When fashion meets technology, fashion designers like Alyssa Watson get noticed.

If you haven’t been watching, then you may not know that 3D printing, smart/wearable technology, e-textiles, fiber optics, and made-to-measure garments are the focus of those making waves in the industry.

The Academy of Art University’s School of Fashion is proud that our students are some of those pioneers you’re hearing about. And they’re taking peers and fashion industry insiders by storm.

Introducing Alyssa Watson

Here’s a story about one of our students, Alyssa Watson.

Each year, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York’s Costume Institute defies imagination as its curators put on a new fashion exhibition as told through the lens of our contemporary culture.

In May 2016, the Museum staged “MANUSxMACHINA – Fashion in an Age of Technology.”

To promote the event, the museum created a competition for design students from around the country. They were asked to submit a design relating to the museum’s exhibition.

Alyssa Watson was studying for her Fashion BFA at the Academy at the time. When Watson heard about the 2016 Met Student Design Competition, she knew the challenge was meant for her.

Watson had been exploring 3D printing and fiber optics in her designs. For her submission to the Met’s competition, she used cutting-edge technology to construct a garment.

Fashion Meets Technology Meets Awards

Her work was based on the anatomy of an iceberg. “Ninety-percent of it is below the water, and everything above the bust was what you would actually see above the water. My instructor, Gary Miller, kept saying ‘bigger, bigger. The bigger, the bolder, the stronger and more powerful the statement you make, the better it will be.’ When I won, I was so happy and later on I realized, this is something I can pursue.”

Her design earned her the coveted top prize.

About Watson’s design, talent and drive, Miller said, “I think her final piece looks extremely professional and wearable. And at the Academy, we allow you to be who you want to be. We develop you to be the best you can be. ”

The achievement not only validated her decision to study at Academy of Art University, but also her decision to pursue a career in fashion.

Congratulations Alyssa!