Katie Williams ’20 and her collaborators on the art installation, Exchange.
Katie Williams has spent the last three years working as a research assistant in the Cornell Fashion + Textile Collection and graduates from the College of Human Ecology with a major in Fashion Design and a minor in History. She has shown her design work at the International Textile and Apparel Association’s highly competitive juried undergraduate design exhibition and has designed for the Cornell Fashion Collective‘s runway show the past four years. She has been on the executive board of CFC and served as the President of the organization in academic year 2019-2020. Katie was also the graphic designer for Medium Design Collective, a Kuhlman Fiber Arts Scholar, and received a Cornell Council for the Arts grant for her collaborative art installation Exchange. Working in the CF+TC has enabled Katie to combine her passion for history and fashion, which has informed her design practice. We asked Katie to tell us a little bit more about her time working in the collection:
Katie Williams and Vanya Rohwer work together to create mounts for bird specimens to be displayed in Fashion & Feathers.
What project did you find most rewarding?
One of my favorite projects in the collection was working in collaboration with Vanya Rohwer, the Curator of Birds at the Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates, for the Fashion & Feathers exhibition. I assisted in making custom plexiglas display stands for the bird specimens that were displayed alongside the garments in the exhibition.This collaboration was really inspiring to me because it demonstrated the interdisciplinary nature of fashion!
What project challenged you the most?
The project that challenged me the most was working on deaccessioning garments from the collection to make room for the new CF+TC space. It was so hard to select pieces in the collection that should stay or go!
Katie’s favorite piece in the collection – a Givenchy dress from the late 1960s.
What is your favorite piece in the collection?
My favorite piece in the collection is a 1968 pleated silk chiffon Givenchy dress. This collection piece was used as an example in FSAD 1250 and made me want to be a part of the CF+TC!
What has been your favorite exhibition over the past four years?
TEXTURE was definitely my favorite exhibition. I loved the range and diversity of the pieces that were displayed from the collection.
How do you think your experience working in the collection has prepared you for your future career?
As an aspiring designer, working in the collection has given me incredible appreciation for construction techniques. Having this opportunity to work hands on with garments that date all the way back to the late 18th century has allowed me to develop a deeper understanding of how silhouettes are constructed and changed throughout history. I am constantly fascinated by the intersection between history and fashion. Working as a research assistant in the collection has both prepared and inspired me to continue to explore the role of fashion throughout history.
Katie Williams ’20 at the CFC runway show with her senior collection, which was inspired by the 1950s.