Three FDM students’ designs are heading to the national conference of the International Textile and Apparel Association in November! Kaimi Kajiyama, Kaycee Yoshioka, and Michelle Ann Nino, mentored by Cynthia Tsark and Minako McCarthy, created the cutting-edge garments that will be presented in the ITAA’s Design Exhibition in Cleveland, Ohio. Kaimi’s ensemble (pictured, left) was inspired by the commedia dell’arte character Pierrot combined with an over-exaggeration of the Elizabethan ruff, imbued with a spirit of playfulness and theatricality. Kaycee used forty-seven 1.5-liter recycled water bottles to create her innovative design (pictured, right), while Michelle challenged herself to create a whole look using plastic materials, including plastic vinyl, blackout curtains, acrylic foam backing, and nylon 550 Paracord. The students and FDM thank the IF club, FCS, and CTAHR for the travel funds for the exhibition.