5 Designers, Stylists To Be Honored At Savannah College 3/23

Five of the world’s foremost design and style luminaries will be honored at the Savannah College of Art and Design’s annual SCAD Style Étoile Awards in New York March 23. Honorees accepting the distinguished Étoile Award include hip hop mogul and designer Russell Simmons, Tony Award-winning Broadway costume designer William Ivey Long, Pulitzer Prize-winning fashion editor Robin Givhan, actress and philanthropist Cornelia Guest, and New York City Planning Director Amanda Burden.

The event, which is by invitation only at the James Cohan Gallery, 533 West 26th St., kicks off with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m., followed by an award ceremony to recognize contributions in the fields of style and design. SCAD President Paula S. Wallace will host the gala, and Michael Fink, a renowned fashion expert and SCAD advisory board member, will participate in the award ceremony.

The awards gala signals the start of SCAD Style, in which renowned artists, designers and industry professionals will participate in a series of style- and design-focused events at SCAD’s Atlanta and Savannah campuses through May 16. For a complete schedule, visit www.scadstyle.com.

Étoile, which means “a star in the sky” in French, connotes brilliance, glamour, iconic style and ideation. The SCAD Style Étoile Awards honor innovative, trend-setting leaders in the fields of style and design. Past recipients include Jonathan Adler, Pierre Cardin, Linda Fargo, Pamela Fiori, Margaret Russell, Jeffrey Kalinsky, Judy and Michael Mauldin, Lisa Newsom, David Yurman and west elm.
 
Credited as a “hip hop pioneer” and face of modern philanthropy, Russell Simmons’ groundbreaking vision has influenced music, fashion, finance, television and even film. Simmons has helped bring hip-hop culture into the mainstream through innovative ventures like Phat Farm, “The Def Comedy Jam,” the Tony Award-winning stage production “Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry Jam on Broadway” and the international MTV hit, “Run’s House.” He is also credited for producing and/or managing hip-hop artists like Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys and signing superstars like Jay-Z, Foxy Brown and Ludacris. He continues to serve the hip-hop generation through projects like the Argyle Culture clothing collection, the RushCard, Run Athletics, Simmons Jewelry Co. and the hip-hop community destination Web site, Global Grind.
 
Along with his siblings, Danny and Joseph "Rev Run" Simmons, he founded Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation in 1995. The organization is dedicated to providing disadvantaged urban youth with significant exposure and access to the arts, and also offers exhibition opportunities to underrepresented artists and artists of color.
 
Among the most prolific and respected of contemporary costume designers in America, William Ivey Long is a five time Tony Award-winner whose work includes an astounding 57 productions on Broadway, plus a long list of credits for his work in film, opera, dance, music videos, and a number of off-Broadway stage productions. Long has dressed A-list celebrities the world over, from Mick Jagger and Hugh Jackman to Liza Minnelli, Joan Rivers, Halle Berry, Natasha Richardson, Patti LuPone, Christine Ebersole, The Pointer Sisters, and Siegfried and Roy.
 
Long’s brilliantly conceived and constructed costumes have earned the admiration of actors and directors and brought him numerous accolades, including Tony, Maharam, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards. He was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame in 2005 and holds honorary degrees from The College of William and Mary, The University of North Carolina at Asheville, and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Long is also president of the not-for-profit Eastern Seaboard Trust organization dedicated to the economic revitalization and historic preservation of his hometown of Seaboard, N.C.
 
Award-winning fashion editor for the Washington Post, Robin Givhan has received international acclaim for her coverage of news, trends and business of the fashion industry. Givhan’s talent for writing “witty, closely observed essays that transform fashion criticism into cultural criticism,” earned her the 2006 Pulitzer Prize in criticism – the first for a fashion writer. Her words have graced the pages of major fashion publications across the globe, including Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, Vogue Italia, Marie Claire, and Essence. Givhan also lends her fashion expertise as a contributor to several books, including “Runway Madness,” “No Sweat: Fashion, Free Trade and the Rights of Garment Workers,” and “Thirty Ways of Looking at Hillary: Reflections by Women Writers.”

Style is a constant for Cornelia Guest, who leads a rich and varied life as an actress, philanthropist, skilled horsewoman and animal rights activist. She is the personification of the new generation of all-American women active in a range of social causes and careers, from her work with the Humane Society of New York and Paws for Patients in Los Angeles and New York to her roles in the films “Medium,” In & Out in Five Minutes,” and “Second Sight.” Guest also is developing a new “green” television series and book on how to be both chic and environmentally friendly. Most recently, Guest accepted the role of curator of the newly established C.Z. Guest Costume Collection at SCAD, a collection of designer clothing that will be on display soon at the university’s campus in Savannah.
 
As chair of the New York City Planning Commission and director of the Department of City Planning, Amanda Burden’s vision and dedication to design excellence have long earned her national recognition as a noted urban planner and civic activist. Recently named Travel & Leisure magazine’s 2008 Design Champion, Burden is known for spearheading New York City’s development agenda with comprehensive urban design master plans and fresh initiatives to reclaim the waterfront.
                                                                
Burden’s commitment to the city’s cultural community and civic groups further support her mission to improve quality of life for citizens. She has served as chair of the Board of Creative Time Inc., and was a member of the Board of the Center for Arts Education, Nature Conservancy, Correctional Association, Architectural League, and the Fund for the City of New York.
SCAD: The University for Creative Careers
 
With more degree programs and specializations than any other art and design university in the United States, the Savannah College of Art and Design is uniquely qualified to prepare talented students for professional, creative careers. SCAD is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution that offers a choice of degree programs in 42 different majors, plus 52 minors. Students can pursue their degrees at campuses in Savannah and Atlanta, Ga., in Lacoste, France, and online through SCAD-eLearning. The career preparation of each student is nurtured and cultivated by nearly 500 full-time professors with extraordinary academic credentials and valuable professional experience.

Named one of "America's Best Colleges" and one of "America's Best Graduate Schools" by U.S. News and World Report, and one of the nation's "Most Interesting Schools" by Kaplan-Newsweek, SCAD confers Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Architecture, Master of Arts, Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Fine Arts and Master of Urban Design degrees. For more information, visit scad.edu.