news and events

clothing, textiles, and interior design

NOT ONE BUT TWO HES INTERIOR DESIGN GRADS NAMED 30 UNDER 30 BY NKBA

9/19/2018

The National Kitchen & Bath Association annually celebrates future rock stars of the kitchen and bath industry. NKBA chooses a group of 30 talented industry professionals from around the country who are standard-bearers and examples for their peers. The 2019 NKBA class of 30 Under 30 honorees include standout designers Mary Lauda Corwin and Amanda Smith. They will be recognized at the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) which will be held Feb. 19-21, 2019 in Las Vegas. Corwin and Smith, along with 28 other honorees, will be tasked with walking the show floor to seek "Best of" products and innovations to provide insights about what the next generation views as important developments in kitchen and bath spaces.

Both women are graduates of the College of Human Environmental Sciences. Corwin, a 2014 interior design graduate, works for Toulmin Cabinetry Inc. in Tuscaloosa. Smith is employed by c|s Design Studio LLC in the Baltimore/Washington area and earned a bachelor's in interior design in 2012 and a masters in consumer sciences in 2015.

Congrats to these graduates for making a mark in their chosen field. We look forward to what the future holds for these talented designers!

HES DESIGNERS HAD THE EDGE OVER THE COMPETITION AT STATE-WIDE ASID STUDENT CONTEST

9/11/2018

Four interior design students from UA stole the show at the 2018 Daisy Bond Student Design Awards on Friday, Sept.7. Claire Gustafson, Sara Onks, Carly Roberts and Logan Glover won 12 of the coveted awards at the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Alabama chapter Impact Celebration in Birmingham.

The celebration was the culmination of a day-long conference that included a product exhibition, educational CEUs in which students participated, a keynote address by Jennifer Quail, Editor-in-Chief of i+D Magazine and a social media talk for students and emerging professionals. Students also had portfolio time to meet with professionals and receive feedback. ASID student chapter faculty advisor, John Peaslee, and instructor, Casey Faulkner, shared the conference experience with HES students.

Congratulations to our hard-working, talented students!

Claire Gustafson (graduate)
- Best of Show
- 1st Place – Design Concept Residential
- 1st Place – Rendering Computer Generated
- 1st Place – Rendering Hand Drawn
- 2nd Place – 3-D Visualization
Sarah Onks (graduate)
- 1st Place – 3-D Visualization
- 3rd Place – Rendering Computer Generated
Carly Roberts (senior)
- 1st Place – Design Concept Commercial
- 3rd Place – Product Design
Logan Glover (junior)
- 3rd Place – Rendering Hand Drawn
- 3rd Place – Design Concept Commercial
- 3rd Place – Design Concept Residential
Check out their prize winning work in the Winners’ Gallery on the Alabama Chapter of ASID’s website.

CTD student featured in UA Intern Spotlight

7/31/2018

Sammi Woronoff, a senior studying interior design, was chosen by UA to share highlights of her experience interning with a Birmingham architectural firm. Learn more about Sammi's work at Gresham, Smith and Partners.

Experiential learning - a foundational part of a CHES education!

The Fashion Archive Debuts

6/22/2018

Established at The University of Alabama in the 1930s, a collection of historical garments and textiles housed in the Department of Clothing, Textiles and Interior Design is undergoing a transformation with a new direction and a new curator. The Fashion Archive in the College of Human Environmental Sciences (CHES) will have some of its objects featured in the upcoming “Women of the Tide” exhibition that opens at The Gorgas House Museum on June 28.

Recently appointed curator Dr. Marcy L. Koontz, a CHES faculty member since 1998, says that the “Women of the Tide” exhibition will be our first opportunity to share some of the new ways in which we plan to creatively showcase objects from the collection with the public. And, we have thoughtfully selected items of dress worn by women of The University of Alabama representing five distinct decades.

Take a few moments to view The University of Alabama in a unique light and visit the “Women of the Tide – 125 Years of Women – 1893-2018” exhibition which runs through September 28, 2018.

Information about the Fashion Archive can be found online at thefashionarchive.ches.ua.edu.

Alabama factory provides great learning experience for CTD students

5/8/2018

The CHES student group SMDA (Student Merchandising and Design Association) along with the CTD department took apparel students on a field trip to Alabama Chanin in Florence, Alabama. Students were given a tour of Natalie "Alabama" Chanin's studio and factory, participated in a hands-on workshop, and enjoyed lunch at the on-site cafe. Students witnessed garments being produced in the factory and learned about sustainability practices in the apparel industry.

Chanin describes her company this way, "Alabama Chanin is a lifestyle company producing well-designed and thoughtfully made goods for the person and the home. We use 100% organic cotton fabric in our designs, sourced sustainably from seed to fabric—along with re-purposed and reclaimed materials."