FASHION MARKETING STUDENT TO COMPETE FOR DESIGN SCHOLARSHIP AT VIRGINIA FASHION WEEK
Back
May Thao, a Fashion Marketing student at The Art Institute of Charlotte, is one of three fashion students selected nationwide to compete for a scholarship and top student design honors at Virginia Fashion Week.
Now in its third year, Virginia Fashion Week will exhibit the winning student designer’s work during the final show in Virginia Beach, VA.
Thao’s mother always liked to draw, and Thao too began sketching as a young child. She has been designing clothes since she was about 9 years old. She took all of the art classes she could and couldn’t wait to get to high school so she could take sewing class. She expects to graduate next spring with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Fashion Marketing.
Students were asked to produce three original garments from scratch for Virginia Fashion Week, and Thao and two other designers were selected for the final competition. She said she doesn’t know anything about her competition, but she is confident with her own work.
She was invited to show her work last year at Pulse, a fashion event in Raleigh, but the October Virginia Fashion Week offers the biggest opportunity for her, so far.
Thao describes her designs as “casual, ready-to-wear” but “edgy.” She likes to work in satins and silks and to pair fabrics in unusual ways – jersey knit with satin, for example. She has her own design business at home, and she has clients who are friends, family members or friends of family, but she hasn’t found a manufacturer for a line of clothing yet.
Thao, 21, and her husband, Yee Leng Yang, have lived in Charlotte for the past two years. She is a 2005 graduate of Freedom High School in Morganton.
The Art Institute of Charlotte offers bachelor’s degrees in Culinary Arts Management, Digital Filmmaking & Video Production, Fashion Marketing & Management, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Photography and Web Design & Interactive Media. It offers associate degrees in Culinary Arts, Fashion Marketing, Graphic Design, Interior Design and Web Design & Interactive Media.
The Art Institute of Charlotte is licensed to award certificates by the North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges and licensed to award Associate and Bachelor degrees by the Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina.
The Art Institute of Charlotte is accredited by the Accrediting Counsel for Independent Colleges and Schools.
The Art Institute of Charlotte is one of The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), a system of over 40 education institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.
CONTACT: Susan Jetton
sjetton@aii.edu or 704.357.5963