Cool VS Cruel Interview article

The Art Institute of Portland has had the honor to be involved in The Cool Vs Cruel fashion design contest. This years Cool vs Cruel competition was based on Art Institute fashion students designing garments by making them fur free, animal cruelty free, and sustainable. This competition is sponsored by The Humane Society of the United states (HSUS) and co-sponsored by The Art Institutes’. This years design challenge was to improve a design by Michael Kors, Burberry Prorsum, Thakoon or Alexander McQueen. The Humane Society of The United States believes, “animals need their fur more then we do.” Every year about 50 million animals are killed for their fur. This campaign is here to help motivate future fashion designers to do what is right for the animals and go fur free.

Each year the competition starts July 13 and deadlines on September 25. This year there were 16 local finalist out of 100 entries that were chosen for the Cruel vs Cool competition. There was a panel of judges within all the Art Institutes involved.They were the one who chose who would be the finalist to represent their schools. Of the 16 Local finalists Bryce Black from the Art Institute of Portland was chosen. Bryce Black has been at the Art Institute of Portland for three years in the Apparel Design program. Bryce is originally from Twin Falls, Idaho. Here are some questions that were asked of Bryce Black through an email about his accomplishments. When asked what his design was based on he stated,

“My inspiration came from an Alexander McQueen leather and fur dress. My goal was to create a garment made of accessible materials with the intent of recycling and having as little additional eco-impact as possible. The primary materials to my design are post-consumer denim jeans and denim scrap with an added zipper, elastic, and fabric paint. I also wanted to achieve textured elements that fur and leather bring to a design by simple ingenuity.”

When asked what inspired Bryce for his design he stated,

“ I was inspired by the Cool vs Cruel video. I felt so angry when I learned the greater extent by which animals are mistreated in fur and leather processes. This provoked the question, ‘ how would they like it if they were skinned alive.’ I couldn’t very well begin skinning people, but the idea of clothes serving as fur for people brought me to denim jeans. Jeans are in just about every wardrobe. Jeans last forever but the trend they serve can die quickly. Recycling these would be cruelty-free and earth friendly.”

When asked what were his thoughts and his reaction when he found out he was a finalist he stated,

“When I found out I was a chosen finalist I was really exited. I thought I had a chance to place due to my creative choice in materials. I thought my overall look was edgy. I was excited for the chance to go to New York because I have never been there. I was extremely honored that our faculty, or panel of judges thought my design was the best to represent our school in this contest.”

When asked what is Cool vs Cruel based on in your own words he stated,

“Cool vs Cruel is based on educating young designers of the cruelty and mistreatment of animals in the fur industry. This competition gives young designers the ability to question what it is they appreciate about fur in their designs and to reinterpret that aesthetic into an animal friendly design.”

Bryce suggest to all to watch the Cool vs Cruel Humane Society video on this web site http://www.hsus.org/furfree/fashion/cvc/. This web site will give designers a better idea of how animals are really treated before skinned. (If you have a weak stomach I don’t suggest watching this.)

The winners for the Cool vs Cruel competition were chosen on November 11, 2009. The Grand prize winner for this year Cool vs Cruel campaign was Ingrid Bergstorm-Kendrick from The Art Institute of Vancouver. Ingrid won an expense-paid trip to New York City for the Cool vs Cruel awards ceremony that was on November 11, 2009. Along with this award ceremony Ingrid received a five day expense-paid internship in New York City with a fashion designer from the Humane Society of the United States.

The second place winner was Jeremy Hunt from The Art Institute of Indianapolis. Jeremy received a $600 cash award and a certificate of participation from the HSUS. The third place winner was Gilberto Alvarez from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. Gilberto received a $400 cash award and a certificate of participation from HSUS as well. All the other finalists received an official certificate of participation from the HSUS.

Bryce Black may not have won the top place of the competition, but he won the hearts of the judges and students at The Art Institute of Portland. Bryce is an inspiration for the present and future fashion designers at the Art Institute of Portland. Keep Bryces design in mind, go fur and leather free and be earth friendly. For more information on the Cool vs Cruel competition go to http://newsaidepartments.com , or The Humane Society of The United States, Cool vs Cruel Competition, and http://www.hsus.org/furfree/fashion/cvc/ .

-Amanda Wooley Fashion Marketing