Scholarship Benefit and Fashion Show

2013 SBFS

Saturday, May 4, 2013 at the Beverly Hilton, Beverly Hills, CA

Honoring Kirk Nix of KNA Design and Sally Perrin of Perrin Paris
and Special Recognition of the Otis Sustainability Alliance

The 31^st year of this black-tie gala featured Los Angeles' largest fashion runway show with more than 70 professional models in 175-plus fashion designs for women, men and juniors. Approximately 800 guests—an affluent, creative crowd of leaders in business and entertainment, stylists, fashion and design retailers, celebrities, and fashion fans—got a glimpse at the future of fashion design from the perspective of those who invent it—Otis fashion students! In 2013, more than $1 million was raised for scholarships benefiting all students. Many of these promising young artists and designers would be unable to complete their education without this financial support. By supporting scholarships, you play an important role in helping students remain in school so they can enrich our world with creativity, skill and vision (80% of students require financial aid).

For questions or more information about our gala, please contact 310.665.6858

The inside story of year-long design projects as they lead to the annual runway show.

The Benefit was #4 of Southern California's Top 100 Events for 2012 in the fashion category.

2013 Honorees

Kirk Nix Creative Vision Award

Kirk 2013 Honoree

As a world-class and internationally recognized designer with an impressive portfolio which includes the world's most distinctive hospitality properties, Kirk NIx brings tremendous prestige and excitement to this year's Benefit. As head of KNA, Kirk oversees an experienced staff of over 30 designers encompassing architects, LEED certified designers, and the industry's most creative interior designers. Kirk manages all aspects of design, planning, programming and project development at KNA. His work is a culmination of a life-time of study, observation, and exhaustive trial and error. From Marina Bay Sands Sky Lounge in Singapore, the Leela Palace in New Delhi, the Venetian resort in Los Vegas and Macau to the Disney's Grand Hawaiian Resort & Spa, the Hotel Palomar Cityscape in Phoenix, the Shangri-La, and Ceasar's Palace Villas, Kirk continues to dazzle the senses around the globe with his imaginative and innovative designs. In addition, KNA is currently collaborating with John Lasseter at Pixar on the first themed Resort located at Disney Park in Shanghai. And with such a vast body of work, KNA has invariably worked with many of the world's leading architects such as Robert Stern in NYC, Gwathmey-Siegal, NBBJ, SOM and many more. Kirk is the recipient of the 2010 Hospitality Design magazine's Platinum Circle Award. And, in 2012, he won both Interior Design magazine's Best of Year Award and the IIDA/HD Product Design Competition for the exceptional design merit of his Kirk Nix for Robert Allen fabric line. He will be launching a number of new product design projects in 2013, including a line of rugs for Mansour and furniture lines for both Henredon and Walter's Wicker. Kirk received his B.S in Interior Design from the University of Alabama. He lives and works in Los Angeles.

Sally Perrin Style Icon Award

Sally 2013 Honoree
Sally Perrin, as Creative Director of Perrin Paris the legendary French luxury line, Sally is the Icon of chic. Her trademark signature is the embodiment of modern glamour and style that captures the intangible ---- proverbial grace and elegance. Originally from Seattle, her modeling career took her to Europe and Asia in the 1980's. She married Michel Perrin in 1988 and together they moved to Istanbul, Turkey. In the early 90's, they settled in Paris, where they raised their two daughters Clothilde and Emmanuelle. Her interest in antiques and textiles from her travels lead her to launch a small business in Paris sourcing antiques for an American clientele. In 2006, the Perrins opted to return to the US, choosing Los Angeles as their new home. Together they launched Perrin Paris French luxury leather goods, originally a glove manufacturer founded by Michel's great-great- grandfather in 1893. Combining a unique and discerning feminine eye with French tradition and savoir-faire, they specialize in uniquely handcrafted purses, gloves & sunglasses with shops in Paris, New York & Beverly Hills.

Otis Sustainability Alliance

"Who are businesses really responsible to?...Fundamentally, businesses are responsible to their resource base. Without a healthy environment there are no shareholders, no employees, no customers and no business." - Yvon Chouinard, founder Patagonia, author The Responsible Company: What We've Learned from Patagonia's First 40 years

The Otis Sustainability Alliance is a group of creative leaders from the fields of fashion, design, art, and higher education who are committed to advancing the environmental, social, educational, and economic dimensions of sustainability through their work as artists, designers, and educators.

The Otis Sustainability Alliance was launched with recognition of the inaugural corporate partners in the apparel industry: Eddie Bauer, Disney, Nike, Patagonia, Quiksilver, and Todd Oldham.

2013 Mentors

This year's Junior and Senior classes were mentored by some of the best in the industry, including:


Billabong Bob Mackie Mary Jo Bruno Christopher Wicks	Claire Pettibone ('89) Cynthia Vincent ('88) Marisol Gerona ('93) for Disney EleVen by Venus Williams	Marie Mazelis for Halston with Humane Society Heather Brown ('04) for Urban Outfitters Western Costume with Betsy Heimann

Halston project mentor Marie Mazelis (left) working with a student during a sketch selection	What Does It Mean To Be An Otis Fashion Mentor? Learning by working with industry professionals has been the cornerstone of the fashion design department's curriculum. Originality in fashion results from a rigorous process of developing and editing ideas to solve specific design problems. Fashion students, working with renowned professional designers in the unique mentorship program, are trained in all aspects of the design process from research, sketches, fabric draping to construction of final garment. They create clothing for several mentors simultaneously, emulating the professional fashion studio and following the industry's seasonal schedule. The classrooms are the testing ground for new ideas, methods, materials, and equipment as creativity, technology and environmental concerns are merged. At the end of the spring semester, the top student garments are selected by fashion professionals and presented on the runway at the annual Scholarship Benefit and Fashion Show.


2013 Benefit Committee

Shelley Reid, Chair Elaine Goldsmith, Founding Chair Aaina Agarwal Libby Applebaum Harrison Kendra Bollenbach Christine Chiu Diane Conn Kate Coppola Nancy Jane Falk Goldston Lena Hermansson	Deborah Lynn Irmas Lisa Janian Pat Kandel Kadi Lee Cathy Louchheim Carolyn Mahboubi Lisa Maroney Laura Maslon Ame Austin Max ('95)	Kristi McKnight ('07) David McNeary Katherine Neifeld Cynthia Occelli Pamela Page Jennifer Perry Angela Rich Gary Sommerstein Claudia Teran


Highlights from Past Years

2012 Benefit Highlights	2011 Benefit Highlights	Benefit - Video Archive	Photo Slide Shows

Scholarship Benefit & Fashion Show Videos from all previous years!
Past Honorees (PDF)
Past Mentors (PDF)

Media Inquiries: Please contact John Axtell, jaxtell@otis.edu or (310) 665-6857