Chanjuan Chen earns two awards at the ITAA national conference

Chanjuan Chen, ('15, MFA, Fashion Design) assistant professor of fashion design, received two awards at the recent International Textile and Apparel Association: one for best of the show and the other for excellence in fiber arts.

"United in Love was awarded the Vince Quevedo Award for Best of Show and is inspired by the existence of the United Nations organization and the aim of its members to foster cooperation and maintain world peace and security," Chen said. Vince Quevedo is a national and international award-winning designer and artist in the areas of fashion design, wearable arts, and creative teaching methods. "The UN’s directive is to act as a united people, to put aside cultural and linguistic differences in recognition of larger, unifying characteristics for the betterment of the world. I constructed the top in sections with each piece the same silhouette of people holding hands to represent social equality. The color blue symbolizes this unity and peace. The skirt is in multiple colors to represent the rainbow of races and cultures around the world."

A total of 88 pieces were accepted through the peer-review process for showcasing in the 2020 ITAA Virtual Design Exhibition. There was a very enthusiastic response to the Call for Design Entries; 76 professional designs were submitted with 44% accepted; 40 graduate designs were submitted with 45% accepted, and 73 undergraduate designs were submitted with 50% accepted. Further, a panel of industry experts reviewed the accepted submissions and awarded the eligible entries.
 

"By adopting a 3D printing technique, the goal was to create a marketable modular design that is durable and transformable," Chen said. The inspiration for this design originated from an image of artic ice broken off from a nearby glacier and melting in the heating ocean. Using a hand-bleach approach on denim fabric and the modular design concept, the designer aimed to highlight both the sublime beauty and shifting conditions of the planet. The methodology of using 3D prints as modules connected with denim fabric through 3D printed buttons was a new way of incorporating technology into modular designs.

ITAA is a professional, educational association composed of scholars, educators, and students in the textile, apparel, and merchandising disciplines in higher education. ITAA welcomes professionals employed in those fields who wish to join with members of the Association in the pursuit of knowledge, interchange of ideas, and dissemination of knowledge through meetings, special events, and publications.

The International Textile and Apparel Association promotes the discovery, dissemination, and application of knowledge and is a primary resource for its members in strengthening leadership and service to society.

About the CVAD Fashion Design Program

For information about the Fashion Design Program in the College of Visual Arts and Design, please visit the Department of Design's web pages.

Undergraduate Fashion Design Program
Point of Contact: CVAD recruiter, CVAD@unt.edu

Graduate Fashion Design Program
Point of Contact: Chanjuan Chen, program coordinator