel and certified #diva, voiced her opinion on the ‘instagirl’ phenomenon on the Meredith Vieira show: “I just feel my generation of women, like Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Claudia [Schiffer], we had to earn our stripes and take our stepping stones to get to where we have gotten to accomplish what we have achieved to this date. I kind of feel like, ‘My God, we’ve worked so hard and we are still working at it— then it just comes like that for them.’ But I sometimes believe easy come, easy go. So I am actually grateful for the way I had my career. I wouldn’t want it any other way. So that’s for them, this is me.”

Campbell’s statement crisply describes what an older supermodel, having walked quite a different path to fame, might feel about today’s generation achieving similar heights.

Having gone through a different process during their time, this new path might come across as relatively easy to the supermodels of the past. It is only natural for her to think that today’s models have taken the easy way out. But that’s just one way of looking at it.

Gigi Hadid, a 19-year-old ‘instagirl’ with around 2.5 million followers, had a different perspective to share: “Companies

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are going to look at your following and your ability to connect to different age groups and different people and if you can connect to a lot of people by just being relatable and by showing people different sides of your life and different sides of you then you’re going to be able to represent a brand because you have a voice and that’s what brands are looking for.”

Mary Alice Stephenson, beauty and style expert expressed a view similar to Hadid’s but from a different standpoint. She believes that today’s times demand the instagirls phenomenon to the extent that it is an effective strategy: “Right now, clothes just don’t sell themselves, people want to see the personality behind the clothes. It’s a way for supermodels like Cara Delevingne or Gigi Hadid to show who they are inside and out.” Stephenson feels that having a large Instagram fan following is only an indicator of the fact that the model is relatable to people and showcasing more of one’s personality will only aid the fashion brands and industry as a whole.

People don’t respect the same sort of mannequin persona when there are so many public vehicles for self-expression.

There is also the idea that opening up Instagram as a forum to be scouted from democratizes the process. IMG Models’ campaign “We Love Your Genes” is a good example. Aspiring models were asked to simply upload their best selfies using the hashtag #WLYG. In order to be considered, models do not need to sign up for costly photo shoots and portfolios. As the agency’s VP of scouting, Jeni Rose, said, “they can come directly to us with simple smartphone snapshots and a lot of enthusiasm.” Social media scouting also helps modeling companies save time and money on sending their scouts abroad in search of models.

Marc by Marc Jacobs also launched an Instagram campaign#castmemarc. The hashtag garnered 70,000 posts, out of which nine were chosen to fly to New York. Geography was no barrier as selected models came from places including Russia, Australia and South Korea. Critics argue that while pretending to search for “real people” those selected were actually real models. Others contend that the campaign is a publicity stunt to bring in cheap labor. Recently controversy surrounded

American Apparel as an email written by a casting agent expressing distaste for ‘instagirls’ was leaked, speaking to similar concerns: “[The] company is going through a rebranding image, so we will be shooting models moving forward. Real models. Not Instagram hoes.”

This backlash is an indicator that many still feel the pull of traditional models. However, it takes time and even in the forward thinking fashion industry, there is pushback to anything new. With many perspectives and standpoints the debate, the rise of the Instagirl is holistic, with consequences for modeling agencies, prospective models, the public, and the fashion community as a whole.

Are the goals and standards of fashion industry changing or is it a sign of progress? Is fashion giving in to the norms of social media or is it a productive tool? These questions may arise in the minds of those concerned with the fashion world. The answers may not be clear but there is enough discussion to suggest that the Instagirl phenomenon is making a buzz and having an impact. A big fan following and a lot of likes may seem superficial at first but they speak to new levels of relatability and personality. Tools that make models successful on social media definitely help connect the fashion world to their public.

The pre-internet era didn’t allow models to have as much easy access to the public. To the modeling industry, the Instagirls and the idea of democratizing the whole modeling process is appealing. Cutting costs for both casting agents and prospective models makes the whole process more feasible for both parties and allows for more diversity in prospective models. But again, different processes tend to yield different results.

It is hard to say whether the old or new process is better or which one brings long lasting success. But, it is certain that the Instagirls have made their presence known to the fashion world. The public certainly doesn’t mind the eye candy.

SHIVAAN TANDON

“RIGHT NOW, CLOTHES JUST DON’T SELL THEMSELVES, PEOPLE WA N T T O SE E T HE PE R SON A L IT Y BE HIND T HE CL O T HE S.”

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F R O M T H E R U N WAY TO THE RACK WHAT’S LOST AND GAINED IN TRANSLATION FROM AN ARTIST’S VISION TO A COMMODITY ON SALE The clothes we see in most high end stores today are extensively reworked and modified versions of an artist’s vision: the process that takes apparel from the designer’s sketchpad in Milan or Paris to the strut out of a boutique on 5th Avenue is multilayered, varied and plays a pivotal role in the success of a product. The conflict between producing commercially viable clothes that cater to a sufficiently generic customer base while staying true to an artistic vision is what fashion houses tackle on a daily basis.

Unsurprisingly, only a handful of designers successfully set up full production houses that both create and produce their products (See: Miuccia Prada, Coco Chanel or Calvin Klein).

A majority of today’s fashion designers work with separate manufacturers, usually in anonymity: transactions in which the manufacturers quite often have the upper hand. So for a significant number of designers, the real task is the tussle to find a reliable and helpful supplier or production house that will produce their work. Production partnerships are wide ranging, dependent on various factors: the popularity of the designer prior to signing with the house, the size of his consumer group (logically, a production company would shift a designer higher up in the queue if he/she is ordering larger batches) and his/her ability to cash in good profit margins. If a designer is talented enough, sooner or later after producing through particular houses, he/she will get spotted and scooped up by a house to be an official part of their design team.

All this is done prior to the actual production of garments- an even more convoluted process. Product development teams get together and decide fabrics and cuts etc. in anticipation for actual production. Extravagant pieces are a minority of production subjects, with low and medium priced products accounting for a lion’s share of both production and revenue.

Although there’s no consistent figure across the board, most companies aim for a profit margin of more than 50%, with a higher figure in retail production than in wholesale.

After there’s a consensus on what fabric and dimensions are to be used, a sample of the garment is crafted. This sewn sample is, in most cases, the production guideline for a product, referred to for everything from size changes to varied colors. Quite often a designer’s one-time creation made for a celebrity’s appearance or performance is converted into a sample because of the consumer demand that celebrity created by strutting about in that get-up.

An important leg of the process that follows sampling is modifying the clothing design. It has to fit into a pattern that can be adjusted for the various sizes of the garment: people of different weights don’t gain size equally on all parts, which is why clothing worn by models has to be adjusted for size differently in different portions, either by hand or by inputting dimensions into a computer program.

When it comes to production, there is a synchronization of technology and extremely intensive labor, with a lot of work being executed by high technology machinery and the rest (mainly sewing) being done by semi-skilled workers. This is why there’s always a search for countries that provide

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cheap labor in the fashion and textile industry. After greater unionization of labor in the United States in the early 1900s, China has emerged as a major player in garment production, owing greatly to the availability of lots of cheap labor.

After the pieces have been produced, another equally important process begins: retail marketing and advertising. Most retailers negotiate and deliberate between fashion houses nearly half a year before the clothes arrive on the racks. Done seasonally, fashion marketing is something retailers have to be adept at, predicting consumer trends and knowing what and when the buyer wants to wear is crucial. This is also where fashion shows come in. A concept initially used by Paris couture houses to reel in wealthy buyers by displaying their clothes privately, everyone, now uses fashion shows to attract buyers and consumers alike. Today, the couture shows held in Paris focus more on forward thinking visions of fashion and the meaning of particular brands, whereas the rest of the fashion shows target magazines and focus on marketing clothes to potential wholesale and retail buyers.

Designers’ tailoring their collections to fit with global trends is a new technique in fashion production and one that has picked up with the expansion of online connectivity the world over. Quite often there’s a dramatic appearance of a particular product or fabric in fashion weeks the world overthis occurs because most designers get similar information from their media sources about what’s trending and what looks people find interesting. Since fashion designers want their collections to be bought by producers, they make their products more marketable in this stage of the process. However, this approach calls into question the age-old belief that a designer is someone who follows their artistic impulse and dictates fashion trends, because designers are clearly being influenced by consumer demand.

The Internet has also influenced consumer opinion and preferences for clothing. The advent of social media and its effect on fashion been pivotal: the ability to order clothes to your doorstep has brought many benefits throughout the industry. Another crucial vessel for fashion advertising is magazines like the one you’re reading. Media and marketing of new clothing is done through magazines and websites on a daily basis, with analysts deciphering page views and purchases to further optimize their clothing lines. Needless to say, different companies and fashion houses follow varying strategies to capture consumers’ attention, with more select and exclusive brands making sure to target the wealthiest strata of society, while producers of more affordable and fast fashion clothing casting a wider advertising net.

The role of technology in the production and sale of fashion has clearly increased over time, and will certainly continue to influence the landscape of fashion in the future. The journey from the runway to the rack in facts starts well before the runway; it begins in the artist’s mind. It’s a vision that floats from one process to another, modified and made compatible until it rests lightly on the shoulders of you and me- it can be a cotton shirt, leather vest or silk shawl. All are objects that embellish our daily lives and put smiles on our faces.

MADHAV DUTT

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STYLISTS TO THE STARS BEST DRESSED OR WORST DRESSED? THEY MAKE THE DIFFERENCE.

LADY GAGA X BRANDON MAXWELL For as long as we know, Lady Gaga has been iconic for her bold, artistic choice of wear. She has never failed to surprise her audience whether it is with her performances or her style.

But with her new stylist, Brandon Maxwell, our beloved Mother Monster has undergone a transformation. And an elegant one at that, replacing her meat dress with more sophisticated pieces from Saint Laurent and Balenciaga to name a few. But it’s not only her clothes that are undergoing a metamorphosis - this year Gaga released a jazz album instead of her signature dance pop. But why now? Maxwell provides the perfect answer: “you get older and you evolve and things change and your style changes, just like any person does as you get older.” This duo’s collaboration is definitely something to keep an eye out for. KATHERINE AHN

TAYLOR SWIFT X JOSEPH CASSELL Pop star Taylor Swift has tasted success numerous times, not only with her music but also with her style. Led by stylist Joseph Casell since 2008, Swift has created memorable moments on both magazine pages and the red carpet. Cassell started his career as an A&R director, so he understands the ins and outs of music image making. He is known to be incredibly detail-oriented. Swift revealed that on the way to events Cassell makes her lie down in the car with the seat pushed all the way back to ensure that no wrinkles show up on her dress. “He’s always two steps ahead of me with whatever I need” says Swift. SHIVAAN TANDON

BEYONCE

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Beyoncé dazzles people all over the world with her voice. The 20-time Grammy Award winner, also known for her flawless style, has worked with stylist Ty Hunter since she was 16. While living in Houston, Hunter joined up with Beyoncé’s mother, Tina, in order to style Destiny’s Child. He knows his job is to make a statement, performance after performance- every clothing choice she makes is both approved and selected by the team. Late last year, Hunter launched his own line of sweatshirts and tees with bright graphics, called With Passion. Hunter and Knowles are equal parts co-workers and friends. Their unique story, one of shared growth and artistic development, makes them special, with bonds deeper than your average stylist-celebrity pair. MADHAV DUTT

LUPITA NYONG’O X MICAELA ERLANGER As soon as Lupita Nyong’o began attracting attention for her acting skills, she also began attracting eyes on the red carpet. Behind the vibrant colors, bold patterns, and daring silhouettes that made Nyong’o a style icon is her stylist, 29-year-old Micaela Erlanger, who has also worked with Olivia Munn and Winona Ryder. Erlanger has a knack for outfitting her clients in more risky ensembles. She believes that the red carpet is the new runway, and that it is up to actors and actresses to present fashion to the world. That certainly proves true for Lupita. KATIE ZHOU

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WEARING MASTERPEICES THE MOVEMENT OF ARTIST-DESIGNER COLLABORATIONS

Our society often divides the domains of fashion and art on some arbitrary set of underlying meanings. For example, art is supposedly important, eternal, historical whereas fashion is often viewed as superficial, frivolous, trendy. An avid art enthusiast can buy a new piece of art and be applauded by her vision in collecting whereas a fashionista who purchases another tote can be viewed as wasteful and shallow. Yet art and fashion are interwoven. Both offer opportunities for self-expression and a reflection of culture. Designers are artists. Fashion is not just some airheaded subset of the greater art world. And for that reason, it makes sense that artists and high fashion houses (but even H&M!) have been collaborating on a main stage to create wearable masterpieces.

Artist-designer collaborations may have found increased attention recently, but it is by no means a new innovation. Dating back to 1937, Elsa Schiaparelli called upon Surrealist Salvador Dali to create a gown printed with his signature lobsters that he used in his Lobster Phone assemblage. Later in 1965, Yves Saint Laurent made a collection of dresses inspired by Dutch artist Piet Mondrian. Some of these dresses remain in the LACMA and other modern art museums as works of art in their own right. These various collaborations were viewed as completely novel whereas now, collaborations are encouraged and almost expected of major artists and designers.

Perhaps this shift came with Andy Warhol’s rise to fame.

Warhol notably made fine art into a commodity that could still be appreciated. With that, joining forces with a designer to create mass-produced fashion pieces was no longer viewed as de-valuing art but rather as a means to present fine art in a new way to reach wider audiences while also offering financial incentives. A successful partnership is mutually beneficial to both the artist and the designer economically and creatively.

In the past few years, these collaborations have become rather mainstream, while still retaining their sense of innovation. Recent collaborations include the 2012 bricollage dresses by artist Tim Roeloff for Versace. He crafted collages that appeared on Versace’s signature gowns in the brand’s 2012 Spring runway show. Further in 2012, Raf Simons collaborated with the late master, Picasso, by getting the Picasso estate to approve of her use of some of his famous faces on dresses for Jil Sander.

He printed these faces on graphic sweaters and sold them in retail stores.

In 2013, the famous union of Damien Hirst and Alexander McQueen birthed butterfly dresses and scarves in celebration of the 10-year anniversary for McQueen’s famous skull scarves.

This collaboration even had a promotional video that brought in director Sølve Sundsbø to add yet another artistic perspective to a fashion piece. In 2014, Marina Abromavic collaborated with Mexican lifestyle brand Pineda Covalin to create a limited edition scarf for retail sale. It was intended to be a celebration of International Woman’s Day and the scarves were sold for $200 each. A portion of the proceeds went directly to the Marina Abromavic Institute “which serves as an incubator and institute for emerging and established artists in the fields of performance art, dance, theater, film, music, opera, science, nature, technology and beyond”. This collaboration shows a concrete example of mutual assistance between the art and fashion worlds.

In spring 2014, Miuccia Prada commissioned six contemporary artists to create murals that decorated her catwalk in Milan.

These murals were the source of inspiration for various dresses and handbags in the collection. And just weeks later in Paris, Chanel’s creative director, Karl Lagerfeld, had models strut down a catwalk amid sculptures and paintings. He made the exhibition hall into a white-walled art fair playing on the idea of fashion as art. His models were wearing fashion masterpieces among his mock art masterpieces.

Though most of the collaborations mentioned are with high-end designers, even H&M has recently gotten involved in the movement by collaborating with Jeff Koons to use his famous balloon dog as a decoration for handbags. This step proves that high-end artists can even expand to affordable markets with fashion.

This presents a promising future for the development of artistdesigner collaborations into all spheres of society. Perhaps fine art does not have to be a symbol of the elite but rather it can be a wearable asset for all socioeconomic classes. This movement should not be viewed as a means to strip away art’s value but rather as a creative avenue to present art to the masses in a quotidian and resourceful way. ALLIE KENNY

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FASH FORM MEETS POWER

SPRING CLEANING

ART FOR FASHION’S SAKE

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HION LOOK ALIVE

NAILS + TAILS + SCALES

DESERTED DREAMER

THERE’S NO WAY BUT WEST

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WE AR IT L IK E YOU ME AN IT

PHOTOGRAPHY SHAYAN ASADI

FASHION + DESIGN KIM SHUI Makeup Dhanaporn (Pei) Choong

Hair Monica Fox

Models Mackenzie Drazan (The Society Management),

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Makeup Micah English Models Luul Lampkins, Sydney McAuliffe, Keni Lin, Jordan Thomas + Alex Deckey Fashion Assitants Micah English + Chris Hurtado

LUUL WEARS TOP + SKIRT MINKPINK NECKLACE ZOKIE DOKIE SHOES ALDO SUNGLASSES URBAN OUTFITTERS SYDNEY WEARS TOP LIMITED EDITION SHORTS DANCE & MARVEL NECKLACE ZOKIE DOKIE SHOES CONVERSE SUNGLASSES URBAN OUTFITTERS DUKEFORM.COM

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PAINT ME LIKE ONE OF YOUR FRENCH GIRLS [OR BOYS] PHOTOGRAPHY + PRODUCTION GABI WEISS LIGHTING DESIGN SHAYAN ASADI FASHION JASON CHANDRA + CHRIS HURTADO

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I CAN’T SEE

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