Styling 101

Photography by Isabella Bejarano
Styling by Suchandra Bullock

Tunic by Gwen Shihyao Lai, MFA Fashion Design. Bandana Pants by Rik Villa. Necklace, model's own. Sweater (worn as scarf) by UNIQLO.

Behind every compelling image is a stylist working on his or her magic to make ordinary objects come to life and grab the viewer’s attention.

Academy of Art University understands the importance of styling and recently became the first university in the United States with an accredited BFA Fashion Styling Program. The program was created under the masterful direction of Simon Ungless, Executive Director of the School of Fashion, and Flore Morton, Styling Coordinator.

“We have set the bar high, and expect to be not only the first, but also the best for a long time. Now that Fashion Styling is an accredited program, students are able to take classes in a specific sequence that introduces the skills that are needed. The quality of the photo shoots styled, produced and art directed by the students of the program are already industry standard. Students are being commissioned by companies and having their work published well before they graduate,” explained Morton.

The student work coming out of the BFA Styling Program caught the eye of globally respected brand UNIQLO, who donated garments to be styled by the students for this shoot. “UNIQLO strongly believes in our customers’ intelligence to make their own style choices; we may provide suggestions, but we never dictate looks,” said Jean Emmanuel-Shein, Marketing Director, UNIQLO USA. “We feel that the unvarnished creativity displayed by the students in the Fashion Styling program at Academy of Art University is also reflective of this ethos and that the styling itself is refreshingly natural.”