Every spring semester, Harper College or university Trend Design students create a “senior collection” as their capstone venture. This 12 months, a person of
the senior structure students is a senior citizen.
Dawn Emrath retired from her educating job in Barrington in 2019. With two developed daughters
and some added time on her hands, she considered it would be entertaining to just take a stitching class
at Harper. She obtained hooked.
“I signed up for the rookie stitching course,” mentioned Dawn, 66. “I liked it so substantially,
I just saved likely with it.”
A few decades (and lots of fashion classes) later on, Dawn has been operating to put the ending
touches on her style selection for the Vogue Structure Studio study course. It is the fruits
of newly acquired skills, a background in sewing and an academic journey she did not
notice she was beginning with that 1st class.
Dawn is enthusiastic about looking at her assortment stroll the runway at Harper’s Pupil Style Exhibit – Enigma, 1 and 8 p.m. Friday, May well 20, in the Doing Arts Heart. She talked about the assortment
– which is red, white and black and characteristics geometric emblems of different measurements
– as a harmony involving what she introduced to the lessons and what she learned.
“I understood a lot, but I also uncovered a good deal,” Dawn explained. “For my collection, I did a large amount
of laser chopping, which I did not know everything about [before enrolling]. It also has
a large amount of quilting and I have been quilting for a very long time. And I created some prints,
which I had never ever finished prior to.”
In the meantime, Harper’s whole Manner Reports department is accomplishing something they haven’t accomplished in a though: hosting an in-individual,
on-campus present at the end of the academic year. Because of to COVID-19 security protocols,
the once-a-year demonstrate (led by Trend Merchandising pupils) went digital in 2020 and 2021. Nupur Sharma, affiliate professor and software
coordinator for the section, is thrilled to provide the electricity of a live function back
to Harper.
“It’s not only the electricity during the overall performance, but leading up to that. It’s the
time when the division arrives jointly – the lecturers, the Manner Layout pupils
mingling with the Style Merchandizing students,” she claimed. “Relationships make any difference
as considerably as your individual patterns in this sector. You cannot do this in a bubble.”
Pupil Trend Present – “Enigma”
When: 1 and 8 p.m. Friday, Might 20
Where by: Undertaking Arts Middle
Tickets: $10 grown ups, $5 college students and small children 18 and youthful (1 p.m. present) $25 grownups, $20
college students (with ID), $50 VIP (8 p.m. demonstrate)
Connect with the Harper Box Place of work at 847.925.6100 or invest in at the doorway. Master more.
A further grownup Manner Layout university student, Julia Gawron, echoed Nupur’s views. Set to
graduate with her affiliate degree this semester, she’s by now conversing about coming
again to stop by instructor Beata Kania and check out the continuing innovative operate at
Harper.
Julia, 40, delayed her instruction though she was a continue to be-at-household mother to her two daughters.
Rising up as the kid of two painters in Poland (she came to the U.S. in 2005),
Julia realized that she desired to do some thing in the arts. Seeing American style in
her new home served condition her upcoming.
“I didn’t know what medium to decide on to express myself. I came to the U.S., and I wasn’t
joyful with the stage of fashion I was looking at,” Julia mentioned. “Once my kids went to faculty,
it was time to do one thing for myself.”
Currently, Julia’s been building an outerwear collection that mixes fur, knitwear and
leather though remaining inspired by Japanese style and surrealism. Like Dawn, she just can’t
hold out for her spouse and children and mates to occur see her perform in the exhibit.
Reflecting on her a few decades at Harper – and plenty of several hours of stitching – Julia expressed
gratitude for the school customers who aided shape her artistry.
“The instructors or so well-informed,” Julia mentioned. “They’re generally encouraging you
to do improved and far more.”
Dawn agreed when beaming about a new enthusiasm that began with 1 sewing course.
“This is not what I expected, and it’s been just fabulous for me personally,” Dawn
stated. “I experienced no strategy that Harper was heading to have these types of a excellent application with smaller
class dimensions. And the professors… I just just can’t say more than enough about them.”