Wayne State students 'Go Red'
Four students from the Wayne State University College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts are wearing their hearts on their sleeves by contributing to the 2021 Detroit Go Red for Women event, Faces of Heart, hosted by the American Heart Association. The digital event, which includes an auction, aims to bring awareness to the social determinants of health that disproportionately impact women.
Three of the four students are from the fashion design and merchandising program in the James Pearson Duffy Department of Art and Art History. All three spent countless hours designing and making heart-inspired wearable pieces to be auctioned off at this year's event.
Brooklyn Miller, a senior focused on apparel design and merchandising, created a modernized Victorian coat featuring flared sleeves, a large collar, and red panels that extend from the sleeves and hem.
"The color palette includes red to represent the American Heart Association, but is done in a subtle way that incorporates it within the pattern," said Miller.
Miller aspires to become a creative director for a top apparel company, as well as start her own clothing brand.
Dasia West, a senior in the fine arts program who specializes in fashion design, created a summer-inspired dress. The colors in the fabric are an art piece of their own.
"This dress is a part of my summer collection and remains one of my favorites I have created," said West. "My love for making summer clothes is in relation to my love for the summer weather and hopes to work in a warm place, such as California or Florida."
West aspires to start her own clothing line and participate in New York Fashion Week.
Daynah Grant, a junior majoring in fashion design from Detroit, created a heart-inspired costume made of cotton-poly red fabric that includes yarn representing veins and arteries.
Grant aspires to start her own costume line.
"Students designed and sewed garments independently in response to the American Heart Association's Go Red campaign," said Margaret Hull, assistant professor of fashion design and merchandising. "They responded in different ways that are representative of their individual design aesthetics. In their work, I see the potential impact of a garment on one's confidence, power and desire for self-expression, which can be hard to grasp in the face of illness."
Alexis Wright, a sophomore majoring in design with a concentration in graphic designed, shared her artistic talents for the 2021 Go Red campaign by creating this year's logo for the American Heart Association, which is featured on printed materials and the Go Red website.
Wright's inspiration was to communicate that heart disease doesn't discriminate when it comes to women - age, race, socioeconomic status, family history and more are all social determinants that impact one's health.
Along with being a full-time student, Wright is a student assistant in the Office of the Vice President for Research, where she is furthering her digital design and visual communication skills through the creation of graphics and flyers to promote research news and events across campus. She was born and raised in Detroit, and has been interested in fine arts most of her life. After taking an interest in design while attending Cass Tech, she has focused her skills on both traditional and digital creativity, and uses her growing abilities to further her career goals of advertising and branding design for museums, galleries, small businesses and other creative spaces.
"I am so proud that our students contributed to a community event that draws attention to the important issue of women's heart health," said Sheryl Oring, professor and chair of the James Pearson Duffy Department of Art and Art History. "Too often, we underestimate the risks of heart disease in women, and this event helps raise awareness in a compelling way."
Contact:
Julie O'Connor, julie.oconnor@wayne.edu