Making their mark Fashion faculty sew up top honors

It was a runaway on the runway for UD faculty fashion designers in the Department of Consumer Studies, who won several awards at the International Textile and Apparel Association's (ITAA) annual conference last fall in Kansas City. ITAA is an international organization for textile and apparel scholars, with support from industry. Nine UD designs were selected for exhibition by a juried process, and three designs received awards, including the top award, which is unusual recognition of achievement for one college or university.

Janet Hethorn, associate professor, received the 2001 Outstanding Faculty Designer Award; Belinda Orzada, associate professor, received the PatternWorks International Faculty Design Award; and Mary Jo Kallal, professor, received the Award for Outstanding Solution to a Patternmaking Problem. In addition, Rosetta LaFleur, associate professor, had two designs accepted into the juried exhibition, and student Thao Anh Bui had her design accepted into the juried exhibition in the student category and was a finalist.

Hethorn's award was for "Nomad Coat #2," an elegant but simple, high tech vest coat, layered in a green/gray wool, gray microfiber and a smoky gold vinyl. With inside pockets and compartments, the ensemble is equipped for emergency use, stashed with such items as waterproof matches, flashlight, whistle, Swiss army knife, maps and small tools. A knapsack that can hold water, a first aid kit and other supplies completes the outfit. Hethorn said she was inspired by the millennium when people were preparing for potential disaster as the calendar changed to 2000. She said she also was inspired by Eastern European folk wear that is beautifully embellished and yet functional for movement and travel.

Her "Nomad Coat #1" also was selected for exhibition.

Hethorn said she was delighted to win the top award, which includes a week in Paris in September. "When awards were announced at the end of the show, I was thrilled as Jo and Belinda stepped up to receive their honors. But when the last award was announced and I heard my name, I was truly taken by surprise. It was a great night, and for all three of us to receive these prestigious awards speaks highly of our program."

Hethorn joined the UD faculty in 1998 and received her bachelor's degree from Central Washington University and her doctorate from the University of Minnesota. She had an invited design presented in the Design Forum of the Université de la Mode in Lyon, France.

Orzada's entry, "Is it Yofuku or Wafuku?" is a four-piece ensemble combining Eastern and Western influences–hence its name. Made from teal green silk satin, chiffon and multicolored lamé, the garment consists of a full-length strapless dress in satin with a lamé-trimmed bustier underneath and a lamé obi at the waist. A hip-length, kimona-style jacket in chiffon and lamé completes the ensemble. Orzada said her inspiration for the design, incorporating Japanese influences. came from her experience teaching a multicultural course, "Twentieth Century Design: Ethnic Influences."

Two other designs by Orzada were finalists in the juried exhibition as well.

Orzada has won three previous ITAA awards. A graduate of the University of Georgia, with a master's degree from Louisiana State University and a doctorate from Florida State University, Orzada joined the UD faculty in 1994.

Kallal's entry, "Sashiko Bride," was created for Saiko Imai, a friend who grew up in Japan and came to this country in her early 20s. She was planning to be married and wanted an unusual wedding dress, Kallal recalled.

Although sashiko traditionally features white cotton quilting on blue fabric, Kallal used white metallic threads to quilt the patterns on each of the bodice and midriff sections. A floor-length, translucent skirt overlay balances a flared, calf-length skirt. Angular fabric shapes form a three-tiered "train."

A graduate of the University of Illinois with a master's degree from Southern Illinois University, Kallal joined the UD faculty in 1978. She has won four previous ITTA awards. Her designs were chosen for a fashion show in New York in support of the UN International Year of Older Persons, and an invited design was presented at the Design Forum at the Université de la Mode in Lyon, France.

SUE MONCURE