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The School of Fashion welcomes internationally recognized designers Paul Carroll, Laura Laurens and Juan Jose Saenz-Ferreyros as external reviewers for our annual senior critiques on Tuesday, March 8, and Wednesday, March 9, 2022, from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. During the critiques, graduating senior fashion design students will present their collections virtually to the panel of critics and receive feedback.

The critiques can be viewed online or on screen in the first floor atrium of Rockwell Hall.

91²Ö¿â Our 2022 Critics

Laura Laurens

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Laura Laurens is a self-trained Bogotá based designer. Inspired by her fine arts background, Laura establishes a dialogue between opposites to question and play with the idea of borders, identity, syncretism and established paradigms. Her work is defined by a distinctly raw approach to design, textile interventions, wrapped-around shapes, artisanal processes and the commitment to sustain and empower minority groups and local indigenous communities of her country, Colombia. Laurens draws from her own experiences special multi-disciplinary projects to address social issues and a contemporary hybrid identity. Each collection of Laurens tells a story in which paradoxes are the core subject and the materials are the white canvas. 

Laura Laurens launched her eponymous brand in Paris with the Spring-Summer 2014 collection. The brand was established under the principle of re-interpreting upcycled military fabrics, as a metaphor of re-constructing the polarized Colombian territory. This collection opened the brand internationally selling in some stores such as Penelope, Linda Dresner, IF Soho NY, Tom Greyhound Paris, to name a few, apart from the three shops she sells in Bogotá. 

During 2018 Laurens was chosen by Vogue Talents to represent Latin America in the Milan Fashion week. In 2019 she was selected as one of the best 15 international designers around the world that are shaping a Brave New World led by the British Fashion Council. During 2019 Deutsche Welle chose Laura as one of the 40 Latin-American female leaders that are transforming Latin America through creativity. In 2020 Vogue Italy choose Laura as one of the five Responsible Latin American brands to see. In 2021 Laura was chosen as one of the finalists for Fashion Trust Arabia, presenting her Spring-Summer 22 collection in Doha, Qatar. 

 

Juan José Saenz-Ferreyros

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Peruvian Fashion Designer Juan José Saenz-Ferreyros sold his first designs in Lima, Peru as a teenager.  He attended Chio Lecca Fashion School in Lima, continuing his studies in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he also studied journalism and the culinary arts.  He moved to Medellin, Columbia, where he became an assistant to fashion designer Jaime Almonacid.  Juan José crafted evening gowns, jackets, or pants by hand, often with significant embroidery, which he then presented to the principal designer to be considered for the next collection.  Juan José learned to create custom-designed clothing that complement the individual customer’s lifestyle. 

In Colombia, Juan José also worked for the John Casablanca modeling school and agency as a model and teacher.  He worked as a journalist for a tv station in Medellin and made clothes for private clients on the side, the genesis of Ferreyros Couture.  Eventually, he hosted an entertaining, cooking, and fashion segment on afternoon television in Colombia and Peru. 

Juan José was inspired at a very young age by the many parties attended by his parents in Lima, the capital of Peru.  Weekend evenings were formal, with women wearing long dresses and evening gowns.  Juan José recalls beautiful evening gowns in chiffon, with embroidery, bead work, and crystals – and often evokes the emotion of that time in his designs.   

Juan José Saenz Ferreyros has designed for Miss Colombia Universe, Miss Peru USA, and other celebrities – and has mounted Runway Shows in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Columbus (Ohio) and Washington, DC.  He also designs home furnishings for MG Home, an exclusive store in Lima, Peru

 

 

 

Paul Carroll

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Paul Carroll’s collections feature cocktail and evening dresses in addition to beautifully tailored suits and sportswear. The designer prides himself on his commitment to quality workmanship, sumptuous fabrics, luxurious detail, and innovative design.

Carroll’s inspiration for the collections can come from anywhere, favorite films and books, a museum visit, or the streets of New York. He sees the entire world as a code and his job as a designer is to decode that world.

Carroll is a veteran designer who trained at FIT and has been presenting his collections since 1999. He believes that there is no substitute for hands-on learning. One of his proudest achievements is that he has mentored literally hundreds of interns from all over the world over the course of his career. Carroll believes that the artisanal techniques involved in the development his collections need to be taught in person and practiced in order to promote and preserve the craft of fashion design.

In addition to working with his private clientele and specialty boutiques, Carroll’s clothes have appeared on numerous celebrities and television shows.

Paul Carroll collections have been featured in Brides Magazine, WWD, and eMagazine as well as many other fashion blogs and publications.