Aaron Thompson / Special to the Home News

Fashion designer Alan Kashi, center poses for photos with model Darryl Limbiao, 16, left, and Ricamae Limbiao, an International Academy of Design Technology student, after a fashion show at Planet Hollywood’s Miracle Mile Shops on Aug. 26.

By Jeremy Twitchell (contact)

Thu, Sep 4, 2008 (midnight)

A handful of aspiring fashion designers at the International Academy of Design and Technology in Henderson have teamed with a prominent shoe designer to create clothing to match his outrageous styles.

They showed off their creations, along with the Alan Kashi-designed Kashi Kicks that inspired them, in a fashion show at Planet Hollywood's Miracle Mile Shops on Aug. 26.

Kashi's style, which combines bright colors and vibrant prints to create tennis shoes of unparalleled uniqueness, posed a different kind of challenge for the design students.

"One girl didn't win because her designs were too commercial," said Carolyn Thomas, program chair of fashion design at the academy. "These designs were supposed to be out there."

The students submitted drawings of their ideas and then those who were selected as winners were given two weeks to bring their creations to life.

"It took all of our creativity to see what we could come up with," student Ricamae Lmibao said.

Once notified that they had been selected, the students' first challenge was to find real-life fabrics to match the color and style of Kashi. One student searched for hours online before she found the right one, while other students resorted to making their own stencils or painting their own fabric.

Some designers said the challenge stretched them to their limits. Others called it a dream project.

"I love color," Princess Madison said. "Give me any type of inspirational color, and I'll go crazy for it, because who doesn't love color?"

With fabrics and designs in hand, the students got to work, but soon found out that they would be working with petite models who were significantly smaller than the designs the students had prepared.

"I made for a Size 8, but actually, (the model) was Size 6," Eunha Kim said.

Thomas said the project was a valuable learning experience because it taught the designers to think on their feet and quickly adapt to real-world problems, which recreated in a classroom setting.

"This is more of what it would be like if you had a real customer," Thomas said. "It's not always smooth sailing."

Once all the challenges had been dealt with, the designers agreed that the experience was a highlight of their schoolwork. For most, it was their first chance to work with a model and have their creation shown on a runway.

Thomas said she was impressed by the students' creations and was proud of what they learned.

"It was a far more comprehensive way of putting their skills to work," she said. "They had to be creative, they had to take the designs they were given and put them to work."

Jeremy Twitchell is a reporter for the Home News. He can be reached at 702-990-8928 or jeremy.twitchell@hbcpub.com.