Abel Design Group (ADG) has won the Most Innovative Award in the 9th annual IIDA Product Runway 2017 architectural fashion show and design competition, which was held at the Revention Music Center in Downtown Houston on Friday, April 28, 2017. The ADG team consisted of five design members: Matteo Scaiola, Irma Sifontes, Katy Lopez, Kristin Rozanski, Laura Evans; and one model, Jezy Cisneros.
The winning Abel Design Group garment, based on the theme of The Great Gatsby, was hand-crafted, from top to bottom. The garment, featuring over 1300 laser cut leather and vinyl petals, was created to both embody the wardrobe of the main characters from the novel as well as well as explore the underlying theme of the book –the mult-layered nature of humanity. The light and elegant exterior of the dress peels back to reveal a dark interior lining.
Each of the 20 competing teams in the Product Runway competition was assigned one hard material and one soft material, which were required to collectively comprise 80% of their final garment. The teams were also given the opportunity to compete for a “wild card” vendor for additional materials. Kimball Office provided fabric and vinyl for the petals, and InterCeramic provided tile and Kerdi board, a water proof material used for the dress lining. The ADG team won for the “wild card” vendor cowhide and trim from Edelman used to create the petals and details featured on the dress.
The team took an innovative approach to the garment design and construction. Waterproofing material was used for the lining of the dress in lieu of fabric. Metal linear tiles were deconstructed and twisted using a blow torch, and the tile was applied using a sheetrock liner stickyback product to create the starburst. In addition, a wrap was designed to connect to dress for the reveal instead of a traditional cape. “I am very proud of our team,” stated Jeffrey Abel, ADG Managing Principal, “we strive of innovation in all of our projects, and this is just one more proof point. I couldn’t be more thrilled with this win.”
This is the third Product Runway win for ADG. The ADG team took home the Best Craftsmanship award in 2016, and the Best New Artist Award in 2011.