Student designer Javonica Sapp created a collection of purple and white silk taffetta evening gowns for her entry into the Eighth Annual Driehaus Awards for Fashion Excellence.
Richard
H. Driehaus paid tribute to the emerging talents of fashion design
students studying at five Chicago area schools and colleges on Friday
evening, May 15, 2009 when he hosted the Eighth Annual Driehaus Awards
for Fashion Excellence. A sellout crowd of over 400 guests attended
the event at Driehaus' South Loop garage and warehouse, enjoying
a runway fashion show and awards program, silent auction, reception
and musical entertainment.
At the conclusion of the evening top awards were presented to: Hector-Javier MonArrez,
a student at the International Academy of Design and Technology; first
place and a $5,000 cash award; Danielle Wyman, a student at the Illinois
Institute of Art, second place and a $2,500 prize; and Miriam Cecilia
Carlson, a 2009 graduate of Dominican University, third place and a
$1,000 cash award. Honorable mention prizes of $500 were presented
to: Nanette De Kool, Adriana Gonzalez, Marisol Molina, and Reginald
Valdezco. For the first time, top award winners received a newly-designed
Driehaus Awards for Fashion Excellence statue, a permanent keepsake
of the evening.
Schools participating in the program included: Columbia College
Chicago, Dominican University, The Illinois Institute of Art, The International
Academy of Design and Technology and the School of the Art Institute
of Chicago. ABC7's Linda Yu was the guest master of ceremonies
for the program with Kelly Golden of Neapolitan in Winnetka, Simona
Groza of Luca Luca. and Elda De La Rosa of Elda De La Rosa Couture,
serving as guest judges for the student design competition.
In his welcoming message, Driehaus, a Chicago business leader
and philanthropist, spoke of the many challenges young designers face
as they pursue educations and launch careers. To better assist these
students, Driehaus increased the prize money in 2009 and also held
a “Fashion Spotlight on Alumni Designers” at the event,
welcoming back several former award winners to showcase their fashion
designs.
The evening also served as a benefit for three noteworthy Chicago
charities:
The Enterprising Kitchen, Graffiti Zone and Bottomless Closet. The
Enterprising Kitchen empowers low-income women to create a brighter
future by helping them build a foundation for permanent employment
as they create handmade soaps and spa products.
Graffiti Zone is a non-profit community art studio that creates a safe
space in which people of all ages can connect with themselves and their
community through arts making and promotion. Bottomless Closet
provides professional attire along with personal and professional career
skills training to support women in transition.
The Eighth Annual Driehaus Awards for Fashion Excellence raised over
$100,000 in support of the three aforementioned charities through ticket
sales, sponsorships and the silent auction, which offered tickets to
the 2009 Driehaus Summer Party in Lake Geneva, vacation adventures,
designer clothing, spa products and a behind the scenes tour of the
ABC7 news studio.
Chicago philanthropist Richard H. Driehaus with first place winner Hector-Javier MonArrez and a model wearing a dress from Hector's prize winning collection.
