Islam-Hashmi, head designer for Carnegie Mellon University's annual Lunar Gala fashion show, graduates this spring with a bachelor's degree in architecture and minors in intelligent environments and digital fabrication. He has taken advantage of opportunities at CMU and around the world and has shaped them into something unique.
12 comments:
I don’t know a lot about Lunar Gala. However, after reading this article, I’m extremely intrigued. I don’t think that Islam-Hashmi is the first person to use architectural techniques in fashion (I remember Susan showing us fashion artists who used 3D printing and plastic within their designs), I do think that that clothing he is producing is impressive at the college level. It’s really inspiring to see someone from Carnegie Mellon University take advantage of the interdisciplinary opportunities. Part of me also wonders how theater could use techniques that Islam-Hashmi is doing to create theatrical events that are more environmentally friendly. I know that David Boevers has had a class investigate how we could change the green footprint of our productions and there haven’t been a lot of solutions… but I wonder if we brought in people who are passionate environmentalists and engineers and had them do the same assignment - would they come back with different results?
I think that Lunar Gala is one of the coolest events that takes place on this campus every year. Lunar Gala encompasses so many aspects of design, technology, and talent, allowing kids of all majors to participate. I was lucky enough to get very involved with the process this year. Being put on the project just over a month ago, I, along with one other person, was given to major jobs. First, I became the assistant production manager. This involved helping make sure that all aspects of the production were executed properly and in an efficient and safe way. Second, I, along with one other person, was tasked with designing the rigging for the event. This was a huge task this year. This year the plot was the most complicated and heaviest it has ever been. At just over 8,000 pounds, we had to major sure not to overload any points on the ceiling in order to ensure the safety of everyone who would be stepping foot under the rig.
I thought this article was really interesting and it made me think of fashion in a completely different way. Lunar Gala seems like a real cool and exciting opportunity to see a bunch of people from completely separate fields to come together and work towards a similar goal. I never would have thought that an architecture student would be interested in fashion design but, after reading this article, I can understand it a lot better. One of the best parts of art, for me, is that it is being created by a huge number of people who all have very different backgrounds and skills. I think it is really great that Carnegie Mellon hosts this event that allows people of any major to participate, whether they may be a model or designer. It is really inspiring to me that, at this school, there are so many people who, even though they may be studying one thing, have countless other skills that they share with the community.
This is a very interesting article. Being that this is my first year at Carnegie Mellon, I had not heard of Lunar Gala before this year. However, I am in the midst of watching Lunar Gala, and I have to say it is a very unique event for a college to put on. Especially at the caliber that Lunar Gala is. Many of my fellow classmates are involved in Lunar Gala, both as models and on the technical side of things. Therefore, I believe that I have more insight into the process of being involved in Lunar Gala than some others. I also believe that some of the designs are very interesting, while others are very much lacking in both thought and execution. It will be interesting to watch in the coming years and see how the tradition evolves, and what it means for the school of Carnegie Mellon overall.
A unique crossing of disciplines in unique way. I wouldn’t have thought something like concrete could be used for clothing and let alone be a part within fashion. However, this student did just that and it is something unheard of which is where the interest is peaked. I am curious to know if he will continue this work as his internships suggest he will otherwise stop and focus on actual architecture. In the meantime, I wish I could see more pictures of his work in this article. I want to see how that concrete is used within fashion especially because I can understand how something like fiberglass or even glass could and especially resin. While those latter two are not common in clothing other materials and sometimes those are used in costuming and more frequently than one might think. I hope to see this idea continued and see what waves it makes within the fashion industry and the architectural industry if it makes any waves at all.
Wow Zain’s pieces are gorgeous! I wish I had been able to go to Lunar Gala to see them in person. I would love to be a designer at some point. I think it’s really cool to be able to combine different aspects of what we’ve learned into your own form of art and I love fashion. Wearable art changes the game by making it interactive and puts limitations that you have to work around. I’m so impressed by any student who is able to be a designer. I know my weeks leading up to Lunar Gala were insanely busy, I have know idea how Zain was able to put together a line. I’m most impressed by his ability to work within a time restraint in addition to doing school work, especially in the architecture program, which is notorious for it demanding hours. I think this is a really cool opportunity to expand skills into something that’s not traditionally associated with his major.
I only just recently got into the Banksy scene and I must say, I don’t really understand it. I don’t think his work is worth the amount of money that people put into it, and it seems like he agrees based on the way he presents his work. It’s not fair to Banksy nor does it support his ideas that others are copying him and then profiting on it. His work is not about making money, but rather about making a statement. The fact that he took this to court signifies that he is claiming his intellectual property and in of itself, making a statement. I think that Banksy has every right to his art and that people need to truly see what he’s trying to say instead of doing the complete opposite and making money off of stealing his ideas. The whole shredded work shows that people aren’t seeing his art and are trying to make money off of his fame.
Lunar Gala is such an incredible and unique opportunity for designers to participate in. Personally, I think that some of the most innovative and inspiring pieces of art I see all year come from that event. The practice of bringing a design through to completion is really valuable for any aspiring designer, and it is an excellent venue to showcase new and diverse work. I think that Zain Islam-Hashmi has wonderfully encapsulated the spirit of the event. They have taken their knowledge of a different field and found a place for it in an experimental venue for fashion design. Their knowledge and decisions about materials reminds me a lot of what Susan teaches us about considering the “itness of a thing”, and I am really inspired by their work. I hope that their work inspires other designers to push the boundaries of fashion design and clothing construction in years to come.
Lunar Gala seems like a much more extravagant event than I originally thought it was. Friends working tech for it told me that it’s actually the largest fashion show in Pittsburgh (which is not all that surprising) and that their budget for tech is a quarter of a million dollars, which I think it’s absolutely insane. I watched the live stream of Lunar Gala last night and definitely thought some of the lines were amazingly impressive, whereas others definitely fell flat. As someone who sews, all I could focus on at times was the execution of each piece, and the unfinished seams, lack of ironing, and so on just really hurt me. Overall, I thought it was very interesting how you could tell which lines were designed by architects, like Zain. These lines were definitely more focused on line and form, and how they can connect to the human body, through interestingly constructed models.
Coming to Carnegie Mellon, I heard people talk about Lunar Gala sometimes, here and there. But I seriously had no idea it was this big of an event. Plus most of the department heads on Lunar Gala were School of Drama people! Seeing that made me so happy. In the article Hashmi talks about how he loves that Carnegie Mellon is so interdisciplinary and you can explore any avenue you want. That’s exactly what I love most about the school. I’m pushed and guided to explore my options and head down whatever path I choose to. Seeing Lunar Gala just furthered my adoration for the school. The production value for this was off the fucking chain, my jaw was dropped for most of the show. I would love to be apart of Lunar Gala in future years because it is a ginormous and beautiful collaboration across every discipline within Carnegie Mellon University.
I am amazed at the timing of all of these articles because up until two weeks ago, I had no idea that Lunar Gala was even a fashion show. After being so intimately involved with the Lunar Gala process this past year I have huge respect for every design aspect that goes into the production. I remember the fashion line that this articles designer was apart of and when we ran it in rehearsal in the afternoon, the effect was completely lost. The premise of his line was that it glowed in the dark and it was not until the sun had set and it was during the actual show with an audience that I got to see the clothing glow in the dark. That was a really cool experience because as a member of the production crew, usually most “surprise” elements are spoiled in tech so you do not get to experience them with the audience.
I know close to nothing about Lunar Gala and how that all works, nor do I really understand the culture around fashion shows, but hearing more and more things about it makes it seem really fascinating. I love the idea that students of all majors and disciplines can try out things their areas normally don’t do but apply themselves and their knowledge to it. I think Zain’s designs were pretty interesting, and it’s cool to me that he took materials used in solid architectural things like concrete and dirt, but applied them to clothing. I also like how he talks about the interdisciplinary aspects of his education as well. I’m not the biggest fan of some of the works, but I think again some of it might come from me not understanding fashion. Perhaps I’ll see if I can get involved with Lunar Gala in one of the years to come.
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