Fashion exhibition ushers in new chapter at FIDM, with ASU at the helm
Fashion exhibition ushers in new chapter at FIDM
A landmark moment in the global conversation on fashion. There's a new exhibition in downtown Los Angeles ushering in a new era at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising. The famed fashion institute is now ASU FIDM after being integrated into Arizona State University's fashion degree program.
LOS ANGELES - A landmark moment in the global conversation on fashion. There's a new exhibition in downtown Los Angeles ushering in a new era at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising. The famed fashion institute is now ASU FIDM after being integrated into Arizona State University's fashion degree program.
The showcase at the ASU FIDM Museum at the ASU FIDM building is titled "Fashion Statements." Guest contributor Gunnar Deatherage said "it's preserving pieces of history and its offering up to the local community to be able to see pieces and select things."
Speaking of select things. ASU FIDM Museum invited 36 "industry leaders" to select garments for the showcase.
Designer Kevan Hall picked an original Halston. He is a former fashion director for the legendary line. About the yellow and green garment, Hall said "what I love about Halston is the simplicity. All of this is created with just two seams."
The exhibition covers modern couture to 18th century court gowns. On display are 70 pieces from the FIDM vault of 15,000 items. Among the fashion insiders who made garment pics, Jeremy Scott, Dita Von Teese, and the founders of LA fashion brand Rodarte.
Fashion influencer Valerie Von Sobel said "there was so much to choose from. I mean I haven't been to the MET archives, but this is beautifully refrigerated and zippered and truly white glove."
ASU FIDM falls into the expansion of Arizona State University as a global educator. The property that houses ASU FIDM is now called ASU California Center Grand. In Los Angeles, ASU also found a home in purchasing the Herald Examiner building in downtown LA. For this inaugural exhibition, students were invited to take in this treasure trove of fashion history.
In full disclosure, I am a graduate of Arizona State University. With a passion for reporting on fashion, I too got to select two garments for the exhibition. One garment is a beaded bodice. Curator Christine Johnson said, "we acquired it from a Los Angeles collector and it does have a royal provenance." Meaning it was from the Queen's court, from the 18th century. Johnson added, "a lot of history and research goes into this."
The Fashion Statements exhibition runs through Nov. 9, and is open to the public.