’09 Fashion Grads Make Their Mark

Major fashion schools across the country recently held showcases of their graduating students’ children’s wear collections, proving the industry has no shortage of incoming talent.

At Parsons, The New School, top honors went to two students: Anika Gupta drew inspiration from her bike trip in India and Tibet for her “On The Road to Zen” boys’ line. Featuring biking and travel motifs, highlights from the collection included a quilted vest with reflective tape, cargo pants with corduroy details and a hand-knit sweater made of organic wool. In an edgy yet whimsical collection, Azumi Nishizawa gave girls Harajuku looks with a poufy plaid skirt, furry boot covers, and a swing cape and hand-knit wool sweater with “ears.”

FIT student Sylwia Siedlecka, who won the Critic Award and Cotton Award in the children’s division, looked to the French Revolution for design cues and created a line using sheer chiffon, silks, tulle mesh, lightweight cottons and wool fabrics. She showed a flouncy dress in neutral gray and beige tones with a skirt made of layers of square chiffon swatches as well as a comfortable yet structured jacket paired with a short black skirt with multi-tiered pleating and leggings.

Earnshaw’s sends warm congratulations to all graduating fashion design students across the country.

In This Issue: Preschool properties that translate into consumer products successa Retailers reveal the power of accessories The sports licensing report Plus: Character-based apparel Coming Next Month: Keepsake gifts that appeal to contemporary and traditional consumers Communion wear trends Recession-busting tips from veteran retailers Plus: Versatile special occasion wear