Behind The Label: Issue No.8

MBFW s/s15
Academy of Art University Menswear Collaboration Collection
by Alexa Palacios | Photo by Robert Silver
The Academy of Art University’s student shows at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week bring
continuous innovation every year and are a peek into the depth of talent in the coming, new
age of fashion design and style.
The Spring/Summer 2015 show held at Lincoln
Center rang ever-true to this notion with each collection
shown, including the seven designer collaborative menswear
collection featuring MFA student designers, Asiyat
Tsalikova, Max Lu, Liz Li, Jihyun Kim, Jingci Wang, Yin Yang
and Yaqiong Zhou.
The nine look collection played into a number of
present day fashion trends, fusing them together to create
a vision of art and distinctive style, rather than a mere trend
look. The collection also showed an unexpected cohesion,
despite seven differing perspectives having a hand in its
creation.
Print, pattern and texture mixing were the focal
points of the collection as well as asymmetric cuts and
patchwork, giving rather traditional silhouettes an unexpected
elevation and revamp. Pastel color tones, an also
usually expected go-to for Spring/Summer, were used in
the collections, highlighted with pops of warmer, primary
bright tones.
The designers, “aimed to instill in men everywhere a
sense of playfulness and friskiness for their wardrobes,” as stated
in an interview with Dorren Du for the Academy of Art University’s
fashion blog, Fashion School Daily. The collection also gave
a nod to the effervescent androgynous movement happening in
fashion with ditsy floral prints in the patchwork that has a rather
feminine air, but paired with the structural silhouettes gave the
sense of masculinity. It was noted by the designers that “imagination
travelling” inspired the collaboration, taking the audience
on a ride into new dimensions and highlighting new points of
interest in menswear.
The menswear designer collaboration, amongst the other
five collections shown gave a bold view into the current state
of fashion; it is a fusion of inspiration and styles, unapologetic,
imaginative, all while still mostly maintaining daily functionality.
Our generation is in a strong state of collaboration, as shown by
the Academy of Art University menswear designers, breeding the
definitive styles and fashion moments of our time.
44 | Fashion Xchange Magazine | Issue #8