Envisioning the Future of Design

Early this year the Huntington Beach Art Center was thrilled to begin the process of planning "Envisioning the Future of Design", the very first exhibition with artworks by local Community College students. HBAC partnered with professors from Orange Coast College, Saddleback College, Fullerton College, Santa Ana College, and Long Beach City College to showcase student designs in fashion, ceramics, and glass. The fashion designers had an additional challenge as well: re-interpreting one of three pieces of jewelry artist Judith Hendler's work (above) as the inspiration for their ensemble. They were required to utilize recycled and eco-friendly materials to give special consideration to sustainability within the fashion industry. HBAC regularly engages with the concept of environmental sustainability in exhibitions and events, particularly in recent years. The students took to the challenge and immediately began their designs.

When the Art Center had to close its doors indefinitely in mid-March, it seemed as though the exhibition would have to be cancelled as well. Still the young designers persevered with the original plan, working on their ensembles in their homes. At the end of the semester, an online presentation was organized to award prize funding to the students, generously donated by Judith Hendler herself. She believes “The heart blood of any community is the young people coming up.”

The Huntington Beach Art Center Presents: "Envisioning the Future of Design"
A Premiere Virtual Exhibition

Judith Hendler

Judith Hendler began her career as a graphic designer, but her creative breakthrough came in the form of discarded continuous form acrylic intended to be made into nose cones and windows for airplanes. If any of the acrylic had even a small imperfection, it was deemed unusable. That is when Judith stepped in and began recycling the material into her stunning jewelry designs. Her work soon caught the attention of Hollywood. In addition to appearing on shows such as Dynasty and Days of Our Lives, Judith's pieces have also graced the pages of magazines such as: Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and Elle.
The Huntington Beach Art Center has partnered with Judith Hendler previously including Judith's very successful collage workshop "Collage for a Cause".

For more information about Judith, visit her website: www.judithhendler.com or follow her at the links below.

maya horikawa - 1st Prize

Aurora Lovers Dress Immortal Jellyfish
Maya Horikawa
Saddleback College
Plastic Bottles
Trader Joe’s Vegetable Bags
Fishing string
Needle and Thread

Maya Horikawa grew up in Southern California and spent most of her earlier life as a violinist traveling through a creative kaleidoscope of colors, cultures, and art. From 2006 - 2012, she lived in Europe where she received her music degrees from conservatories in Germany and Belgium and found her love of fashion art. Her blog, Talk Fashion, which was a jumbled mess of ideas, explored her intrapersonal relationship with fashion and art. From the blog, a YouTube channel was born, TALKFASHION TV. Her final videos were a 10-part YouTube series called, TRASHION. The series challenged her to create 10 gowns in 10 weeks, all made from discarded materials found in people’s trash.
She is currently studying fashion design at Saddleback College .

Imane Gehring - 2nd prize

My name is Imane Gehring, 37 years old. I speak multiple languages: French, Arabic, German, and English. I was born and grew up in Morocco.
After I graduated from high school in Morocco, I moved to Germany in 2002 to attend the law school program at the university in the city of Monchengladbach. After my graduation, I worked in a law office for five years.
In 2013, I got married and moved to the United States to join my husband. After my immigration to the United States, I wanted to realize a dream that I've always carried with me, which is merging my passion for fashion into my life career. This passion is about design and apparel construction.
For this reason, I've joined the Fashion program at Orange Coast College, where I am currently enrolled.

OUZOUD SPIRIT
Imane Gehring
Orange Coast College
Yarn leftovers
Two old pairs of denim pants
Fabric scissors
Small scissors
Crochet hook 5.0 mm
Plastic safety pins
Stiches/ rows counter
Tape measure
Yarn needles
Straight pins
Thread

Isabel Neeley - 3rd prize

Table Cloth Chic
Isabel Neeley
Orange Coast College
Tablecloth
Secondhand fabric
2 Zippers

I am Isabel Neeley and I am in the fashion program at Orange Coast College. I believe sustainability is very important and is the future of fashion so always try to reuse, recycle, and upcycle when it comes to creating and designing. I love vintage and cutting-edge fashion that always keeps you guessing, so I hope to one day merge sustainable fashion with high end, Avant-Garde fashion.

ADDITIONAL Participants

Pink in French
Ramses Osorio
Saddleback College
Recycled Pants
Tulle
Paint

Ramses Osorio

I am Ramses Osorio and I have been designing for four years now. I come from a small Mexican family, and I love having the opportunity to be able to design and compete. For me, it was a self-challenge to design from a single object. I often find inspiration from a lot of things, and I take inspiration from different places, but I was really intrigued to have a main focus in a single object like a necklace. I choose the Vintage Deep Pink Necklace because of its color and form. Fashion is one of the most important things in my life because I get to construct a wearable art, a unique piece of clothing.

Simon Yuan

Simon Yuan is a serial explorer who is currently attending Saddleback for advanced fashion design. He has won multiple awards including 1st and 2nd in streetwear at Saddleback's 2019 fashion show. He is multi-disciplined and curious in nature. While attending college, he worked for several fast-paced tech startups. Upon graduation, he hopes to blend his skills in unique ways to create new works in fashion and beyond. Ultimately, he wants to put Saddleback on the map for fashion.

Nike AF1 Bondage
Simon Yuan
Saddleback College
Trashed Nike Air Force I Shoes
Floppy computer disks
Plastic file folders
Reusable grocery bags
Samsonite hardware
CD wallet
Vitamin bottle

Iron Orchid Qipao Dress
Thomas Zhang
Fullerton College
Undesired bleached bedsheet
Damaged Leather Jacket
Soda cans
Compostable Parchment Paper
Non-recyclable plastic waste from Ikea
Waste paper and recycled tape

Thomas Zhang

Nature has given me so much. Seeing the environment in its current state made me realize that inaction is not an option especially when everything provided to me was from our beloved planet. I want for nature to help future generations just like how it helped me. I’m extremely thankful for my friends, family, and a psychic mentor/friend of mine for supporting me throughout this journey of mine. My name is Thomas and I aspire to fulfill my environmental mission through my sustainable creations. I will also make my family, friends, and supporters proud.

Loren Blackwood

As a full-time student at Orange Coast College studying Fashion Design and Sustainability in the Apparel Industry, I find continual inspiration through the study of architecture, art, and fashion. I received my bachelor’s in Art History from U.C.I. in 2018. The balance of my time goes to exploring local museums, art galleries, nature, and photographing all that I encounter along the way.

We Made Our Clothes
Loren Blackwood
Orange Coast College
Denim pants, skirt, & vest.
Animals print hood created for another garment.
Thread
Snaps
Buttons
Plastic, and metal “o” rings and metal washers.

Orange County Register Article "Can Coronavirus Stop a Fashion Show?"
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