ATLANTA — November 20, 2017 — The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is partnering with Draper James, Reese Witherspoon’s fashion lifestyle brand, to design a limited edition capsule collection for the brand’s Spring line. Students from SCAD’s top-ranked fashion program will design a “Mommy + Me” capsule, which will debut at SCAD FASHWKND in May 2018. The SCAD collection will be available for purchase at draperjames.com.
“SCAD and Draper James belong together!,” said SCAD president and founder Paula Wallace. “I really admire the depth and breadth of Reese’s accomplishments in film and fashion. Her Draper James line is smart and chic, suffused with Southern charm — just like SCAD! This partnership with Draper James is a dream for our students, who study within the world’s preeminent School of Fashion. Every day these SCAD students manifest their dreams, just as Reese has done with her elegant, up-for-any-occasion brand.”
The project joins students from SCAD degree programs in fashion, accessory design, graphic design, fashion marketing and management, and fibers with the brand’s top design leadership to develop a complete, market-ready collection. The collaboration will be unveiled at SCAD FASHWKND, the university’s annual fashion celebration, May 17-20, 2018. Hosted in Savannah and Atlanta, SCAD FASHWKND presents SCAD students’ senior fashion collections, mentored and juried by fashion industry designers and influencers, in a full professional production. In 2017, SCAD FASHWKND featured an immersive runway show at the SCAD Museum of Art in Savannah, tableaux vivant-style vignettes at 1600 Peachtree in Atlanta, and a Shop the Runway component of SCAD alumni work at both locations.
SCAD will also honor Witherspoon with the university’s prestigious SCAD Étoile award, presented in recognition of the brand’s unique contributions to fashion, culture, design and style, at SCADshow theater in Atlanta at an event on Nov. 30. Étoile, which means star in French, celebrates outstanding achievements in style and design. Witherspoon joins other fashion designers SCAD has honored, including David Yurman, Vivienne Westwood, Oscar de la Renta, Karl Lagerfeld, Tom Ford, Vera Wang, Diane von Furstenberg, and Carolina Herrera.
“I’m so incredibly honored to receive the SCAD Étoile award and thrilled to be partnering with such a gifted and respected institution. I founded Draper James in order to showcase the originality and beauty of the South, and I’m thrilled it resonates so well with the emerging talent SCAD is known for around the world,” said Witherspoon, the founder and creative director of Draper James.
SCAD is consistently ranked by Business of Fashion and Fashionista as a top fashion university, offering more than 200 courses focused on preparing students for professional careers in fashion industries. SCAD has pioneered programs in accessory design and luxury fashion management, and offers the largest fibers and jewelry degree programs in the U.S. SCAD fashion alumni work at globally renowned brands like Marc Jacobs, Ralph Lauren, Kate Spade, and Lanvin. In the past three years, SCAD students have won over 130 major fashion-related industry awards including consecutive Supima Design Competition grand prize awards, the CFDA Geoffrey Beene Design Award, and the International Design Awards Emerging Fashion Designer of the Year.
Posted November 20, 2017
Source: The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)
