FINA

Runway 2023: Kinetic promises to be a dynamic display of innovative designs, reflecting the theme of kinetic energy. The show will feature emerging designers' creativity and unique perspectives, highlighting their ability to incorporate cutting-edge technology and sustainability practices into their designs. “We are excited to showcase our latest creations at this year’s spring fashion show,” said one of the student designers. “Our designs reflect our passion for fashion and sustainability, and we can’t wait to share them with the world.”

The event will occur on Thursday, May 11, at 6 p.m., at the San Francisco State University campus in the Annex. Doors will open at 6 p.m, and the show will start promptly at 7 p.m. After the show, there will be an opportunity to view the designs and models and meet with the designers. General seating with a current student ID is available for $10, early bird tickets for $15, and general admission for $25. The show is open to the public, and tickets can be purchased online at the Runway: Kinetic website.

"We are proud to support the emerging talent in our Apparel Design & Merchandising program," said one of the program directors. “This event provides an opportunity for our students to showcase their creativity and innovation while promoting sustainable practices in the fashion industry.”

Runway 2023: Kinetic promises to be an exciting and inspiring event that showcases the creativity and talent of the next generation of fashion designers. Get your tickets today and join us for an unforgettable evening of fashion and sustainability.

SF State Apparel Design & Merchandising students working on their garment designs for the Goodwill pilot project.

Apparel Design & Merchandising students repurpose unsellable garments through University partnership

San Francisco State has formed partnerships with local organizations to give Apparel Design & Merchandising students a unique opportunity: using textiles from damaged and unwanted clothes donated to Goodwill to create new sellable pieces. This opportunity was made possible through a pilot project funded by SFE in partnership with the California Product Stewardship Council and Goodwill of the San Francisco Bay.

The project aims to strengthen California’s sustainability efforts by diverting textile waste from landfill. In turn, it also focuses on opportunities for textile reuse and renovation while bringing awareness to the need for upcycled clothing.

“The strong partnerships developed through this project highlight how a successful textile recovery and repair system supports local jobs and diverts textiles from the landfill,” said SF State Professor Emerita of Apparel Design & Merchandising Connie Ulasewicz, who helped facilitate the University’s part in this project. “It also provides the knowledge and understanding of how to keep our textiles in long-term use.”

During the Spring semester of 2022, under the guidance of Lecturer of Apparel Design & Merchandising Nancy Martin, several students initiated the pilot project. This fall, students enrolled in “Apparel Design II: Draping” continue to create these upcycled clothes under the guidance of Martin and Lecturer of Apparel Design & Merchandising Kamal Ragbotra.

Along the way, students will fully immerse themselves in the design process — from sketching to construction — while also learning the history and perspectives in the development of innovative apparel designs. Upon completion, garments will be returned to Goodwill to be sold online.

“Through this course, students will do much more than recycle old clothes by giving them a new redefined look,” Ragbotra said. “They’ll get a completely hands-on experience that also teaches students the importance of sustainable fashion and increasing the shelf life of garments.”

SF State senior London Deutsch says what she loves about the class focuses on freedom of expression, igniting her creativity. “It’s fun to be able have a more free, open-ended project,” said Deutsch, who is expected to graduate Spring 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in Apparel Design & Merchandising. “It was fun to sketch something out and envision how to make it from something that was falling apart to something that has our own personal flair.”

Deutsch also appreciates how Ragbotra personalizes her teaching based on skill level. “We are in an upper-level class at this point. A lot of us are juniors or seniors,” she said. “We’re pretty capable; we know how to do most of the tasks. I appreciate how she can recognize that.”

The students are expected to finish their garments later this semester. To learn more about the Apparel Design and Merchandising major, visit its web page.

Republished from SF State News

Miguel Abad

Assistant Professor, Department of Child & Adolescent Development

Miguel Abad (pronouns: he/they) is a youth worker with more than a decade of experience collaborating with community-based and nonprofit organizations in the Bay Area in numerous fields such as college access, career development, arts education and social movement organizing. As a youth studies researcher, Abad’s scholarly work touches upon race and social justice, out of school time education, youth development, youth activism, and participatory action research.

Angela Fillingim

Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology & Sexuality Studies

Angela Fillingim is a Salvadoran American sociologist. She received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley and was a Chancellor's Post-Doctoral Fellow at UC Irvine. Prior to coming to SF State, she was the co-director of the Education and Social Justice Program and faculty in the interdisciplinary college at Western Washington University. Her teaching and research center social justice approaches to studies of race, human rights, social theory and Latinas/xs/os.

Cynthia Martinez

Assistant Professor, Department of Counseling

Cynthia Martinez’s scholarship interests lie in participant action research and include working with BIPOC families to create non-traditional therapeutic wellness groups. Martinez is also interested in studying trauma-informed, anti-racist advocacy and radical self-care for practitioners experiencing collective trauma. Her pedagogical frameworks include, community organizing, popular education, trauma-informed clinical supports, decolonizing critical praxis and antiracist advocacy. As a psychologist, her clinical training and expertise is in complex trauma and narrative and social justice postmodern theories. Prior to graduate school, she worked as an immigrant rights activist and obtained extensive experience in grassroots community organizing. Born and raised in San Francisco’s Mission District, Martinez is a proud child of immigrants from Guatemala and a first-generation college and graduate student.

Soyhela Mohammadigorgi

Assistant Professor, Family, Interiors, Nutrition & Apparel Department

Soheyla Mohammadigorgi received her bachelor’s in Industrial Design from the University of Tehran, her first master’s in Industrial Design from Amir Kabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic), her second master’s from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her Ph.D. from the University of Florida, majoring in Design, Construction and Planning with a concentration in Interior Design. Before joining SF State, she worked as a research assistant professor at Clemson University. Her research focuses on improving health care security through space planning and design.

The Diverting Fashion from Landfill project called for fashion designers, fashion design students, innovators, manufacturers, menders, and tailors from across the state willing to take in unwanted clothing and textiles to repair or make new products. Funded by the San Francisco Department of the Environment (SFE) in partnership with the California Product Stewardship Council and Goodwill of the San Francisco Bay, the project aims to strengthen California’s sustainable efforts by increasing textile waste diversion and expanding opportunities for textile reuse, repair and renovation while encouraging greater awareness of the need for a circular textile economy. 

Garment cleaning and repairing are not new industries. Repurposing clothes for commercial resale is an emerging cottage industry in the Bay Area. Savvy Green Cleaners and Designing a Difference, a contract manufacturer founded by ADM alumna Rebecca Cahua, also participated in the pilot through garment cleaning and repair.  

“We plan to expand the strong partnerships developed through this project and continue to provide the knowledge and understanding of how to keep our textiles in use,” says ADM faculty member Ivana Markova. ADM students will continue to support the project in the coming semesters through their redesign of Goodwill donated garments.

Stop by LIB 121 on September 27 between 10 a.m. and noon to learn more about the project, see garments from the project, and meet community project collaborators. Come to be inspired to take action and understand the contributions you can make to support textile life extension.

Students experienced new flavors and food practices by touring region specific tomato farms (e.g., San Marzano), visiting water buffalo dairies to observe healthy farming practices and production of mozzarella, engaged with a local production and packaging company to discover the art of Italian pasta and observed ancient food and culture at Pompeii. Students learned through movement by hiking trails on the Volcanic island of Ischia and Amalfi coast, participated in a local farm-to-table immersion where they sipped local wines and devoured Mediterranean cuisine, practiced yoga and meditation along the mountainside, viewed sunsets from a top a castle, swam in clear blue waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea and soaked in ancient healing thermal baths.

Through structured based learning, students learned about the first medical school and botanical garden in Salerno, attended guest lectures regarding nutraceutical and labeling research at University of Salerno and applied themselves deeply in the NUTR 253 Diet, Health and Disease course lectures and discussions aligned with each day hosted by George. It was an unforgettable experience for all.

SF State Apparel Design & Merchandising students, in collaboration with the Fashion Network Association and SF State's Disability Programs and Resource Center, announces the 27th annual student fashion show RUNWAY. One of our senior designers, Claire Gonsalves, has created a collection “inspired by female exotic dancers,” and her goal is to “encapsulate the beauty, thrill, and freedom without society's preconceived judgment.” Overall, our mission is to exemplify diversity, equity and inclusivity in the fashion realm without compromising art and creativity. On the runway, senior designers will showcase their final collections, a culmination of everything they have learned during their time at SF State. In addition, junior designers are crafting unique designs for disability models, emphasizing that quality fashion can cater to anyone and everyone! Following years of hardship that the pandemic created, we are now seeing designers push limits of their creativity to represent individuals and their fashionable expression.

The event will take place on Friday, May 6 on the SF State campus at Cesar Chavez Quad (Malcolm X Plaza). The show will start at 12 p.m. with an after-party at the Seven Hills Conference Center, Nob Hill Room. The show is
completely FREE, no ticket required. (all COVID-19 protocols must be followed to be present on campus.)

For more information, visit the RUNWAY 2022 BLOOM website  and Instagram.