Art is taking on new forms at The Storm King School in the fall semester’s Fashion Design class. To start out the year, the students began by contemplating the essential question: “What is fashion?” To help them find the answer, they were given their first design challenge of creating a dress out fibrous material or paper. The young designers were charged with using recycled paper and other elements for their project. The results were amazing including a tiered dress made from colored tissue paper, a forest-inspired dress made with brown paper, branches, and leaves, an authentic doll dress, and a wedding dress made from white coffee filters. The creations are on display in Ogden Hall.

 

 

According to their instructor Ms. Liggett, the purpose of the exercise was to learn how to manipulate various two-dimensional materials into three-dimensional forms utilizing texture and space. “By exploring how to manipulate paper, we discovered and practiced ways to manipulate fabric for future projects. Now that the class has gained a new set of skills, the next step is a pattern-making workshop at Beetle & Fred [a trendy sewing atelier in Beacon, NY] later this month,” she explained.

 

 

Fashion Design is a new addition to Storm King’s interdisciplinary and individualized approach to education this year. In the class, fashion-minded students learn the technical skills of sewing, pattern making, and the creative skills of sketching and working with fabrics (including printmaking on fabrics, and 3-D design). The course also covers the history of design, fashion marketing, and the manufacturing process including sustainable fabrics and industrial processes.