FASHION 2016 Earns Positive 'Relflexion' from National Media

SAIC recently celebrated the end of the year with its 82nd annual fashion exhibition, FASHION 2016. The 230 innovative looks created by 96 sophomores, juniors, and seniors studded the Garfield Park Conservatory, merging flora with fashion in the first fashion installation of its kind. On Friday night, the audience at the exclusive FASHION 2016 runway show took in the work of the Fashion Design program’s graduating seniors, including Eda Yorulmazoglu (BFA 2016) and Mady Berry (BFA 2016) who were both subjects of their own recent Bullett interviews. The publication discussed the impact the designers’ experiences at SAIC and the bright futures they have upon graduating this month.

“Light-hearted and uniquely tongue-in-cheek,” writes Bullett’s Justin Moran in his piece on Yorulmazoglu, “the rising talent’s perspective on life took a dark turn when her grandfather, who lived with her family for 18 years, passed away last December.” Yorulmazoglu, inspired by her grandfather’s positivity and warm heart, imbues her work with a familial sense of humor and cartoonish shapes. “For her senior collection, Clem’s Revenge,” the article says, “the designer created a lineup of key characters all gathered to mourn the loss of their loved one: The Healer, the Hero, the Youngling, the Licker, Crying Mother and finally, Clem, the protagonist who represents the designer seeking revenge on her grandfather’s narrative.”

Yorulmazoglu uses her work to merge legacy with futures. “I will never forget the past summer we had together in the hospital room everyday, just us,” she tells Moran as if speaking to her grandfather, “Though it feels dark without you, your spirit will keep us colorful.”

Heritage is also at the center of Berry’s collection, Hair of the Dog. Berry told Bullet that inspiration for the collection comes from her father’s “pre-digital, pro-wanderlust” road trips through Mexico with his friends. The dog headpiece leading her collection Reflexion down the runway came straight from one his stories. “The idea for the Dog stems from one of my dad’s stories,” she tells Moran in this profile, “in which he and his friends got out of a tight spot by declaring they believed in a Dog tooth from the skull of a dog they found on the side of the road. The other party involved thought it was hilarious and let them go.”

Along with the rest of the collection, this symbolizes a relationship between her parents’ mythology and her own Texas roots. “To me, the Dog is the deity of brotherhood, road trips and mezcal,” she says, “and naturally I wanted to make this Dog come to life to help lead the parade of travelers down the runway.”