Designing Dreams

Students turn surreal works into wearable art in Dali/PCCA Gibbs High Program

BY RO MARTINEZ

PHOTOS BY BETH REYNOLDS @BETHPHOTOREYNOLDS

Ten area student fashion designers are living the dream.

Inspired by the surreal paintings of Salvador Dali, the students debuted their work in December, then were chosen to display it on mannequins at Neiman Marcus in Tampa’s International Plaza in January. In February, they walked the runway wearing their creations at a benefit, Fashion Design at the Dali, that raised funds for the Dali Museum’s education programs.

In its sixth year, the 14-week Fashion Design at the Dali program offers Pinellas and Hillsborough County students the chance to “learn valuable skills, form friendships, and collaborate to create their own wearable art, while learning about the fundamentals of design,” according to Sumaya Ayad, school programs manager at the Dali Museum.

She pointed out that Dali collaborated with famous fashion designers Elsa Schiaparelli and Coco Chanel during his lifetime.

In December, the Dali’s teen designers gathered in St. Petersburg at Pinellas County Center for the Arts (PCCA)/Gibbs High School’s Grande Theatre for a fashion cavalcade that would rival any New York Fashion Week show. The theme of the Gibbs’ wearable art show was “The Shape of Dreams” which correlated to the Dali exhibit of the same name. Inspired by Dali’s paintings and those of several other artists, the students manifested their dreams using a variety of materials in innovative ways. Ten students at that show were invited to display their work at Neiman Marcus.

The students’ wearable art is more sculpture and avant-garde design than streetwear. The clothing takes your breath away.

Program is born

The Dali’s teen fashion designer program began in 2017 in conjunction with the Dalí and Schiaparelli exhibit. “My predecessor and program initiator, Denisse DeLeon, approached Trish Donnelly who was head of costume design at PCCA/Gibbs, about hosting a one-time fashion program for high school students,” says Ayad. “Her background and current teaching position made her an obvious instructor for the program, and she worked with administration at PCCA to lend us their workshop each Sunday during the fall semester and their theater for the fashion show.”

The process for selecting the young designers is via an application process that includes recommendations from teachers and mentors, portfolio images from their work related to fashion, and a writing sample. No more than 30 students each year are selected. The program runs for almost the entirety of the fall semester — 14 weeks with a break for Thanksgiving.

“We meet each Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.,” says Ayad. “Each session has a topic, such as patterns and measurements, basic construction, or runway practice.”

Learning through experts

Most of the classes take place at Gibbs High School in the PCCA Costume Workshop, but there are field trips to stores such as Neiman Marcus, one of the program sponsors, for the students to hear from those working in the fashion industry. Several guest speakers each year are invited to speak about their work and help the students build their ideas and skills.

This year, each of the program judges spoke to the students about their work. They included Eugenie Bondurant, an actress and international model who showed them how to walk the runway; Dana Wood, a fashion writer who helped the students with their artistic statements; Kari LaRocco, a wealth manager who runs her own branch of Ameriprise and spoke to the students about leveraging their skills and relationships to reach new heights; and Neiman Marcus sales manager and fashion designer Donald Tucker who spoke about branding.

The classes finish with the fashion show at the Gibbs Grande Theatre, and from there, the winning student designs are honored in a special exhibition at Neiman Marcus until the Dali benefit show in February. The students reunite for this fundraiser, in which they walk the runway in their own designs at Neiman Marcus Tampa Bay, along with professional models wearing new looks of the season.

With experience as a professional costume designer, Trish Donnelly is perfectly suited to lead the costume design and construction class at PCCA/ Gibbs High School. Her collaboration with the Dali “works together so that the Dali research can be done at the museum and construction can be completed in the state-of-the-art costume shop that is my classroom,” she explained.

The students are freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors from schools across Hillsborough and Pinellas counties who come with a variety of skill levels.

“Some students need basic construction instruction, some need material resource ideas and sources, some need to be able to express themselves and build on their original concepts through discussion, and some just need another set of skilled eyes to offer constructive suggestions to elevate their advanced skills,” says Donnelly. “ I would describe my job as a mentor who instructs, encourages, facilitates, and elevates.

“Every year I think the designs, concepts, and interpretations couldn’t possibly be more impressive and creative than the year before, and every year I am proved wrong.”

To learn more about the submission process and apply for next year’s program, visit thedali.org/programs/ student-programs/

Ro Martinez is a creative writer and fine art artist. Her work can be seen at The Woodfield Fine Art Gallery in St. Petersburg. Her solo show: “Delineations — The Op Art of Ro Martinez,” runs from June 6 to July 1 at the gallery. romartinezart.com @romartinezart