Founder Nathalie Doucet | ||
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The Arts of Fashion Foundation is a 501(c) (3), public, non-profit organization, based in San Francisco, California, United States, that fosters international cultural exchanges through the creation of educational events that increase creativity among artists, designers, scholars and students. The focus of the foundation is the support of creativity and design in fashion and the arts linked to it.
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International AoF Competition
The International Arts of Fashion Competition, held at a city each year across the nation, selects fashion students with outstanding creations relating to a theme given each year from countries around the world. The finalists will present their designs during the Finale Fashion Show at the AoF Annual Symposium.
Competition locations and themes:
Current awards:
MasterClass Series - Symposium
The MasterClass Series is a series of four-day professional designer classes. First initiated in 2005, the series offer students the opportunity to work under the direction of world-renowned designers. Students will be asked to construct fashion projects with the guidance of the professional designers, and be able to present their works in the fashion show along with the finalists from the International AoF Competition.
The MasterClass Series 2010
MasterClass Series - Summer and Winter
AoF International Summer Program in Paris In partnership with such educational institutions as the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris in the Louvre, the Arts of Fashion Summer programs develop creativity by exposing students to new techniques and design approaches. Each summer program is taught in English with the professional fashion designers for 20 students.
AoF International Winter Programs in New York A 2-week Winter Program was launched in January 2009 in partnership with one of the leading American fashion schools: Parsons The New School for Design, in New York.
CarteBlanche and Debut Series
Introduced in 2004, the CarteBlanche Series gives room to exhibit the works of fashion and artist designers from around the world. Designers present their work on the runway or set up exhibitions in host galleries and museums.
The Debut Series promotes design talent within the United States. In 2009, the Debut series presented its third edition of young design talent with three emerging designers -Amy Sarabi, Chelsea Snyder, and Julianne Thibodeaux. The designers in addition to showing their garments on the runway, received courtesy of the sponsor- YKK Group, a stipend helping in the construction of the collection. The designers also have the opportunity to present and display their garments at the Debut gallery in New York.
Previous designers chosen for the Debut Series in 2007 were Douglas Reker, Carlos Santiago, Megan Stein and David Gil. In 2008, the selected designers were Natallia Pilipenka, Akarasun Seanglai and Stephanie Otto.
Tandem Series and Fashion.edu
The Tandem Series and Fashion.edu provide dialogue amongst the guest speakers, professionals, faculty members, and students, addressing the challenges and opportunities of the fashion industry and academia.
Design Piracy Prohibition Act The Arts of Fashion Foundation is an advocate of copyright laws to protect designers. In June 2009, the foundation, in connection with the Council of Fashion Designers of America, created a petition in support of the Design Piracy Prohibition Act - IDPPPA (S.3728). During the AoF Symposium 2009, fashion activist and law professor Susan Scafidi held a lecture in educating the public on designer protection rights. [1]
InvestFashion
InvestFashion is a project developed by the founder of the Arts of Fashion Foundation, Nathalie Doucet. The website is an online platform (a spin-off of the Debut-Series) created to finance fashion designers. It is geared towards uniting the public and fashion lovers who want to be financially linked to the development of a new generation of creative designers. The first six designers chosen were Aurore Thibout, Natallia Pilipenka, Lucile Puton, Bora Han, Chelsea Snyder, and Akarasun Seanglai.