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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 3, 2015
CONTACTS:
Local/Regional Press
Carly Leviton, Carol Fox and Associates
773.327.3830 x104
carlyl@carolfoxassociates.com
National Press
Luis Agostini, Edelman
312.240.3368
luis.agostini@edelman.com
SAIC
Bree Witt
312.499.4211
bwitt@saic.edu
THE SCHOOL OF THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO PRESENTS
ANNUAL RUNWAY SHOW, FASHION 2015, MAY 8
Fashion Critic Diane Pernet to Receive SAIC Legend of Fashion Award
at Annual Benefit, THE WALK, in Millennium Park
CHICAGO —The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), one of the nation’s leading art and
design schools, is thrilled to announce the 81st edition of its annual runway show, Fashion 2015.
Presented Friday, May 8 three times throughout the day at Millennium Park’s Chase Promenade,
Fashion 2015 will culminate with THE WALK, SAIC’s annual benefit supporting the production of
student work and scholarships. This year, world-renowned fashion critic, journalist and filmmaker,
Diane Pernet will receive SAIC’s 2015 Legend of Fashion award at THE WALK. Tickets for Fashion
2015 and THE WALK are available at saicfashion.org.
Fashion 2015 is an electrifying runway show featuring more than 200 original garments created by
undergraduate students in SAIC’s internationally renowned Fashion Design program, which boasts
such distinguished alumni as Halston, Cynthia Rowley, Maria Pinto and Gary Graham. Students and
faculty work together to create a truly professional fashion runway show—stunning design,
intriguing soundscapes, exquisite garments and cutting-edge looks—by incorporating and
combining techniques across various disciplines including sculpture, performance, design,
architecture and installation. Seniors in SAIC’s acclaimed Department of Fashion Design will
showcase complete collections of five looks, juniors will show a three-look collection and
sophomores will present one avant-garde look.
“In this exciting year leading up to the school’s 150th anniversary, we are pleased to present the
most cutting-edge designs from the talented students in our Fashion Design department,” said
SAIC president Walter E. Massey. “Not only will Fashion 2015 showcase the work of our young
designers, the show’s production will bring together other departments—including architecture,
photography and journalism—in a way that reflects the collaborative, cross-disciplinary nature of
the arts today.”
THE WALK
THE WALK, SAIC’s fashion show benefit supporting SAIC student scholarships, will honor Diane Pernet
with SAIC’s 2015 Legend of Fashion award for her outstanding contributions in the fashion industry.
Along with pioneering the advent of online fashion journalism via her website, A Shaded View on
Fashion (ASVOF), Pernet is also credited with spearheading the fashion film genre, providing a new
medium through which artists, photographers and designers can collaborate on creative projects.
Co-chairs of THE WALK are SAIC Board of Governors members Ellen Sandor and Stephanie Sick and
the evening will be emceed by the David and Mary Winton Green senior curator at Art Institute of
-‐ more -‐ Chicago museum, Gloria Groom. Groom recently curated the Impressionism, Fashion and
Modernity exhibit at the museum in 2013.
“It’s an honor to receive this award from the illustrious School of the Art Institute of Chicago,” said
Pernet. “I look forward to seeing the students’ work leading up to the show, meeting with them to
discuss the fashion industry and what they may expect from it as they graduate, as well as sharing
a collection of my films with the Chicago fashion community.”
In addition, Pernet will present selections from her traveling film festival at the Gene Siskel Film
Center on Sunday, May 10. Details will be announced at a later date at siskelfilmcenter.org.
“Diane Pernet has been at the forefront of fashion journalism’s digital renaissance and has been a
noted champion for fashion film throughout her career,” added Sage Chair in Fashion Design Anke
Loh. “As both an advocate and an artist, Pernet’s role in the fashion community will inspire students
to explore the many facets of the industry while never compromising their personal style.”
THE WALK kicks off at 5:30 p.m. with a cocktail reception and continues at 6:30 p.m. with a
performance piece entitled THE DOLLS by artist and associate professor of Film, Video, New Media
and Animation at SAIC Claudia Hart, followed by the student runway show and the presentation of
the Legend of Fashion award. Immediately following THE WALK, guests will enjoy a strolling dinner
at the rooftop terrace of Millennium Park’s Harris Theater.
EVENT DETAILS AND SPONSORS
Fashion 2015 will be presented Friday, May 8:
• 9 a.m.: General admission dress rehearsal
• 12 p.m. and 3 p.m.: General admission seating
• 5:30 p.m.: THE WALK
Tickets for Fashion 2015 and THE WALK are available online at saicfashion.org, at the door on May 8
or by calling 312.499.4190. Tickets start at $40 for the Fashion 2015 day shows, and single tickets for
the WALK start at $500.
Sponsors for Fashion 2015 and THE WALK are Swarovski, MacLean–Fogg, Richard and Ellen Sandor
Family, Bill and Stephanie Sick, McDonald’s, Ulta, Bank of America, Exelon, Gallery Aesthete,
Macy’s, Ariel Investments, Mesirow Financial, Steller Enterprise. Virgin Hotels Chicago is the exclusive
hotel sponsor of Fashion 2015 and THE WALK.
As a presenting sponsor of THE WALK 2015, Swarovski, the world leader in fashion jewelry and cut
crystal, is extending its partnership with SAIC for the fifth year. Swarovski selected six students from
SAIC’s Fashion Design program to incorporate Swarovski’s jewelry and crystals in their garments for
the runway show.
ABOUT THE SAIC FASHION DESIGN DEPARTMENT
SAIC’s Fashion Design program provides a creative and intellectual context in which the nature
and potential of fashion is closely examined and reimagined. Since 1934, SAIC has been educating
new generations of fashion designers who have gone on to produce some of the most inspired
and respected collections around the globe. Students have fiercely responded to international
influences and set groundbreaking trends for the past 80 years.
SAIC’s first Fashion classes gained inspiration from early Hollywood’s glamour in the midst of the
Great Depression. Students created sustainable and functional garments despite fabric rations
during World War II; and they produced innovative garments using foreign patterns and materials
with the growing popularity of international travel in the years to follow. Uniquely situated within a
- more vibrant contemporary school of art and design, SAIC’s Fashion department continues to offer
undergraduate, graduate, and post-baccalaureate fashion programs that build on the
connections and relationships between art and fashion that have been evolving in the past
century and that reach an unprecedented level in contemporary practices today.
SAIC’s Fashion program is housed within the Sage Studios for Fashion Design located in the historic
Carson Pirie Scott building. The 25,000-square-foot studio space includes the Fashion Resource
Center, a hands-on collection of late-20th- and 21st-century designer garments and accessories
representing extreme innovation, which allows SAIC students the opportunity to explore the most
progressive achievements in the world of dress and fashion. For more information, please visit the
Department of Fashion Design website.
ABOUT THE SCHOOL OF THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO
A leader in educating artists, designers, and scholars since 1866, the School of the Art Institute of
Chicago (SAIC) offers nationally accredited undergraduate and graduate degrees and postbaccalaureate programs to more than 3,200 students from around the globe. SAIC also provides
adults, high school students, and children with the opportunity to flourish in a variety of courses,
workshops, certificate programs, and camps through its Continuing Studies program. Located in
the heart of Chicago, SAIC has an educational philosophy built upon an interdisciplinary approach
to art and design, giving students unparalleled opportunities to develop their creative and critical
abilities, while working with renowned faculty who include many of the leading practitioners in their
fields.
SAIC's resources include the Art Institute of Chicago and its new Modern Wing; numerous special
collections and programming venues provide students with exceptional exhibitions, screenings,
lectures, and performances. For more information, please visit saic.edu.
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