California Apparel News

Otis College of Art and Design and Disney took inspiration of the animated film “Frozen,” for a reality show-style challenge that was documented in the “Disney Design Challenge” web series on DisneyStyle.

The winning looks were announced on July 14 during a live episode filmed at a fashion show at the D23 Expo, the Disney fan event in Anaheim, Calif. The looks were immediately available for sale on NineteenAmendment.com, the direct-to-consumer platform created to allow independent designers to pre-sell collections, which as then produced on-demand in U.S. factories.

Students Jinny Song, Alice Xuan, Alice Faun and Minji Park top the top prizes in the competition for their looks, which reinterpret the icy, Nordic style of “Frozen” with laid-back SoCal cool for a contemporary womenswear and menswear customer.

Students who competed in the challenge were asked to channel their own personal style for the film’s lead characters: Elsa, Anna and Olaf. They were then given themes—“Downtown Chic,” “Beach Boho” and “Hollywood Glam”—to mix in some Southern California inspiration.

The final looks were evaluated by a panel that included Jill Higashi Zeleznik, Otis professor of fashion design; Luis Fernandez, senior vice president of creative at Disney; Heather Laing, Obstbaum, vice president product development at Disney; Amanda Curtis, the chief executive officer and co-founder of NineteenthAmendment.com; and Shelby Chambers, content strategy manager and editor of DisneyStyle.

“For my bohemian 'Frozen' collection, I got my inspiration from Venice beach," said grand prize winner Xuan. "People's style is so eclectic in Venice, it inspired me a lot. Being part of this design challenge has not only improved my design technique, it has also taught me some valuable lessons: to always work hard, have faith in myself and never give up! “