USA : Apparel student Mariah Clarke wins Intl design award

Mariah Clarke of Greenwood, Va, a senior majoring in apparel, housing, and resource management in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech, is the recipient of the International Textile and Apparel Association's (ITAA) Paris American Academy 2007 Scholarship.
Clarke, who is focusing her studies in the apparel design program, received the prestigious award for her gown design, “Victorian Rose.”
Clarke’s “Victorian Rose” design was inspired by the late Victorian Bustle period. Her goal was to recreate the elegance and essence of this period, but in a modern silhouette.
After the essence of the design was envisioned, the construction process began which included draping construction techniques, extensive hand sewing, and couture tailoring. The finished gown consists of more than fifty yards of material.
Jihyun Kim, assistant professor of apparel, housing, and resource management and Clarke’s advisor said, “Mariah’s design is absolutely a one-of-a-kind gown and she did a stunning job obtaining design inspiration from historic costumes of the Victorian Era.
Her construction skills and techniques leave no room for error and academic professionals and industry members at the conference highly commended her visual design and the quality of the construction process.”
The Paris American Academy Scholarship is a top design award offered by ITAA to an undergraduate student for excellence in design creativity and innovation. The 2007 Design Competition is an important segment of the ITAA Annual Conference, which took place in Los Angeles in November.