The Criterion - 2003-12-01

              a publication of the accrediting council for independent colleges and schools
ACICS
I V*
winter 2003 volume 10 issue I
THE
Couture Culture
CRITERION
The Golden Hanger Fashion Awards Gala also is a time for recognizing outstanding achievement and enthusiasm by local retailers and notable guests. Some of the coveted awards include the Lifetime Achievement Award, Retailer of the Year, Accessories Company of the Year, and Apparel Designer of the Year.
Serving on the Board of Directors at the Fashion and Textile Museum in London, England, Ms. O'Conner has had the privi-lege of meeting and collaborating with British designer Zandra Rhodes, an interna-tionally recognized fashion and textile designer and recipient of the Golden Hanger Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1997. Ms. Rhodes, who was a special guest at this year's gala, studied at the Royal College of Art in London and designed for the late Diana, Princess of
In This Issue:
7 2003 Dissertation Research Fellowship Announcement
8 2003 Annual Meeting in Las Vegas
10 August and December 2002 Council Actions
Wales. Ms. Rhodes has recently enjoyed a resurgence of her whimsical and daring 1970s styles.
The gala is a shared event for students, retailers, the children of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the many distinguished and special guests from the com-munity. Thanks to the many contributors to the suc-cess of the gala, Fashion Careers of California College presented a check for $10,000 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation from the proceeds of the annual event.
Fashion Careers of California College was founded in 1979 and has been accredited by ACICS since 1983.
Fashion Careers of California College held its six-teenth Annual Golden Hanger Fashion Awards Gala with over seven hundred guests in attendance. First held in 1986 and each summer since, the gala is a night of celebration and excitement honoring the fash-ion and retail industry in San Diego. "It was an idea that brought the industry together, and it was a great chance to showcase the talented students here at Fashion Careers of California," said Patricia O'Connor, founder and president of the college.
This year's event, titled "The Evolution of Fashion," featured outfits by talented fashion design students from the college with exciting fabrics collected over 20 years and donated by a local philanthropist. Involving the community is not unusual for this special event. Since 1997, the proceeds from the Golden Hanger Fashion Awards have been donated to San Diego's Make-A-Wish Foundation which helps make "dreams come true" for children with life-threatening illnesses. During the fashion show, children of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and local celebrities take part in the show by wearing fashions created especially for them by students. The student designers are showcased for the remainder of the evening in a dazzling production.