6 2B - Thursday, April 12, 2007 {student designer profiles} The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Jerrit Tan By Maureen Sullivan I Daily Arts Writer Alex Lee By Nora Feldhusen I Daily Arts Writer TI U he word 'cake' is synon- ymous with wealth and power. We can refer to everything we want simply as cake, from chocolate cake, to cash and even a kilo of cocaine." Inthe streetwear industry where imitation is suicide and reputation is everything, LSA junior Jerrit Tan is relatively new on the scene with Cake, the clothing and lifestyle brandhestartedin2005.Alongwith friends Mike Cho and Sera Juddin - New York natives - Tan has cre- ated a line of edgy T-shirts with an urban-chic vibe. They hope to bring fresh ideas into the streetwear industry. Though originally exclud- ed from the mainstream fashion for its unconventional style, well- known designhouses like Gucci and Prada have turned to ahip-hop style for inspiration. Like other contemporary lines taking advantage of the opportu- nity to collaborate between cre- ative industries, Cake is constantly looking for inspiration in different genres, be it pop art, techno or hip hop "Creativity breeds creativity, and becoming more mainstream has Lamborghinis - Tan definitely builtnew bridges between will branch out beyor companies and artists to encourage include jeans, button- more innovative products," Tan said ers, sneakers and watt in an e-mail interview. "Just like high fash Cake's criteria include originality, outlandish and uniq wearability and style. Tan and his more attention it wi partners are ambitious, striving to said. "Hype is a beauti create a completely original brand that catches eyes, creates buzz and demands a second look. "If we saw our clothes in a store, would we pick it up?" Tan asked. "If we saw some random guy at a bar wearing one of our shirts, would we swim our way through the crowd to ask him where he got his shirt? Its is a long and sometimes painstaking process to come up with a product that you like, and you believe other people would like also." The streetwear industry is diffi- cult to break into, but Cake has sold its spring line to 20 retailers, hitting major cities including New York, Chicago and Los Angeles as well as expanding globally to England, Canada and Japan. Inspired by Japanese brand Bape - originally a clothing label that expanded to records and even Bape Jerrit Tan looking bailer. n hopes Cake nd T-shirts to downs, sweat- :ches. ion, the more ue it is, the ill grab," Tan iful thing." f you've ever paid too much money for a skirt made out of old T-shirts, Alex Lee has your alternative. He isn't going to sell you a cheaper version - he's got something better. He'll show you how to make the old clothes sit- ting in your closet look just like the high-fashion vintage pieces. "I'm not a fashion designer," said Lee, an Art and Design senior. "I justmake things fit people." Lee majors in graphic and industrial design, and the concept of reusing and recycling are pervasive in his collection. As college students, we're bom- barded with information about how to conserve. This can be overwhelming, and Lee offers a simple way to dress and acces- sorize responsibly. His vision is a holistic one: The clothes are meant to do more than just look good. The new piece - derived from older garments - is meant to manifest the distinctive character of the owner. Lee is creating 20 individual pieces for his senior thesis. Partic- ipants bring him some old cloth- ing they no longer wear, and Lee talks to them about their style, personality and interests. Then he "refurbishes" - fashioning a new piece that improves the fit physi- cally and stylistically. The new pieces carry more personal impor- tance and meaning than anything store-bought. But Lee's vision stretches beyond his senior thesis: He hopes to create a movement promoting recyclable fashion. He will open an interactive studio Saturday at the gallery Natural Canvas on Main Street, which he hopes to keep as a permanent space. The gallery will be dedicated to sew- ing machines and workshop areas where people can transform their old and boring clothing into new styles that better fit their bodies and personalities. Consider taking part in Lee's movement by heading to Natural Canvas with an old sweater you never wear this weekend. You'll leave not only with a new handbag or shirt but the inspiration to take what was once useless or trash and create something far more innovative. ROBMIGRIN/ The epitome of chill: Alex Lee. Emily Coleman By Rachel Common Daily Arts Writer D uring her past four years at the University, Emily Cole- man, an Art and Design senior, hasn't experienced the nuts- and-bolts kind of training available at fashion powerhouses like FIT or Parsons. Incidentally, the Universi- ty's School of Art and Design doesn't offer a concentration specifically in fashion design. But Coleman has learned a thing or two about fashion's role in soci- ety - though she sometimes had to leave Ann Arbor to do it. After each academic year, Coleman supple- mented her art-school studies with more hands-on, business-oriented trainingby takingsummerclasses at schools with strong fashion-design NBy Shay Spaniola and Kimberly Chou Daily Arts Writers Emily Coleman amid her fruits of labor. curricula. Coleman said the work has "allowed (her) to gain a better understanding of how art and fash- ion function in society." The way she speaks about the real-world power of fashion, how- ever, belies her education at a liberal arts institution like the University. "Fashion, as a capitalist enter- prise, is directly influenced by the political, cultural and economic cli- mate of present day society - and vice versa," Coleman said. She said fashion is a universal language that challengesand comments on cur- rent social thought. "Most of the work I have done has been more conceptually based," she said. For her recently finished senior thesis, Coleman created a collection of what she referred to as "trans- formable garments" that deal with fear, protection and vulnerability. If it's not exactly what you'd expect from new fashion, understand that Coleman's collection, "Perception Management," was initially a prod- uct of her thoughts on the "ways the current U.S. government uses fear as a means of manipulation and con- trol." After graduation, Coleman plans to move to New York to pursue her dream as a high-fashion designer. When you buy apparel from LSA freshman Sam Kelman's cloth- ing line, you'll not only look good, you'll help others feel good, too. Through sales of T-shirts and similar wardrobe staples from her Save Our Women clothing line, Kelman has raised more than $60,000 for breast cancer awareness. Her main recipient is the Susan G. Komen Breast Can- cer Foundation, which receives net profits from all American sales. As the shirts are also sold in Canada, net profits from Canadi- an sales are donated to the Cana- dian Breast Cancer Foundation. Kelman said that what started out as a small T-shirt fundraiser evolved into a farther-reaching, philanthropic business. She cre- ated her company almost three years ago, after she participated in the Susan G. Koman Breast cancer walk in New York City. The walk serves as a tribute to the women lost to breast cancer and to honor survivors, and at the same time it spreads awareness and raises money; for Kelman, it was especially significant as her grandmother had passed away frombreast cancer. Since then, Kelman has part- nered with sales representatives at numerous American colleges, such as McGill University student Mara Sofferin. Kelman's collection starts with American Apparel-made long-sleeved thermals, V-neck T-shirts, tank tops and zip-up sweatshirts. Each piece is print- ed with the retro-style "Save Our Women" logo - featuring a pink ribbon in place of the "A" in "save" - on both front and back. Although most of the shirts are in neutrals like grey, black or white, Kelman is adding new colors for the spring line. Shirts start at about $20, and zip-ups are $45. To order mer- chandise, visit www.saveourwo- menshirts.com. SHAY SPANIOLA/Daly Sam Kelman mixes fashion and charity. Sam Kelman sc Soc 389 & SC 32S35 SOC 389 is a service-learning course with topics in Education, Criminal Justice, Public Health, Gender and Sexuality, and Organizing for Social justice. Select a section within one of these topic areas using the descriptions in the LSA Course Guide (www.lsa.umich.edu/cg). SPECIAL THANKS TO: *Shiori Ito, Mandy Mitchell and Adam Morath of Shei magazine. . Poash . Star Vintage . Beanie June Boutique . Courtney Clark and Cake Nouveau . People's Food Co-op . Martha Cook Residence Hall SOC 325 is for selected student facilitators. For an application, visit the Project Community website: www.umich.edu/~mserve/pc Do you like Sudokumpuzzles? Bored during summer classes? Need something to read during the lazy days of sumnmer? THEN CHECK OUT Edward Ginsberg Center for Community Service and Learning Division of Student Affairs 1024 Hill Street pcinfo@umich.edu www.umich.edu/ mserve/pc THE SUMMER DAIYUfi Published every Monday throughout both and summner terms, except on Maya1" and Mayz2 Pick one up at any of the 27 dropspots around campus. Don't forget to check out the Rotating Tap for summer specials at your favorite bars, the - Entertainment Page for restaurant and entertainment specials, and the crossword puzzle. 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