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DesignLab: Sarah Van Aken + Brenna K. Murphy

Presented by Moore College of Art & Design at Moore College of Art & Design

February 11-March 15, 2011

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Sarah Van Aken is the C.E.O. & founder of S.V.A. Holdings Corporation, a vertically integrated and sustainable private label apparel business located here in Philadelphia. The company is comprised of four private apparel brands–each of which consider all aspects of sustainability including; local job creation, carbon footprint reduction, and design and community partnerships. Van Aken designs her clothing with an artist’s sensibility, with an eye for form, color and texture to create an apparel line whose design philosophy is rooted in clean, flatteringly cut, sensual pieces that balance form and function. Her latest fashions are inspiration to local artist, Brenna K. Murphy, whose visual works focus on the relationship between the ideals of home and of the body. She explores the possibility that the body can be a surrogate home, while also acknowledging the temporality of both the body and the collective cultural notion of home. Murphy’s resourcefulness in using her own hair as the basis for her ritualistic works, combined with Van Aken’s environmentally conscious design philosophy, will transform the storefront window to emphasize the sustainable nature of both artist & designer.