Kent State fashion professors received three of the five faculty awards given at the International Textiles and Apparel Association conference Oct. 30 in Seattle.

Faculty of The School of Fashion Design and Merchandising attend the conference every year. More than 20 countries present designs and research at the juried event.

Professor Vincent Quevedo said Kent State has the most “Lectra” award winners in its faculty. He said the award used to be named “Best in Show.”

“There was a lot of buzz after the conference because of Kent State,” Quevedo said. “Everyone knows that the top faculty are teaching here. We are trying to create a new graduate program. It will attract the best of the best graduate students.”

Professor Linda Ohrn received an award for the “Best Sustainable Design” with a dress she constructed using her old dryer sheets.

“It seemed like a wasted material I didn’t want to just throw out,” Ohrn said. “It seemed like it could still be of use.”

Ohrn layered the dryer sheets and hand stitched them together. To achieve a layered effect, Ohrn used fabric dye on some of the sheets.

“(Sustainability) is an important aspect that is usually discussed during the conference,” she said. “I think we waste a lot, both creating garments and what we wear. Just the kind of throwaway fashion that goes on all the time, think if we can just do quality over quantity, and that’s important.”

Quevedo received the ITAA award for “Effective Use of a Historical Inspiration” and the “Lectra Outstanding Faculty Designer” award.

Quevedo designed a dress inspired by Spanish matadors and the seven deadly sins. More than 1,000 yards of lace were used to construct the gown, which was heavily embellished with feathers and featured a dramatic upright collar.

“It was sort of like lust and greed put together because the shape is very voluptuous and sensual,” Quevedo said.

Contact fashion reporter Sarah James at [email protected].