Isabel & Ruben Toledo Come to SAIC as FRC Celebrates 25 Years

Chicago, IL—The Fashion Resource Center (FRC) at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) presents a lecture by Cuban-born, New York-based fashion designer Isabel Toledo and fashion illustrator and artist Ruben Toledo on October 27, 2012, at 6:00 p.m. in the Art Institute of Chicago’s Fullerton Hall (111 S. Michigan Ave.) Isabel will present thoughts on her distinct flair for pattern cutting and garment construction. Ruben will discuss his sense of design in both commercial and non-commercial arenas. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit saic.edu/frc.

The Toledos’ visit kicks off a yearlong celebration of the FRC’s 25-year anniversary as a unique resource for studying contemporary and avant-garde designer fashions. Another major highlight of the anniversary will be the FRC’s first collaboration with the Art Institute of Chicago, the exhibition Material Translations: Japanese Fashion from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. From November 3, 2012 through April 7, 2013, the FRC and the Art Institute’s Department of Asian Art will showcase garments by Japanese designers that carried out a momentous redefinition of dress from the 1980s through the 2000s that expressed new philosophical and artistic points of view. Featured designers in the exhibition, which will take place in the museum’s dramatic Ando Gallery, include Rei Kawakubo (for Comme des Garçons), Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake, Junya Watanabe, and Jun Takahashi of Undercover. The exhibition represents the first public exhibition of selections from the FRC’s growing collection.

“What a joy it is to welcome lively authorities in their fields of art and dress, and to introduce them to our SAIC interdisciplinary community and to the public,” says Gillion Carrara, Director of the Fashion Resource Center. “It is gratifying to celebrate the Fashion Resource Center's 25 years and to present our first joint exhibition with the Art Institute, Material Translations: Japanese Fashions from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.”

About the SAIC Fashion Resource Center
One of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s distinguished special collections, the Fashion Resource Center maintains a unique hands-on collection of late 20th- and 21st-century designer garments and accessories representative of extreme innovation. Its singular nature is defined not only by the visitor’s ability to handle the apparel but also by the extensive visual, print, and fabric reference collection that support and illuminate the garments and the study of attire. These elements combine to provide students and guests with a creative and educational environment in which to explore the most progressive achievements in the world of dress and fashion. Located within SAIC’s internationally renowned department of Fashion Design, the FRC is open to the public by appointment.

About Isabel and Ruben Toledo
Isabel Toledo received the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award for Fashion Design in 2005, and is fortunate to count the First Lady Michelle Obama as one of her clients. She has been designing for over twenty-eight years and worked for a time at Anne Klein. She is a recent recipient of the Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion from The Museum at Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and the Icon of Style Award for 2012 from Vanidades Magazine.

Ruben Toledo is noted for his color washes and line drawings in publication as well as sculptural objects. He has created illustrations for top fashion magazines and journals, among them The New Yorker, Vogue, Paper, Interview and The New York Times. His work has exhibited throughout the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Isabel and Ruben have also been the subject of both a book and museum exhibition, Toledo/Toledo: A Marriage of Art and Fashion at The Museum at FIT in New York City, where they both reside and work.

In March 2012, Celebra published Roots of Style: Weaving Together Life, Love, and Fashion written by Isabel with illustrations by Ruben.

Isabel and Ruben Toledo
Saturday, October 27, 6:00 p.m.
The Art Institute of Chicago, Fullerton Hall
111 S. Michigan Ave.
Tickets are $25 or $10 with current student ID
For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit saic.edu/frc.
Presented by the Fashion Resource Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Material Translations: Japanese Fashion from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Saturday, November 3, 2012–Sunday, April 7, 2013
The Art Institute of Chicago, Ando Gallery
111 S. Michigan Ave.
For visitor hours and ticket information, please visit artic.edu.

Exhibition Lecture
with FRC Assistant Director Caroline Bellios, FRC Director Gillion Carrara,
and Roger L. Weston Associate Curator of Japanese Art Janice Katz
Thursday, January 10, 6:00 p.m.
The Art Institute of Chicago, Fullerton Hall
111. S. Michigan Ave.
Free with museum admission

Hotel accommodations generously provided by the James Hotel

Support for Material Translations is provided by Jenner and Block LLP and the Terrence Truax Family.

About the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
A leader in educating artists, designers, and scholars since 1866, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) offers nationally accredited undergraduate and graduate degrees and post-baccalaureate programs to nearly 3,200 students from around the globe. SAIC also enables adults, high school students, middle school students, and children to flourish in a variety of courses, workshops, certificate programs, and camps through its Continuing Studies program. Located in the heart of Chicago, SAIC has an educational philosophy built upon an interdisciplinary approach to art and design, giving students unparalleled opportunities to develop their creative and critical abilities, while working with renowned faculty who include many of the leading practitioners in their fields. SAIC's resources include the Art Institute of Chicago and its new Modern Wing; numerous special collections and programming venues provide students with exceptional exhibitions, screenings, lectures, and performances. For more information, please visit saic.edu.

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