Project Runway- From Idea to Digital Design Exploration

I am always amazed at the creative people that get on television and compete against other creative people in shows that televise round the clock action. I like to watch these shows because they inspire me although I wonder it I am inspired by the ideas that expound from these people or the competitive edge of bringing an idea to fruition.
A week before the class project, I talk two students into dressing like fashion plates, letting them choose their wardrobe, hair and accessories and explaining to them my idea of turning the Art room into a fashion house for two weeks. I want them to be dressed on the day we begin the project in order to bring out the atmosphere of a fashion House.
On the day of the project, I have set out both outdated and up to date fashion magazines on the tables, have a video set up and showing fashion show exerpts, laptops and digital cameras ready for action, and I wait at the door. The students come in and my two models start walking around and selecting fashion poses that they hold for several seconds.
I let the students take in the action watching for the first responses of the students and then turn off the video, stop the models, and put the magazines on another table. I want their attention now. I write on the board Project Runway and ask for imput on their thoughts. After a brief discussion, I explain the project in detail and pass out the handout I have already written up.
The idea of this project is to have students experience what it is like develop and design a fashion line. Through the process of drawing working sketches to making trend boards and textile design on Adobe Illustrator, students will design multiple components and group components and develop their own line of clothing designs.
The project's goal is to design a textile design on paper and on computer, create the textile design using stencils, marbling, silk-screen and hand printing on muslin. Then illustrate the design using models(drawing each other in fashion poses) wearing the textile design on a garment or part of a garment keeping in mind that the garment has not been made yet, only a swatch of the textile design and several illustrations.
We begin with sketching and thinking about textile designs. I have brought out textile design books that introduce readers to many cultures in which textile design has significant meaning, special ceremonial value, and even storytelling.
Once students are comfortable with their choices or have found a more personal meaning or symbolic design to them, we begin the artmaking process of making the stamp, silk screen or hand stencil for the textile design and play around with more design within the stamp design on paper until they have their pattern and design figured out. This takes several class periods especially if a student wants to carve their stamp out of linoleum or make it out of kiln clay to be fired. I personally love this time when students process through their ideas, sift ot the ones that won't work or even don't work for them. I can almost see the smoke filtering out through the top of their heads!
Finaly, we all have large pieces of muslin that have been stamped, heat set, and on display. Now it is time to figure out the components of their fashion design line. Hmm, out come the laptops and we spend class time drawing each other and clothes until we have the right "look". Students scan into their laptops their designs, manipulate them in Illustrator CS3 and/or PhotoshopCS3 until they have a file full of fashion.
BY now, I notice that some of the muslins and their owners are pining for a chance to design using the muslin as the actual fabric and I give the go ahead. It is not hard to twist my arm because they have worked very hard so far.
Should I turn this into a fashion design with actual fashions? I really don't want to be the one sewing the students garments so I bring out the sewing machines and give students who want to make their designs into actual clothes a basic sewing lesson. It seems that I already have students who have the skills of sewing and this helps all of us.
I bring in two books that show how to turn old jeans and tee-shirts into altered clothing, new fashions, and hip justice. This project may never end I find myself thinking, but realize that the process is so important and the skills the students have gained are surely going to be used outside the artroom.
Part of the project is to create a trend board for the fashions and styles society and our culture deem hip or what we should be wearing to fit in. Not all the students will put their designs into a slide show format since now, the sewing idea started, and this is o.k. I do let the students change the project to fit their interests if there is an enhancement of skill building and creative or innovative additions made.
These are the Standards I was thinking about for this art project. APHS 12: Students show understanding of visual arts concepts and vocabulary by analyzing and integrating the elements and principles of design, describing and demonstrating thri=ought heir designs how art and artists reflect and shape their time and culture.
APHS 14: Students analyze, interpret, and respond to art by relating varied interpretations of works of art using personal experience, cultural context, and artist's intent