Drew Williams, B.F.A. Fashion and Knitwear Design, was born in San Francisco and raised in Daly City. She used silicone plastic, bamboo, Egyptian cotton, and rayon in her collection.
Margaret Yoha, B.F.A. Fashion Design, was born and raised in Sacramento. She used latex, liquid latex coated cotton prints, plastic, silk noil, and burlap to create her collection.
Shannon Wong, B.F.A. Fashion Design, was born in San Francisco and raised in Oakland. She used silk (crepe-backed satin), lambskin leather, stretch leather, stretch suede, shearling, and cotton sateen to create her collection.
Tell us about your inspiration?
Drew: I was inspired by personal evolution and change, which brought me to think of my own past as a molecular biology student. The use of agarose gel in electrophoresis to run DNA samples inspired me to use silicone, which has the same gel consistency. The silhouette was inspired by Rudi Gernreich and medical attire.
Margaret: My collection is inspired by both Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s concept of the Noble Savage and Henri Rousseau’s naive jungle painting. Rousseau’s State of Nature had been a back burner idea; it lacked the literal visual inspiration I needed to move forward. Henri Rousseau’s vibrant imaginary jungle scenes completed the concept.
Shannon: I was inspired by Shibari, which means the beauty of tight binding, or Japanese rope bondage. I referenced the knots and shapes of the ties in creating draping details and seamlines. I also hand-stitched in braided leather cording in some of the seams of the leather jackets, mimicking the binding of Shibari.
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How are you feeling with the show so close?
Drew: Everything is surreal. I feel grateful to have so many opportunities and to be a part of something I had hoped for — for four years!
Margaret: Disbelief and nerves.
Shannon: I’m so excited! I can’t wait for the show and to see my collection go down the runway. It’s going to be the best two minutes ever!
Are you sleeping much?
Drew: I average between 4-5 hours of sleep per night.
Margaret: What do you think?
Shannon: Now that the show is nearing, I can relax a bit more. Before, I was stressed about getting into collection and what I had to do that I couldn’t sleep very soundly.
How do you stay focused?
Drew: I just keep thinking about the end result and my goals. I give myself breaks and manage my time as best I can to let me do the work I need to get done when I’m in the lab or at home.
Margaret: Loud music, lists.
Shannon: I just really love designing and creating garments. The joy I get from the final result is so rewarding that I just focus on that feeling when I ever feel worn out.
What has been your favorite part of working on senior collection?
Drew: Seeing something come to life in a three-dimensional way.
Margaret: Really truly pushing myself, working with amazing people, learning so much, problem solving like a maniac.
Shannon: Feeling like I’ve achieved an impossible task.
If you could do this year over, what would you change to prepare yourself more?
Drew: I would have thought a bit more simply in the beginning, because everything, no matter how simple, becomes complex when you start to make it.
Margaret: I don’t think there’s any way to truly be prepared for it all.
Shannon: Maybe not choose the most expensive fabrics that I could!
What are your plans after graduation?
Drew: Moving to Paris to study more and keep growing.
Margaret: Intern, work, keep going.
Shannon: New York!
For more information on our graduation fashion show and events, click here.
