The Tamesis
The present time is filled with uncertainty, but SCAD’s Class of 2026 is heading into the future with confidence. This is not to say that students are blindly optimistic. Many students are using their practice to overcome personal trauma; they are not letting their grief define them. As Dirk Standen, dean of the School of Fashion, said, “They are sharp-eyed but also optimistic about the future. The feeling I get from these students is that fashion is more important now than ever.”
The student exhibition, held in the outdoor space of the SCAD Museum, hung with colorful, cloud-like textile works by Janet Echelman, opened with performances by Lil Buck and Jeremiah Ellis, and showcased the work of more than 60 recent graduates.
With the expansion of interest and innovation in menswear that we are seeing in the industry, men’s styling is one of the SCAD Show’s strengths. Jimmy Kim worked wonders with gray flannel, while Jack Wilkins carefully distressed, distressed and mended the material into post-Ivy garments. Nicholas Oyakhire’s all-black collection was a study in the stages of grief, including a cutout tuxedo, while Owen Gibson gave new proportions to archetypes such as bomber jackets and peacoats. Shaely Stabler presents a men’s eveningwear collection that incorporates women’s techniques.
Standen sees the “return to dress” as one of the red threads running through the collection. The show culminated on the runway with six evening gowns designed by students who were mentored by Peter Copping of Lanvin, SCAD’s resident designer, who challenged the students to interpret the brand’s guidelines. Of course, there’s also the interpretation of Lanvin’s bag-and-robe style, which was originally a 1920s take on 18th-century style. The silhouette has seen a revival over the past two ready-to-wear seasons, appearing in various forms in student shows.
Romance is the guiding principle for other series. Pretty pastel looks by Jinseo Park were on sale at SCAD’s new Bazaar store, Gabriella Simone Fox showed a frayed chiffon dress and Zoya Polivchak conjured a unicorn in her Wonderland collection. Jamie Domrude took a more moody take on the theme, using Swarovski crystals to beautiful, subtle effect in a Titanic-inspired collection, while Jane Yurchak (of whom fka Twigs is already a fan) showed distressed and grungy garments with a dark Southern Gothic flair.
Students doing exciting things with materiality include Mohan Yang, who applies her touch to handmade materials she collected in China, and Luca Bellini, who creates sculptural garments inspired by architecture. Lily Arnold showed intricate snow-white knitwear, while Ruby Yao’s blood-red skull knitwear echoed the theme of “costume art.” Many graduates use upcycled materials to convey ecological messages; most prominently, Brynn Sullivan, who affixed thousands of stickers to a single garment, and Tabitha Wagner, who sent out charming woodland creatures using binding sticks and fairy wings made from tattered, polluting plastic bags.
The sportiest looks on the show came from avid snowboarder Andrea Ibarra, who took an interdisciplinary approach to her collection, working with sound engineers to convert audio captured on the slopes into graphics and then print them out.
