See Students Strut in Project East

The fashion designs of several professional Asian and Asian American designers, along with the styles of nine recent graduates of the Parsons New School of Design, will debut tomorrow in the Project East 2010 runway show.

The event, which is produced by Kelsey A. Maguire '11 and Michael R. Polino '11, will feature a DJ, a silent auction, and an after party. Project East—which is now in its fourth year—differs from other runway shows on campus because of its focus on the actual designs, according to Maguire.

"This is all about the clothes—it’s all about the designers and their interesting, sort of strange pieces," said Maguire, who was an assistant producer for last year’s show.

In the first half of the show, Harvard students will model four to eight designs from each Parsons graduate. Following a brief intermission, they will sport the fashions of the professional designers, including Derek Lam, Angela Chen, Uma Wang, Nio, and Angelo Gao.

"One thing we’re always excited about changing is the new clothes," said Polino, who has also been deejaying the show each year since he was a freshman. "The thesis students at Parsons are coming up with such cool designs," he said. "It’s interesting to see that and compare to what is on the professional scene right now. Each year, we’re building momentum and getting more designers on board."

Unlike in previous years, the proceeds of the silent auction and ticket sales will no longer go to charity, but the goal of the show is still to promote Asian and Asian American designs.

"In the four years since Project East has been founded, there has been increased exposure for the Asian American design community," Maguire said. "Visibility has really increased nationally for Asian and Asian American fashion designers…so it’s a really interesting position for us to be in."

The show starts tomorrow, Nov. 13, at 7:30 p.m. in the Northwest Laboratories. Regular tickets cost $10 and VIP tickets cost $20. The space will allow more than 600 people to attend.

Photo courtesy of Kelsey A. Maguire.