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Fashion Students Conceptualize New Designs

Fashion Students Conceptualize New Designs

Students take first steps in the design process

Academy Fashion students are learning to conceptualize and design their own pieces of clothing. Students in Amelia Berry’s class at Bixhorn Tech developed two looks for an assignment, which were showcased on concept boards. The boards featured a title describing their designs, the inspiration behind the clothing, sketches of the garments on models, and swatches of chosen textiles. Students presented their boards to the class and fielded questions.

According to Berry, this assignment is based on the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) portfolio requirement. Her students designed separate sportswear pieces that work together and practiced their presentation skills. Their boards had to be neat and organized. Everyone had to incorporate a smaller mood board onto the larger board, which depicted their inspiration, and explain how they drew creative license from those elements. Additionally, students had to demonstrate their knowledge of textile science by describing the content and weave of their chosen fabrics and adhere swatches to the boards.

Said Berry, “Bringing all these components together into a well-thought-out concept board and presentation are the first steps of many in a very long process and it requires a lot of work. It’s much more than simply sketching designs. There are a lot of moving parts to communicating ideas for a new line and my students are learning that in our high school fashion design program.”

The Eastern Long Island Academy of Applied Technology, referred to as the Academy, is the Career and Technical Education Program of Eastern Suffolk BOCES and has locations in Bellport, Oakdale, and Riverhead. Bixhorn Tech is located on the Bellport campus.