Shop Talk
Omaha-Born Designer Heading to Nepal
I’m always excited to talk about Nebraskans doing cool things in fashion, and former Omahan Bethany Meuleners is no exception.
The recent graduate of San Francisco’s Academy of Art University – who graduated from Millard North in 2001– has been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to spend 10 months in Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley studying traditional apparel crafting with local artisans. She’ll research how those techniques may be incorporated into global fashion while remaining sustainable for the artisans and beneficial to their economy.
“I strongly believe that the apparel crafts of Nepal will find a place with modern fashion,” Meuleners said. “Too often, the smaller, developing countries are not recognized as important contributors to fashion. In many cases they are seen as inexpensive resources for production and overlooked for the artistic and cultural impact they could have on the industry. The net effect of globalization in the fashion industry should not be to dilute and do away with the cultural richness of developing countries; rather, the focus should be to incorporate them into the industry and celebrate their techniques in a meaningful way.”
Meuleners, who received duel bachelors degrees in Apparel Design and Fashion Merchandising from the University of Delware before completing a masters program in fashion and knitwear at the Academy of Art University, will be working with the Felt Industries Association of Nepal, the Handi-Crafts Design center, the Women’s Entrepreneurs Cooperative and affiliate organizations. At the conclusion of her research, she plans to create a sustainable, culturally relevant collection.
We’ll be keeping tabs on Meuleners’ ambitious work; in the meantime, for more information on the Academy of Art University, visit academyart.edu.
• The Old Market’s Trocadero accessories boutique, 1208 ½ Howard St., is currently seeking 2010-2011 interns. Interns get insight into maintaining the shop and all aspects about the fashion and magazine industries under owner Alice Kim; those interested can send a resume and cover letter to shoptrocadero@mac.com. Stay tuned with all of Trocadero’s updates twitter.com/shoptrocadero.