PRESS RELEASE – May 22, 2209

FIRST ROUND SELECTION – JURY MEMBERS MAY 29, 2009 @ Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising - FIDM – LOS ANGELES

The first round of preliminary selections for the 2009 Arts of Fashion Competition will be hosted by the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, CA.
On May 29, 2009, highly respected educators of the Academia will judge the design submissions by applicants from 96 universities across 28 countries. Sixty finalists will be given the opportunity to showcase their work at the Arts of Fashion Symposium hosted by Drexel University in Philadelphia on October 24, 2009 to October 28, 2009. Nine students will be awarded scholarship and internship opportunities. The winners will be given the chance to attend the Schools of the Chambre Syndicale in Paris, summer programs with the Arts of Fashion in Belgium and France, and intern for fashion Houses such as Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, Anne Valerie Hash and Natalia Brilli in Paris, Veronique Branquinho in Antwerp, Wendy and Jim in Vienna, and Nice Collective in San Francisco!

PANEL OF JUDGES

*Genevieve Dion – Director of the Fashion Design Program at Drexel University – Philadelphia, PA – www.drexel.edu
*Steven Faerm – Director of the Fashion Design Program at Parsons the New School for Design – New York, NY – www.parsons.edu
*Dawn Marie Forsyth – Chairperson of Fashion Design at the Fashion Inst. of Design and Merch. – Los Angeles, CA – www.fidm.edu
*Jennifer Minniti – Visiting Fashion Professor from Centro de Estudios Superiores de Diseno de Monterrey – Mexico – www.cedim.com.mx
*Charlene Parsons – Chairperson of Fashion Design at Miami International University of Art and Design – www.aii.edu
*Melanie Reim – Chairperson of Illustration at Fashion Institute of Technology – New York, NY – www.fitnyc.edu
*Andrea Reynders – Chairperson of Fashion Design at the School of the Art Institute – Chicago, IL – www.saic.edu
*Nancy Riegelman – Fashion Illustration Professor at Art Center College in Pasadena and FIDM – Los Angeles, CA – www.artcenter.edu
*Henry Swartz – Associate Professor of Fashion Design from Virginia Commonwealth University – Richmond, VA – www.vcu.edu

The Arts of Fashion Foundation would like to extend its gratitude towards the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising for generously hosting the preliminary judging session on May 29, 2009 and YKK Corporation of America for its continuous support to young designers.
Nathalie Doucet - President, Arts of Fashion Foundation,  IFM 96
635 Tennessee St., Suite # 402 - San Francisco CA 94107 - USA
Tel  +1 415 252 0734                  http://www.arts-of-fashion.org

The Arts of Fashion Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit public
organization linking  both academics and professionals alike and
is dedicated to fostering international cultural exchange through
the creation of a variety of events meant to facilitate critical
thinking among artists, designers, scholars and students.

The Arts of Fashion 2008 was made possible by the support of  
YKK Corp. of America,  Target Design Partnership Committee,
+ 101% Brussels Fashion, Debut-New York Gallery, and Surface
Magazine.