Critic Award Ceremony at the Opening of the Fashion Design AAS Exhibition at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York

As the Critic of one of the Spring 2013 Graduating Classes, I was delighted to give the Critic Award to a student who more than deserved to get it. Hoon Hwa Na, the winner, did incredible work creating an absolutely outstanding garment. The design idea as well as the execution and her overall work ethic were simply excellent. I was ensured that I chose the right person when the whole class confirmed my decision with applause.

Seven more of my students' designs got chosen by the judges to be shown as great examples of the class's work during the           Fashion Design AAS Exhibition at FIT.

Among those students are

Natasha Bookal, Haley Danzig, Angely De Aza, Glenys Nadia,  

 Brittany Soto, Pearl Sun, and Briana Williams

Many more students who didn't get chosen also created wonderful garments and amazed me with their skills and attitude. Often enough I thought "WOW, this is 8th semester work, but HEY, they are just in their 4th". I loved to work with each and everyone.

The inspiration and this semester's theme was based on           "Andy Warhol and the 1960s".
For me, it was very important to approach the goal very openly to be able to find out where talent was hidden. And, as we could see, it got interpreted in many different ways. The students proofed that they were able to go new, different, unexplored, maybe even inconvenient, exciting, and sometimes very challenging ways. I feel that it is just amazing, where a design idea, combined with several other factors, as may be heritage, environmental or interpersonal influences, can bring us.

The Critic Award Winner Hoon Hwa Na with FIT President Joyce F. Brown, Fashion Design Chairperson Colette L. Wong, and me

me, telling everybody how proud I was