Dressy Magazine

Academy of Art University presented ‘Origins of Belief’, its annual fashion show spotlighting thought-provoking collections from the School of Fashion’s graduating class of 2025. The Origins of Belief took place in downtown San Francisco and was livestreamed welcoming both local fashion creatives and global fashion followers to enjoy extraordinary work from the next generation of fashion visionaries. “We are thrilled to showcase the talents of 17 of our school’s finest fashion and textile designers in this year’s fashion show, ‘Origins of Belief.’” said Elisa Stephens, President at Academy of Art University. “In addition, we are proud to celebrate our relationship with Gap Inc. by awarding the company an honorary doctorate. Gap Inc.’s mentorship program helps prepare our fashion students for success, and the company’s contributions to the creative industry and…

MFA Costume Designer Patric Yikun Wang’s collection celebrates drag and the art of transformation, showcasing an impressive balance between glamour and elegance and the grotesque imagery. Corsets and padding are crafted with used materials. Through the use of stacking and teasing wigs and his knowledge of millinery, he creates giant, structured headwear pieces to work as companions to his garments. “Iaminspiredwith building the body shape and padding using all these scraps and things around the queer community, like condoms, which are associat ed with AIDS, and pills.” Patric explained, “We can have so much information and messages just in the garment itself. Drag, on a larger scale, is what we do every single day when we put a garment on, when we step out the door, to talk to people,…

BFA Knitwear designer Dominic Godina combines knit and crochet craftmanship as a skillful approach to textile design. His collection “Memory of the Waters” celebrates the feeling of being nurtured when connecting with nature. Moss, wisteria trees, vines, and the ocean were the forefront of Dominic’s inspiration when creating his designs. In each look there are repetitions of patterns and textures to highlight nature’s amazing fractal structure. Living in San Francisco, he feels a special connection with nature he didn’t experience before in his life, and he felt inspired to translate this through his thesis. When describing his unique approach, Dominic shared: “I wanted the process of creating my collection to also have a connection to nature, so I put an emphasis on what our human hands can do. The majority…

BFA Fashion Designer Haemi Lee and BFA Textile Designer Claudia Ayleen Nicholas unite their beliefs for a collection named The Shape of God, aiming to represent the sublime nature of the Christian God. Taking visual inspiration from artist Susan Maddux, Haemi took pleated cotton and draped it over the human form, representing the infinite God – who transcends space, time, and reality. She chose to use cotton, framed as a common and affordable cloth, as the main fabric to represent the God’s humbleness, and used additional fabrics such as lame to also showcase His divine nature. All the fabric is hand painted by Ayleen, using Dye-Na-Flow Colors sponsored by Jacquard Products. Each piece was created as an abstract painting that is then folded into clothing. Haemi explained the overall feel…

MFA Fashion Designer Chase Duval-Champagne emphasizes the importance of classical art training and a fusion of art and fashion in their thesis collection. Throughout their creative journey, Chase engaged in a diverse range of artistic pursuits that include photography, poetry, painting and drawing, interior design and restoration, landscaping, oral arrangements, and more. Explaining their concept and artistry, they shared: “An intriguing exploration, a chaos story in fashion, art, and neurodiversity, this collection of wearable art displays a range of striking formats, intricately depicting the journey of a neurodivergent individual grappling with anxiety within the creative realm. Each piece narrates a compelling story, intertwining aesthetic allure with profound emotional resonance, inviting viewers to engage with the complex nature of creativity and the challenges it entails especially for those who have a…

BFA Fashion Designer Vanda Ouyang decided to use her collection to embrace nostalgia. Titled “The Smell of Stars”, her concept takes the audience on a journey of what one can imagine stars would smell and taste like. This would include certain scents such as gunpowder, liquid metal, and even welding fumes. She translates these sensory impressions into her design with the experimentation of burning the fabrics to create raw, uncontrolled textures. She implements sequins and delicate lace to capture the radiant, shimmery quality of stars. Vanda explained that her collection is inspired by the book The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. ““From my childhood memories of reading a book by myself, biting my fingers, and having that sensorial curiosity, it made me want to explore other random things in…