Local Event: Delta College Fashion Program Presents ‘A Story of Fashion,’ May 11th, 2012 at Lincoln Center

NEWS RELEASES FOR LOCAL EVENTS
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION:
THE FASHION PROGRAM
SAN JOAQUIN DELTA COLLEGE
CONTACT: Leslie Asfour

Program Director
Fashion & Interior Design
San Joaquin Delta College
209-954-5573

SHOWCASE OF EMERGING FASHION DESIGN TALENT!
A STORY OF FASHION IS IN ITS FIFTH YEAR, BRINGING FASHION TO STOCKTON IN A LIVE PRODUCTION FASHION SHOW!

(STOCKTON, CA – April 25, 2012)- One of the amazing gems of Stockton is the Fashion Department at San Joaquin Delta College and its annual Designer Collections Fashion Show. Each year, the college chooses a location in the community to present the best of its design talent in a full-fledged production show, with runway models, lights and music that rivals any show in San Francisco, Los Angeles or New York.

 A STORY OF FASHION is in its fifth year, showcasing ten talented emerging designers with full collections. The elegant and up-scale fashion show is set for Friday, May 11, 2012 from 6:30-9:00 pm and will be held at Lincoln Center in the space that was formerly Flair Gifts, at 349 Lincoln Center.

Elegance has been the tradition of the Fashion Program’s shows.  Unlike other student presentations, this show garners the respect of the fashion community, drawing to it such dignitary representation from Gumps, to Surface Magazine, to Ladybrille Media and Sacramento Fashion Week.

Ten up-and-coming designers, featuring a diverse range of collections, from elegant formalwear to futuristic designs, have been working diligently for the past ten weeks to get ready for the event. They must start with original sketches and patterns, using design inspirations to create a cohesive and professionally-produced collection of six seven looks. Seventy plus models will be their muses and the elegant Lincoln Center will be their backdrop. These designers have been challenged to present the best of their talent creativity.

This event has moved each year, from Haggin Museum to the brick courtyard on Delta and to the former Sundance Sports location at Lincoln Center. In its first year, the show sold over six hundred tickets. The year it was at Delta there were over 1000 people who attended. With the limited space of this year’s venue, the event will be quite exclusive..

This show is a culmination of several classes working together. The Collection Design class, lead by former student-turned-professor and successful designer in her own right, Natatlie Minori Sconce, is made up of advanced fashion design students who create the collections. The Fashion Event Production class is made up of advanced fashion merchandising students who plan and produce the event.

The production class begins on day one, recruiting models, hair and makeup stylists, fund support, staging, lighting, music, and all of the components of the show, and participating in other events to gain first-hand knowledge of the process. Each semester the class participates in regional events like A Soolip Wedding, an upscale, elegant wedding fair in San Francisco, as well as Sacramento Fashion Week this year.. The students get to experience a variety of events throughout the semester to understand the foundation of planning that is needed for the exhibit and show.

Tickets are $50. Guests will be treated to an amazing show, a wine reception prior to the show with a variety of hors d’oeuvres and desserts, as well swag bags with lots of goodies. Seating is very limited

Inquiries for tickets can be made by emailing the Fashion Department at [email protected] or calling 209-954-5573.

On Saturday, May 12^th, to follow up the show will be an open house and mini-shows of each designer’s collection. This DATE WITH THE DESIGNERS will be ongoing throughout the day from 10 am to 6 pm and will give people an opportunity to see the garments up close, talk with the designers personally and learn more about the Fashion Program at Delta. If will also take place in the same location, 349 Lincoln Center and is open to anyone who wants to stop by. There is no charge for this event.

SJDC’s Fashion program has a history of amazing student success, even in the light of the challenging environment that the college has had. Fashion students have gone on to be designers, magazine publishers, retail store managers and educators. Some of the amazing talent that has passed through the fashion program at SJDC include:

Billy Hutchinson also graduated from Delta and the SF Art Academy and is now the Asst. Manager of Gump’s luxury department store in San Francisco. He also owns his own line of luxury stationary and papers.

Riley Johndonnel, who was in the program briefly, went on to become the owner of Surface Magazine in San Francisco and is now involved with the men’s wear brand, Nice Collective.

Nancy De Los Reyes, a visual designer for Papyrus with her BA in Fashion Design from Academy of Art, has her own fashion line and was described as one of the top 5 designers to watch in 7 X & Magazine.

Natatlie Minori Sconce, fashion designer and SJDC Fashion Design adjunct professor.

Lodi graduate Jennavave Barbero, who graduated from Delta and California College of the Arts in San Francisco. She moved to NYC shortly after graduation and designed for BCBG, Ellen Tracy and Calvin Klein, as well as other brands. She is now living in Milan, Italy teaching fashion design.

With all of the bad press that the college has had in the past few years, this is a great success story, one of many that the Fashion Program has brought to its community. Stockton can be proud of the fact that such a thriving and respected program exists in its community. Events like these are important to the community, showcasing local talent, exposing youth to career opportunities and bringing some culture to a community that has been portrayed in the media with a lot of negativity.

“The Fashion Program at Delta College is a rare gem in Stockton and is experiencing unique success at a time when education is being stressed in California, when budgets from the federal and state governments are slashing funds to schools and when Delta College is cutting classes,” said Leslie Asfour, who has been in charge of the program for the past twenty years. “After twenty years of running the program, it’s success is an example of the underdog rising in the face of such challenges.”

Asfour, a seasoned veteran, with thirty five years in the world of fashion, started at Delta when the program was just a “home sewing” program with very few courses and has built it up into one that is well respected in the fashion industry. She has produced many outstanding and prestigious events for the program, including the annual Meet The Fashion Industry Insiders, tapping her friends from the business in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. San Joaquin Magazine has dubbed her “San Joaquin’s Fearless Fashion Leader.”

She developed the Collection Design and Fashion Event Production classes five years ago to give the students some capstone experiences that they could translate to valuable career skills that could be taken right into a successful job in the industry. With an industry so large, Asfour felt the students needed to leave the program with a high-caliber experience that would set them apart from students in fashion programs at other colleges.

Kathy Vang, one of the student designers who has had a lot of media exposure recently with a garment she submitted to New York for an Alexander McQueen inspiration has been working on a collection inspired by gemstones and minerals. According to Kathy, “I’m looking forward to the exposure and, ever since I saw the Profile Magazine several years ago, I’ve been looking forward to taking the collections class and showing the world what I can do.”

Kathy has had great success in the program, being featured in the Record for her McQueen-inspired garment, on Fox 40 for her Eco Design Challenge and in other publications for the work she’s developed in the few years in the program. “I am grateful for the Fashion Program and for the connections Leslie’s introduced us to help us develop our skills to the standards of the industry.”

Visit us on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/FASHION-San-Joaquin-Delta-College/39660797553

To learn more about our programs and courses visithttp://www.deltacollege.edu/div/finearts/fashion/FASHION-SJDC_000.htm

UPCOMING EVENTS:

DESIGN ON DISPLAY – Open exhibit of student work in the Fashion and Interior Design Programs at SJDC; held on Friday, May 4^th in Danner Hall from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm; Free and open to the public.

A STORY OF FASHION- An Elegant Evening of Fashion – Designers Collection Fashion Show, Friday,  May 11^th from 6:30-9:00 pm. 349 Lincoln Center. Tickets $50 (in advance only) available by emailing [email protected].

DATE WITH THE DESIGNERS- Open-house and mini-shows, Saturday, May 12^th from 10:00 am- 6:00 pm. 349 Lincoln Center. Free and Open to the public.

For Additional Information Contact:

Leslie Asfour

Fashion Program Director

San Joaquin Delta College

209-954-5573

[email protected]