Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Designer Confidential: Classic with a Twist


Designer Confidential highlights the work of SU's greatest fashion asset: its student designers.


Kitiya Phongsuwan’s senior year has kept her busy thus far, and things are only picking up. This semester, the fashion design major has been hard at work designing three collections, one of which she will create in the spring.

The first, entitled “Fata Morgana,” is inspired by nightmares, mirages, and dreams. The mostly black collection has a sculptural feel and is Phongsuwan’s favorite of the three.


“I like a classic look, like the little black dress or a tailored suit. But I want to make it ...more unique, so I do a lot of cutouts and asymmetry... I’d call it ‘classic with a twist’.”

The aesthetic of Isabella Duncan, founder of modern dance, is the main focus of her second collection. “She was a quirky free spirit, so it’s very free-flowing, with a lot of movement.”

Phongsuwan describes her final collection, which she’s still designing, as a collection of “opposite[s].” “It’s east vs. west, boy vs. girl, construction vs. deconstruction. It’s a very androgynous, raw line that is erasing gender [boundaries].”


This year, Phongsuwan has contributed pieces to several on campus fashion shows. “I had a pair of pants in the Caribbean Student Association’s show, and they were the [most complex] thing I’ve ever made. They were [sewn from] a 22-piece pattern, which is very difficult. I’m very proud of them.”

Most recently, she had two designs from her “Arabian Nights” collection featured in the Fashion Association of Design Student’s (FAD’s) fashion show last Saturday.


Dream Job: To be a creative director at an established house, “like the next Karl Lagerfeld.”


Why you should look out for her: “Over the years my style and aesthetic has grown, and it will continue to grow. 10 years from now it could be totally different.”


Designer Confidential: “I’m very passionate about my work and I strive to be well-rounded in everything that I do. I want to incorporate not only the right side of my brain, but the left side as well...that’s what pushes you forward.”


-Julie Kosin

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