NEW YORK — Students at the Rhode Island School of Design are getting cozy with DKNY.
Seventeen students in one of RISD’s textile department studio classes have been commissioned to redesign one of DKNY’s most popular pieces, the “Cozy.” The sweater, which is more like a shawl with sleeves, has been a continuous bestseller for the company for the past few years.
To create their Cozies, students used a palette of grays and were challenged to creatively interpret both the materials and the silhouette, based on the theme “adorned and unadorned.” Over the five-week design process, two of DKNY’s designers visited the RISD studio and encouraged students to design in one of two directions: “the practical and the fantastical.” Through a collaboration with the Italian Trade Commission, students used fine cashmere and cashmere-blend yarns donated by eight of Italy’s top spinners — Loro Piana, Cariaggi, Lora & Festa, Sesia, Filatura di Pollone, Filartex, Zegna Baruffa and Avia.
“This project allows our students to experience quality yarns that are otherwise available only to the trade, jump-starting them into their futures in the industry,” said designer Liz Collins, who is also an assistant professor at RISD. “Using the finest cashmere in the world is tremendously inspiring to the creative process. It will go a long way toward tackling this real-world design project.”
The students’ prototypes will be available for purchase retailing from $400 to $1,500 at the DKNY flagship boutique on Madison Avenue here, beginning with a reception tonight at 7 p.m. hosted by artist and RISD alum Kara Walker. Twenty percent of sales on opening night will help support the purchase of a high-tech industrial knitting machine for RISD’s textile department. In addition, DKNY will pay students a design fee, and two will be chosen to intern for the company. DKNY also anticipates incorporating, in whole or in part, ideas developed by RISD students in its next line of Cozies.