IFA Paris’ Design students presented their final collections on a sunny afternoon last Wednesday, June 27, 2012, celebrating IFA Paris’ design theme, ‘East Meets West.’
Staged in the Salle Erard, an intimate room encased in an 18th century building in the second arrondissement of Paris between Bourse and Place des Victoires, a jury panel composed of industry veterans and IFA Paris professionals, including school directors Jean-Marc Chauve and Elisabeth Curtaud, the Chairman Patrick Kouzmine and the Présidente d’Honneur Olga Saurat, watched our young designers present their budding talent directed towards this year’s theme, ‘East Meets West.’
Some students presented graduate collections, and some others students presented evening gown collections, with an additional selection of dresses from our Shanghai students. From whimsical Grecian pleated gowns, to graphic printed black and white sheaths, or deconstructed body-conscious dresses adorned with exposed zippers, each designer exemplified his or her unique interpretation of IFA Paris’ annual theme with distinctive bravado.
Looks were styled with finishing touches by hair and makeup gurus and the show’s sponsors, Momo Sabah and Ole-Gunnar, with additional special support from makeup artists Ayaka Sonoda and Rika Fukada. A brilliant selection of models walked the runway in heels designed by Imane Ayissi, to a contemporary soundtrack composed by Mathias Berra.
After last month’s dynamic ten-year-anniversary performance in Shanghai, an impressive mix of Eastern and Western inspired designs carried forth another exciting year at IFA Paris in its original location, coinciding with the first day of men’s fashion week and preceding haute couture.
“It’s really inspiring to see our young talent continue to put forth such dynamic creations. We really feel that this year exceeded our expectations in terms of design technique and aesthetic,” said IFA Paris’ Program Director Jean-Marc Chauve after the show. “We are excited to watch the winners develop the business aspect of their design capabilities in the coming year.”
Amongst 40 garments presented to an audience of roughly 200 fashion experts, two design undergraduates took home prizes: Selimetu Sule from Niger, and Dunja Pavlovic from Germany won full scholarships to IFA Paris’ postgraduate in Fashion Design Management program in Paris. This initiative enables our talented undergraduates the privilege to pursue a postgraduate education in design management with financial support, where they develop a balance between the changing business and creative roles of a creative director in the current fashion industry. Candidates were selected by a survey of criteria, including collection consistency, to aesthetic modernity and personality, to quality of the realization of each garment in terms of modeling and fabrication.
