At YKK, we celebrate creativity and embrace innovative thinkers. That is why it is important to us to support young designers who are revolutionizing the industry and pushing boundaries with their original creations.
These are a few of the ways YKK is supporting designers globally:
Fashion that gives back
Angela Luna, a graduate of Parsons School of Design, is utilizing her fashion designing skills to help those affected by the refugee crisis occurring in the Middle East and Europe.
Her collection, Crossing the Boundary, is a unisex and one-size outerwear collection that is functional and practical, but also fashionable. YKK® fastening products are used on numerous applications on her collections, including a child-carrying jacket, inflatable flotation jacket, and a series of transformational jackets that convert into a tent, backpack, and sleeping bag.
“I have to say the zippers I used on the project absolutely held up better than any other fasteners I’ve worked with. From testing in refugee camps in Greece, to camping out in Zion National Park, they absolutely surpassed my expectations of durability and functionality. I have probably set up these tents over 600 times now and everything still works perfectly. It was such a great experience collaborating with YKK and my team at ADIFF looks forward to more opportunities in the future!” shared Luna regarding her partnership with YKK. For more information about her project visit the website: https://www.adiff.com/
Check out Angela’s video below.
Recognizing ground breaking creations
The YKK Fastening Awards celebrate unique and edgy creations of young artists who incorporate YKK® products such as fasteners, surface fasteners, buckles, and snaps & buttons into their designs.
The products submitted in the competition have to follow two criteria: the final creations have to be “work that can be worn by people” and work that can help illustrate “new possibilities” and adaptations of YKK’s fastening products. The event takes place in September (Osaka) and October (Tokyo). A collection of 30 works are selected to be showcased on the runway during the final fashion show.
Curious about this year’s creations? Follow YKK Fastening Awards on Instagram @ykkfa for up to date information about this one of a kind event.
https://www.instagram.com/ykkfa/
Our zippers in Haute Couture
YKK France S.A.R.L. organized a student fashion show in Paris, the capital of fashion in France. Students from ESMOD International Fashion Institutes & University Group, were supported by YKK to design 30 creations. In partnership with Makeup Art Academy Paris, a professional fashion show was presented to high profile clients of YKK France at their 50th anniversary event in 2017.
For the past two years, YKK EL SALVADOR S.A. DE C.V. has been working with fashion design students from Doctor José Matias Delgado University. This year, seven students were selected to develop a collection called “Avant Garde” featuring clothing items made entirely out of YKK zippers. This collection was exhibited at the KLDSCP fashion show, the largest fashion show in El Salvador hosted by the national art museum.
YKK EL SALVADOR S.A. DE C.V. was the proud sponsor of the event and provided students with training on how to best utilize zippers to incorporate in their creations. Visit the following link for additional information about this incredible event: https://es-la.facebook.com/KLDSCP-163581190443117/
Scroll down for more product creations developed by the students:
Leather tote bag made with Vislon Zippers YKK designed by Laura Cabrera.
Designer: Alejandro Handal
Three-Year Partnership with The Arts of Fashion Foundation
In accordance with its corporate philosophy of the “Cycle of Goodness: No one prospers without rendering benefit to others,” YKK Corporation announces a three-year partnership with the Arts of Fashion Foundation in support of the International Arts of Fashion Competition. This partnership reflects YKK’s support of the young generation of designers worldwide and its long-term commitment to the mission of the Arts of Fashion Foundation.
The Arts of Fashion Foundation is a San Francisco-based non-profit organization dedicated to fostering international cultural exchange through the creation of a variety of educational programs meant to facilitate critical thinking and advance the field of fashion among artists, designers, scholars and students.
Each year, the Arts of Fashion Foundation organizes the International Arts of Fashion Competition. A different theme is chosen every year, and from October of the previous year to April, fashion students register online to participate. They send sketches and technical sheets of a ‘mini collection’ made up of three silhouettes or three accessories designed around the theme. In 2018, 340 fashion students from 32 countries registered, representing 104 schools, colleges, and universities.
At the end of April, a jury panel, composed of U.S. and international fashion professors, selects 50 project illustrations that best represent the set theme and reflect creativity and innovative potential. The 50 selected candidates are required to make two out of the three silhouettes they submitted. In October, these 50 projects (100 designs) are judged by a panel of professional fashion designers and are shown on the runway during the Finale Fashion Show at the AoF Annual Symposium, to be held October 15, 2018 at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Eight designers receive awards and scholarships, as well as apprenticeship opportunities in creative programs and fashion houses.
YKK is proud of its long-term relationship with The Arts of Fashion Foundation, which began in 2007, and looks forward to supporting the valuable work it does inspiring the next generation of designers and artists.
