Tag Archives: Fashion

HQ:LA Part 3 Spencer Nikosey – Creatives calling LA home

Alumnus Spencer Nikosey at Killspencer in Silver Lake. Photo: Stella Kalinina

Alumnus Spencer Nikosey at Killspencer in Silver Lake. Photo: Stella Kalinina

For creative professionals, the allure of Los Angeles goes far beyond ‘You can’t beat the weather.’ In this series, ‘HQ:LA,’ we invite you to meet three thriving entrepreneurs who have made the City of Angels their headquarters. Today: Alumnus Spencer Nikosey.

Drive four miles northwest from our last stop, and you’ll arrive in Los Angeles’ Silver Lake neighborhood. And it’s here on a stretch of Sunset Boulevard filled with storefronts pitching everything from antique furniture to Spanish-language Pentecostal services, that you’ll find Killspencer, the burgeoning company founded by Product Design alumnus Spencer Nikosey (BS 08).

Killspencer began as a project at ArtCenter in which Nikosey, inspired by a field trip to the American Military Museum, repurposed the tarp of a Humvee into a waterproof backpack.

To say his idea caught on quickly would be an understatement. Killspencer launched as the centerpiece of Nikosey’s graduating portfolio in December 2008; in January 2009 the company began selling products internationally. So why did Nikosey choose to manufacture in L.A.? That was also inspired by a field trip of sorts.

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augh.: Streetwear with a conscience by Art Center students

To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting

- e.e. cummings

AUGH.FALLWINTER2013-5

Aye Hasegawa models pieces from the Fall/Winter collection, entitled The Wanderer
Photography by Simia Rassouli

It is simple: You are who you are. If you cannot explain yourself to a child, then you do not understand yourself, which means that you have constantly complicated your life and confused yourself because you have listened to what others have told you instead of listening to your own inner self. You know that the right thoughts and the right words are simple: They are raw and elegant. You use common words to say uncommon things. Those words have force. Your presence is forceful. Life is very simple, but it is YOUR choice to live it simply or to complicate it.

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Saturday High Fashion Show Sunday

Flashbulbs pop and the audience applauds wildly as models gracefully sashay down the catwalk. The featured fashions push the boundaries of creativity, ranging from elegant, traditional ensembles to futuristic cocktail gowns.

Photo © Steven A. Heller / Art Center College of Design

Are we on the runways of Milan? Actually, we’re at Art Center’s South Campus, and the designers are … high school students.

The much-loved annual Saturday High Fashion Show will be Sunday, August 21 at Art Center’s South Campus, featuring over 40 outfits worn by dozens of models and designed by 40 high school students involved in the program. Tickets are $10.

This year’s show brings the work and talented young fashion designers to the forefront of an exciting show. Focusing on a “white” theme for their designs, the Saturday High students will present an eclectic mix of outfits and garments that range from the traditional to the avant-garde. The show is a unique event that brings together young talent, families and educators in a setting that is lively yet professional.

Photo © Steven A. Heller / Art Center College of Design

All fashions are created in Saturday High classes and along with the show are a sort of “final project” for students. Saturday High participants, teens in grades 9 through 12, spend their Saturdays learning how to design, conceptualize and ultimately create their final piece, learning theory and some sewing skills along the way. Many of the students envision a future for themselves in the fashion industry.

Beyond the innovative fashion elements, the fashion show exemplifies the tremendous impact of Art Center’s Saturday High program, which enables young artists to cultivate their creative talents and produce work in an educational, professional and community-based context. Saturday High students not only have access to the institution’s exceptional instruction and facilities, they also gain exposure to Southern California’s vibrant arts community.

“We are especially proud of our sixth annual Fashion Show,” noted Paula Goodman, Director of K-12 Programs at Art Center College of Design.  “Our talented, ambitious Saturday High students have leveraged hard work, innovation, and adventurous creativity to design and create wonderful, cutting-edge clothing,” says Paula Goodman, director of K-12 Programs at Art Center. “This gala event draws attention to these amazing students and also brings our community together in the name of beautiful fashion and the arts.”

Sixth Annual Saturday High Fashion Show
Sunday, August 21, 8:30 p.m.
South Campus
Tickets are $10

Today: Dynamics of the L.A. Fashion Industry

Don’t miss today’s special presentation by Ilse Metchek, president of the California Fashion Association.

© Steven A. Heller/Art Center College of Design

Metchek will hold a talk, Los Angeles: The Fashion Center and the Creative Economy, looking at intellectual property issues, going global, the business of fashion apparel, and trends and predictions. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Los Angeles: The Fashion Center and the Creative Economy
Wednesday, March 2, Noon
Hillside Campus
Ahmanson Auditorium