LOS ANGELES—Armenian-American designer Vicken Derderian showed off his Spring 2017 collection at LA Fashion at a show on October 1 at the Hollywood Athletic Club.
WWD (Women’s Wear Daily), the preeminent industry publication, called pieces in Derderian’s collection “a refreshing addition to the wardrobe of a woman who leads a busy life but still wants to look polished with a creative flair.”
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This was the second collection for Derderian, who teamed up with his classmate from the fashion design program of the Academy of Art University, Kyung Hwa Kim, to create knits, dresses, high-waisted palazzo pants, culottes and separates, with sweater dresses highlighting the collection.
Derdian and Kim retreated to Armenia, where they set up an atelier and made the meticulously constructed pieces featured on the runway.
WWD said that Derderian’s collection for his eponymous label was informed by his background as an architect, saying the designer “is always thinking about movement.”
Dederian himself qualified that by telling WWD that “at the end of the day, for me, it’s a more intimate architecture of the body — the knits, softness, the textures.”
Derderian was born and raised in Pasadena. He graduated with a Bachelors of Architecture from the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-ARC) and received his Masters of Arts in Fashion Design from the Academy of Art University.
His love of design and fabrication became clear at a very young age. He has always been fascinated with the way objects are assembled and the ideas they bring forth once they are assembled. Due to his constant desire and willingness to learn different methodologies of design and fabrication he has been able to bring to fruition a series of his concepts.
Prior to pursuing his masters in fashion design Vicken received his Bachelor of Architecture from SCI-ARC. Architecture is his specialization, his broader interest in the world of design which has prompted him to look outside his specific field to other industries to explore new ideas to try and push his current design methodologies. His interest in Fashion is parallel to architecture due to its constant dialogue with its surroundings. He views Fashion as an intimate architecture of the human body.
