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 Allyn's final project, Rush Hour, is a sporty yet feminine collection inspired by the movement of time during the pandemic.ARTSTHREAD: Can you explain the thinking behind the key concepts and outcomes of your project? Allyn Fox: I love a sporty yet feminine look and that is exactly what I was going for in this project. I paid attention to the wearer and the possibilities of mixing and matching pieces together even though they are initially styled as sets. I wanted to make sure that the elements of my inspiration are present throughout the collection, but also understanding myself as a designer and what I want to achieve. ARTSTHREAD: Are you 100% back on campus or are you still working all/partly from home? Please describe your environment? Allyn Fox: Most of the process work for this project was all done virtually. A lot of the prior research, patternmaking and toiling are done at home. It was only the last semester when we got to go back on campus (for the first time since the pandemic) to actually have our toiles fitted on a live model. My working environment at home was pretty much all over the place... My dining table was my drafting table, our living room floor was the biggest place on which I could cut fabrics and I was able to turn our extra small room into a work/guest room where all my sewing machines, mannequins, and ironing board miraculously fitted with a pull out bed.  Due to the pandemic a large amount of Allyn's design process was done virtually, working and researching digitally and turning her home in San Francisco into a workspace.ARTSTHREAD: Has being back on campus given you a new perspective on the university/your class colleagues/tutors? Allyn Fox: I think that my colleagues and especially professors were very supportive early on, even when we were doing virtual sessions. I think doing things virtually, given that it’s more challenging, requires a lot of effort in a sense of the professors getting us to execute our designs well and making sure that we are still on top of our game. However, it’s definitely a lot more inspiring and motivating to be back on campus and to have our professors actually assess our work in real life. If anything, I really see how everyone adapted to these changes and were able to push through in our own resourceful ways. ARTSTHREAD: Has the need for online learning changed your outcomes? Allyn Fox: I think that online learning helped me discover something about myself and what I can accomplish in the comfort of my home. I realized that learning online allowed me to be more independent in terms of working alone and figuring out for myself what works and what doesn’t. ARTSTHREAD: Did you need to innovate when you had to work by yourself at home? Allyn Fox:Yes. I think that being resourceful and open to doing something completely different was very crucial throughout my creative process. At one point, when my fabrics couldn’t arrive on time due to the pandemic, I had to create a pleating board for myself to be able to get the pleats I needed. I also experimented with sun dyeing at home and other things that led me to the end goal; whether I used those ideas or not, it helped narrow everything down for me. CLO3D was also an efficient tool I had to learn during the summer to be able to minimize waste and know if the fabrics I would be using for this collection would ultimately work or not. ARTSTHREAD: What's one thing that has helped you get through the last 2 years? Allyn Fox: Having the best support system from my family and close friends have been essential to me, especially mentally. I think that having people within arm's length to talk to, that are going through the same experience as me, made me feel better and less alone. ARTSTHREAD: What are the most positive learning outcomes from this process? Allyn Fox: I learned that creativity has no limits and it is motivating for me to know that as a designer. No matter what life throws at us we are able to push forward, be resourceful, and be inspired - I think that it’s always an optimistic thought to remember. ARTSTHREAD: How do you think design can help improve the world? Allyn Fox: I think that design has improved the world in a lot of different ways, but I think that design is a very powerful platform to raise awareness on bigger social issues and bring cultures even closer. I think design can improve the world through diversity, inclusivity and social impact. ARTSTHREAD: What are your hopes for the future? Allyn Fox: I hope that my creativity will continue to bring diverse cultures together and be able to represent my Filipino heritage on a larger platform. I also hope to keep creating clothes that I am proud of, that somehow will impact the world in a positive way for future generations of creatives to look up to. ARTSTHREAD: Thank you Allyn - we wish you all the very best! See Allyn’s ARTSTHREAD Portfolio Images in slider: Allyn and her work Our Global Design Graduate Show 2022 in collaboration with Gucci is open internationally to all art and design undergraduate or postgraduate students graduating in the Academic Year 2021-22 and the deadline to apply is August 31 2022. 
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In advance of the deadline for Global Design Graduate Show 2022 in collaboration with Gucci, we interview Allyn Fox, a 2022 graduating student from Academy of Art University, Fashion Design BFA.
Our Global Design Graduate Show 2022 in collaboration with Gucci is open internationally to all art and design undergraduate or postgraduate students graduating in the Academic Year 2021-22 and the deadline to apply is August 31 2022.
See Allyn’s ARTSTHREAD Portfolio
ARTSTHREAD:Where are you from?
Allyn Fox: I was born and raised in the Philippines. But I immigrated to America and have been living in San Francisco for about 7 years now.
ARTSTHREAD: What is the name, theme, concept and final outcome of your graduate project/thesis?
Allyn Fox: The name of my collection is Rush Hour. The overall concept was the perception of time and I took this inspiration through the comparison to riding the train station where people are stuck waiting while the train (or time) keeps moving, following the pandemic.
ARTSTHREAD:Can you describe your concept and creative process?
Allyn Fox: I made ombre prints using Photoshop to depict the colors of the speed of light and then digitally printed my custom designs on fabric. I also used a software called CLO3D to help me build patterns and see my design in a way that promotes less waste. I used the silhouettes of people riding the train to create appliqués and silhouettes, and ombre pleated fabric to create the illusion of speed while the garment is worn.
Allyn's final project, Rush Hour, is a sporty yet feminine collection inspired by the movement of time during the pandemic.ARTSTHREAD: Can you explain the thinking behind the key concepts and outcomes of your project?
Allyn Fox: I love a sporty yet feminine look and that is exactly what I was going for in this project. I paid attention to the wearer and the possibilities of mixing and matching pieces together even though they are initially styled as sets. I wanted to make sure that the elements of my inspiration are present throughout the collection, but also understanding myself as a designer and what I want to achieve.
ARTSTHREAD: Are you 100% back on campus or are you still working all/partly from home? Please describe your environment?
Allyn Fox: Most of the process work for this project was all done virtually. A lot of the prior research, patternmaking and toiling are done at home. It was only the last semester when we got to go back on campus (for the first time since the pandemic) to actually have our toiles fitted on a live model. My working environment at home was pretty much all over the place... My dining table was my drafting table, our living room floor was the biggest place on which I could cut fabrics and I was able to turn our extra small room into a work/guest room where all my sewing machines, mannequins, and ironing board miraculously fitted with a pull out bed.
Due to the pandemic a large amount of Allyn's design process was done virtually, working and researching digitally and turning her home in San Francisco into a workspace.ARTSTHREAD: Has being back on campus given you a new perspective on the university/your class colleagues/tutors?
Allyn Fox: I think that my colleagues and especially professors were very supportive early on, even when we were doing virtual sessions. I think doing things virtually, given that it’s more challenging, requires a lot of effort in a sense of the professors getting us to execute our designs well and making sure that we are still on top of our game. However, it’s definitely a lot more inspiring and motivating to be back on campus and to have our professors actually assess our work in real life. If anything, I really see how everyone adapted to these changes and were able to push through in our own resourceful ways.
ARTSTHREAD: Has the need for online learning changed your outcomes?
Allyn Fox: I think that online learning helped me discover something about myself and what I can accomplish in the comfort of my home. I realized that learning online allowed me to be more independent in terms of working alone and figuring out for myself what works and what doesn’t.
ARTSTHREAD: Did you need to innovate when you had to work by yourself at home?
Allyn Fox:Yes. I think that being resourceful and open to doing something completely different was very crucial throughout my creative process. At one point, when my fabrics couldn’t arrive on time due to the pandemic, I had to create a pleating board for myself to be able to get the pleats I needed. I also experimented with sun dyeing at home and other things that led me to the end goal; whether I used those ideas or not, it helped narrow everything down for me. CLO3D was also an efficient tool I had to learn during the summer to be able to minimize waste and know if the fabrics I would be using for this collection would ultimately work or not.
ARTSTHREAD: What's one thing that has helped you get through the last 2 years?
Allyn Fox: Having the best support system from my family and close friends have been essential to me, especially mentally. I think that having people within arm's length to talk to, that are going through the same experience as me, made me feel better and less alone.
ARTSTHREAD: What are the most positive learning outcomes from this process?
Allyn Fox: I learned that creativity has no limits and it is motivating for me to know that as a designer. No matter what life throws at us we are able to push forward, be resourceful, and be inspired - I think that it’s always an optimistic thought to remember.
ARTSTHREAD: How do you think design can help improve the world?
Allyn Fox: I think that design has improved the world in a lot of different ways, but I think that design is a very powerful platform to raise awareness on bigger social issues and bring cultures even closer. I think design can improve the world through diversity, inclusivity and social impact.
ARTSTHREAD: What are your hopes for the future?
Allyn Fox: I hope that my creativity will continue to bring diverse cultures together and be able to represent my Filipino heritage on a larger platform. I also hope to keep creating clothes that I am proud of, that somehow will impact the world in a positive way for future generations of creatives to look up to.
ARTSTHREAD: Thank you Allyn - we wish you all the very best!
See Allyn’s ARTSTHREAD Portfolio
Images in slider: Allyn and her work
Our Global Design Graduate Show 2022 in collaboration with Gucci is open internationally to all art and design undergraduate or postgraduate students graduating in the Academic Year 2021-22 and the deadline to apply is August 31 2022.