IIDA/AIA Rochester Product Runway is part of Fashion Week of Rochester, a three-day event that spotlights local interior designers, architects, businesses, and artists while supporting the Center for Youth, a non-profit that aids homeless youths. For the October 14 event, four teams were challenged to design handmade garments out of architectural finish materials. Each piece had to contain at least 80% building materials and was inspired by local landmarks. The SWBR team was assigned the Lamberton Conservatory, a vintage botanical conservatory inside the City of Rochester’s Highland Park.
The design, modeled by Interior Designer Gabriella Macera, drew inspiration from the biophilic elements living in the conservatory. The concept was to create a fashion statement that incorporated the greenery and living features juxtaposed next to a strong structural piece. They used upholstery, felt, and wallcovering to create softer, more delicate features and the main structure of the outfit. The designers flipped the notion of glass only being a hard surface by shaping it into softer elements and incorporating it into the dress. Materials for the design were donated from textile manufacturing supplier Arc-Com and local glass artist Nancy Gong.
SWBR’s submission was voted to win the Best Craftsmanship award in the 2022 People’s Choice Contest. The awards were announced at the Recap Party held on November 11.
The design team consisted of Interior Designer Amanda Loomis, Project Designer Aly Mancuso, Interior Designer Candace Waidl, Interior Designer Corina Folts, Architect Jamie Bucci, Principal Leticia Fornataro, Architect Lynanne Wehner, Interior Design Maureen Husband, and Project Designer Sarah Latona.