Academy Of Art University, San Francisco

[Lena]

Simon Ungless, textile designer (academy of art)

Simon Ungless and Alexander McQueen

On a rare West Coast trip, designer Alexander McQueen not only showed up to receive an honorary doctorate degree, but caught up with an old friend, Simon Ungless, the director of graduate fashion at the Academy of Art University. They became close when they met in 1990 as graduate students at Central Saint Martins, but they hadn't seen each other for nine years. The two reminisced in the lounge of the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco, easily lapsing into a fun exchange. Asked what was the biggest change since the last time they worked together, McQueen said, "I'm a bit thinner."

McQueen last used Ungless' textile designs in 1996, for his Dante collection, which featured graphic black-and-white prints. McQueen recently dug out an old Ungless project from St. Martins — prints of exotic eggs and butterflies — as a starting point for his forthcoming spring line.

"I want to use Simon as an inspiration for prints, like we used to do at Saint Martins. We haven't discussed it yet," McQueen said, and then ribbed his friend for his stunned silence at the idea, adding, "I think he's looking at our budgets."

"I'm no more expensive, Lee, than I was back then," Ungless said, calling McQueen by his first name (Alexander is his middle name). While he may have been at a loss for words about the idea of collaborating again, Ungless hasn't forgotten what it's like to work with McQueen. "It was that perfect, once-in-a-lifetime symbiotic relationship," he said. "It's the creative energy I remember."

"We also had similar backgrounds," added McQueen, 37, the son of cab driver from the East London projects. Ungless, 39, also came from a blue collar family; his father was a game keeper in a village near Hungerford. During their tenure at Saint Martins, the duo roomed together in a house on a sketchy block in South London that Ungless called a "fashion incubator."

Talk then turned to how the fashion industry currently grooms budding designers. McQueen was bearish on the recent trend in the U.S. to market celebrity designers like the Olsen twins. "Something isn't quite right there, because fashion just becomes a commodity," McQueen said. "It doesn't come down to the concept of good design. It comes down to the concept of bad taste and how good-looking the designer is. That is a very Americanized ideal."

After McQueen received his honorary degree, he headed to Napa Valley for a mud bath and to the Sonoma coast to see the surfers. But he was disappointed that he missed the shark-viewing.

"Apparently, this isn't the season for it," McQueen said, eager to see the predator up close, but inside the safety of a cage. "It's a different world under there."

 

[gius]

thank you Lena for this post... glad to hear about a textile designer. i hardly get to know any (only sometimes maybe illustrators that do textiles once in a while) I just took a look at Mcqueen's work on Firstview and found his collection with Ungless's black & white prints... Very lovely and interesting! It makes me think that Mcqueen's definitely gone more "clean" in his embellishments these seasons
Hopefully I can find this exotic egg print Sounds so strange

 

[FogUponLA]

I've been doing research on this school for the past hour with a lack of results. I found a few forums that mentioned how good of a school it is for Fashion Design, but I'd like some more information. If you attend(ed) the school or have any insight, please help me out.

Thank you

 

[FogUponLA]

.....anyone?

 

[kimair]

i went to aau for graphic design (mfa), and the fashion department is very strong...
the designers y & kei went there, and the heads of the fashion department (simon ungless and gladys perint palmer) are well respected in the business...

academy of art is also the only school that shows in the tents at nyfw...
there is a thread in the designers & collections section, or go here to see the video from the presentation in san francisco...

 

[ShanaLucas]

As one who worked for AAU (back when it was called AAC), I can also vouch for the fashion program there. The president (Elisa Stephens) supports Simon and Gladys 110%.

 

[Likwidstar]

Academy of Art University (Online).. is it any good?

Hi guys! I'm contemplating doing my BFA at the Academy of Art Univeristy fully online... I was wondering if any of you guys & gals here tried that and if the University is any good? I really need help with this.. its a tough decision and I've failed to find any solid reviews anywhere for the school..

Thank you so much! Can't wait to see what guys have to say

 

[finch]

That's actually a great question! I'm still torn whether to attend The Art Institute of Pittsburgh or Sheffield for Interior Design.

 

[kimair]

can you be more specific about what you want to major in?

 

[DesignGirlSF]

Hello everyone,

I work at the Academy of Art University and can answer any questions about the School of Fashion. As you can probably tell, the School of Fashion is one of the most respected fashion schools in the nation. AAU is the ONLY school to have tents at NY Fashion Week!

Here's a link to the School of Fashion homepage to get you started: http://www.academyart.edu/fashion-school/index.html

Also, for online students, check out this profile on one of our online fashion students. It gives you a very good idea of what our program is like: http://www.academyart.edu/news/academynews.jsp?type=CampusNews&article=/news/campus_news_0184.html

 

[Likwidstar]

I'm planning on majoring in Fashion Design fully online. I really need to know all the information I can get from students who have tried to do fashion design online.
What are the pro's and what are the cons of AAU online? how good is it? Is it worth it?
I can use all the answers I can get.. I can't wait to see what you guys have to say about it. You guys rock! :*

 

[DesignGirlSF]

I wanted to show you this article as well from the AAU fashion blog.

I would also recommend doing one of our online chats to ask AAU advisors questions about the program. Are you going for a BFA or MFA? Check this page for upcoming information chats.

The feedback from students regarding our online program has been very positive. My best advice to you is to ask yourself if you have the self-motivation to get through the program. Our classes have state of the art technology allowing you to have a user experience as close to a real life classroom as possible. The only thing is that there isn't a physical teacher in front of you telling you to do your work! If you've got the self-motivation, I'd encourage you to further explore the program.

 

[Likwidstar]

I have checked the blog before and I must say I was very impressed.
I plan on doing a BFA at AAU. I've emailed an online admissions officer with all my inquiries as well and they've been sweethearts
It's just that I would love to talk to a student currently enrolled in the course just to see what it is like from a student's perspective

 

[PrincessBride]

I was wondering if anyone could give me any info about their online program for fashion merchandising? I am currently attending the Art Institute of Pittsburgh online and I want to transfer bc I feel that I am paying too much for the quality of class, etc....I won't go into it all...but I talked to an admissions rep at the academy today and he was very helpful. I just wanted to see if anyone had an input before I made my decision! Thanks!!!

 

[Pong]

Academy of Arts University, San Francisco

My curiosity has been stirring as of lately about this school. I've been thinking about moving up to San Francisco for a while now. And I was simply wondering if any members have attended, are currently attending, or possibly just have heard something about the school. I'm looking for a little insight. My friend and I are potentially enrolling for the school in separate programs. He will be entering the graphic design program and I will continue my education within the fashion program. If anyone has any input I would be eternally grateful. Thank you.

Stuart?

 

[seanutbutter]

Well, I know that it's one of the biggest art schools in the United States, so something must be working. Plus, they've got nice buses! You'll see them all over San Francisco.

 

[kimair]

thread merged with other threads on AAU...

i went there for graphic design and here are some pluses and minuses:

plus:
- great faculty of currently working professionals or professionals than now teach and worked for major players in the fashion industry
- the fashion department is the only one to show in the tents at bryant park (you can search academy of art in designers and collections to find threads on the shows)
- students get great opportunities to work and/or intern for designers all over the world
- diverse student body from all over the world, living, learning and working in san francisco

cons:
- it's expensive (as most art schools are)...undergrad tuition is close to $600 a credit (most classes are 3 credits) and san francisco is expensive in general
- the campus (if you can call it that) is pretty spread out across the city (hence the buses)

 

[kimair]

the show on mtv, true life: i'm going to fashion week, featured jaime, a MFA fashion designer and her textile designer getting ready to show at new york fashion week...

 

[press pimp]

New York Fashion Week

They have a blog http://www.aaufashion.blogspot.com/ that you should check out about the fashion department. They are the only school to show during New York Fashion Week to help get the graduates jobs and a good book. Some pics from the last show with my fav model Danielle Hamm.

 

[FogUponLA]

I'll be attending in June! ...anyone else?

Thanks for the list of pros and cons kimair! I hadn't heard much about internships through the school so it's very good news to hear!