The prestigious Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design, which has been graduating students since 1983, has become the home of many Dominican and foreign artists and designers now widely recognized for their works in the fashion industry, graphic design and the fine arts. Every year the school graduates many young artists, with dreams of a successful future…
During the recent graduation ceremony held on Saturday the 18th of May 2013, among the extensive list of graduates, we met a young Ecuadorian named Andrea Saenz. Graduating in Fashion Design, she kindly told us her history, her point of view about the fashion industry and her projects.
@cdcliving: What year did you arrive to Altos de Chavón?
I arrived from Quito, Ecuador, in September 2011 to begin my career in the fashion design program at the Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design with Parsons The New School for Design in New York.
Andrea with her parents during her graduation
@cdcliving: Did you have any previous experience before enter to the Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design?
I was always interested in art in general. I had extracurricular art classes and I studied Visual Arts in high school, but I was not at another school before the Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design.
@cdcliving: How was your experience at the Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design?
My experience was amazing. Living with artists, many knowledge, the place is magical, teachers, friends… it is the perfect place to start studying art.
@cdcliving: What are your future plans?
Now that I have completed this first stage, I plan to travel to New York in August to get a BFA in Environmental Studies and Fashion Design. I want to specialize in sustainable design. It is an area of design that the world needs today and I love immensely. In resource-rich countries like ours, there are many unique and exceptional materials like bamboo and other natural fibers.
@cdcliving: How do you see yourself in 10 years?
The fashion field will evolve in the coming years on a large scale. The technology will create textile fibers with extraordinary qualities to create garments with durable designs. The aim of sustainable design is to create high quality garments, high versatility, durability and resistance to reduce overconsumption. I visualize in 10 years that I will have my own clothing line with design and training schools and using fibers for craftsmen and designers with new goals to keep reinventing my designs every day and continue dreaming.
@cdcliving: What types of designers do you admire and why?
I admire the timeless designers who have managed to create high-level design, who have been able to reinvent themselves every day and create history in the fashion industry.
@cdcliving: What type of material do prefer to work with and why?
I am very flexible with the materials, I do not depend on them and always try to play with my designs – with their nature and characteristics. However, yes I have two which I prefer. The first: the recycled materials, the challenging encounters… you can do really unique things with them. The other is natural and biodegradable materials, in a world so polluted as we have today, we have to take care for the environmental in every way we can, prevent the pollution and take advantage of new technologies to manufacturing these materials.
@cdcliving: What is your specialism or what would you like to specialize (a garment, shoes, a type of material, a type of cut …)?
I do not want to specialize in something so specific yet, I think that I’ll get to that point only with the experience over the coming years. I like challenges and changes and would like to work in different areas of design before making that decision.
@cdcliving: What do you think about the current global fashion and Dominican fashion and designers?
Currently I think the fashion world is in a transition phase. The big design houses are being delegated to young designers and their new ideas. The fruit of this new generation will form a fascinating history. The Estilo 2013 fashion show was just that: the fusion of classic fashion with the vision of what will be futuristic fashion. Fashion in the Dominican Republic is refreshing, full of youth, talent and innovation. There are designers with an impressive talent who want to make the industry continue to grow and prosper with immense and admirable commitment to future generations. I had the pleasure of meeting many established designers during my time at Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design and share even more with my classmates, who are now also designers. They have been an inspiration to me and I know they will all realize their dreams.
@cdcliving: Do you think you have a chance in the fashion industry, why?
The opportunities are created by ourselves. We must find the least developed sectors; and sustainable design is a vast field. I have to keep studying to expand my knowledge. As my dad always told me:“Study what you like, because there are always jobs for the best.”
@cdcliving:Would you recommend the Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design to others, why?
The Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design is not for everyone, but people who are lucky enough to get there are extremely fortunate. It is an earthly paradise, full of youth and eccentricity, with a heritage and a fascinating history.
Do not miss the second part of this series – an interviews with Chavonero Alanna Leschhorn who just graduated in Fine Arts!
Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design
The Altos de Chavón Cultural Center Foundation is a U.S. not-for- profit public charity that has a cultural and educational mission here in the Dominican Republic. The school is on a university level and offers an associate degree, with many students continuing on to Parsons School of Design (now called The Parsons New School For Design) in NY. Founded in 1983 to meet the growing commercial demands of the Dominican Republic, the School of Design offers an intensive two-year program leading to the degree of Associate in Applied Science.
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