What is A2W?
Art2WearTM (A2W) is an educational event where students gain experience by coordinating and producing an annual wearable art production. Young designers are challenged to imagine, create, and inspire by expressing their point of view through wearable art. This highly anticipated show fuses the talents of several departments in the College of Design and beyond, exposing student designers to the broader field of wearable art, digital media production, and fashion. A2W attracts attendees from all over the Triangle by encouraging participation through engaging the student body, the Raleigh community, and the broader design industry.
Mission
Our mission is to inspire and empower students to explore the art of wearable creations by providing a platform for them to express their creativity and push the boundaries of traditional art forms. Through collaboration, innovation, and education, we aim to create a community that values and celebrates the intersection of art, fashion, and the digital world. We strive to foster a supportive and inclusive environment that encourages personal growth and expression, and to showcase the power of wearable art as a medium for storytelling.
Meet Henry! Henrys collection, ‘Journey to the West,’ dives into the poignant journey of immigrant parents as they traverse the ethereal boundaries between worlds, leaving behind their homeland to forge a new destiny. This narrative explores the emotional complexities and resilience required to navigate unfamiliar landscapes while holding onto the essence of their cultural identity.
The collection approaches Henry’s parent’s immigration as a dimensional leap through deliberate design elements like raw edges that wear and tear along the way. Central to the collection is the color red that connects his parents’ cultural heritage with their newfound dimension growing red roots that spread throughout their dimension boldly and warmly show their presence in a new land. Come see Henry’s collection April 24th during the show, tickets in our bio! Thanks to @ryanckhanfilms for filming, editing, and composing.
Art2Wear is one week away!! Make sure to purchase your tickets in the link in our bio and watch out for more design and committee posts to come!
Introducing: our production committee! Our production committee has worked so hard to make this event go smoothly. So much work has been done behind the scenes and we can’t thank them enough! Huge thank you to Aleena Thomas and Brooke Parinello (not pictured here) who are our production leads!
Meet Shannon (@shannonlevart )!!! Shannon’s collection entitled Entropy is about the sublime journey of the human spirit, perpetually evolving and beckoning growth, juxtaposed with the devastation we have inflicted on our planet. Each piece served as a testament to human evolution but with a glimmer of hope of a future where we recognize our interconnectedness with nature. Come see Shannon’s full collection April 24th! Video edited, filmed, and composed by @ryanckhanfilms
tickets are on sale now!!! student tickets are $10, faculty tickets are $20 and public tickets are $30. use the qr code to get yours or the link in our bio and go pack! note that all tickets are general admission and there are no reserved seats.
Tickets go on sale TOMORROW April 1st at 10:00 AM! Tell your friends and family!
Vision
Our vision is to inspire a new generation of artists and designers to use wearable art as a canvas to create unique, imaginative, and thought-provoking pieces that challenge conventional ideas of fashion and art. We hope to encourage the blend of physical and digital construction to push the imaginations of the next generation of designers.
Wearable Art & Technology
Wearable art is a product or sculptural piece that interacts with the body and serves as either a cultural artifact, an artistic expression, a reflector of society, outward illustration of a person’s identity, starter of revolutions, economic building block, basic human need, or body covering. Technology serves to enhance and elevate the story of these wearable pieces through digital storytelling, immersion, or to push the boundaries of what “wearable” means.
