Avalon Hester

Avalon Hester

Collection
Image: Audrey in silk tulle with handpainted silk lifedrawing appliqués

CHIAROSCURO

My collection, Chiaroscuro, is an exploration of the body as fine art. My love of the body came from portraiture - an art passed down to me by my mother, which taught me that each of us are known, and loved by our asymmetries. Chiaroscuro allowed me to return to my love of representing the body from the artist’s perspective, to return to the fine art classroom. In the art room, when a live model stands before the students, there is a sense of focus, reverence, and calm. The goal is not to alter or place judgments on the figure, but instead to find the beauty in each unique form, in the composition of each movement.
Inspired by the historical depictions of bodies held at the Met Museum,  I began creating life drawings on silk, placing these representations on the form - abstracting and blurring the lines between the body and art. Placed on simple transparent silk organza silhouettes, these designs fully embrace fashion’s potential as a medium of the body. 
Image: Inga in a hand marbled silk shiffon gown. Hand painted silk appliqués are placed beneath, playing with the idea of concealing and revealing the body with fine art.
Video: Chiaroscuro Avalon Hester a Film by Anna Yang
Image: Audrey in Quilted waxed Cotton, hand painted silk mounted to canvas with a pekoe trim, New York denim with metallic waxed brushstrokes, blue satin edged pockets, burnt sienna contrast stitiching.



Image: Kaile in silk chiffon with canvas mounted silk Venus de Milo painting
Image: Sinclair in rust dyed tropical wool with hand knit cotton rope Brush Holder Tote
Image: Kailee in Irridescent Silk pants, size adjustable from 2-50" waistband, and silk taffeta gown with hand embroiderred canvas trim suspended with hand wrapped washer neckline.
Image: Blurring the lines between the body and Fine Art
Image: Photographer: Anneliese Horowitz
Assitant: Amanda Rivera
Models (Left to Right): Kailee Goodine, Audrey Allen, Tiffany Sinclair, Inga Parsons
Image: Hand sculpted wool felt cloche, hand painted silk life drawing appliqués.

Bio

Hailing from the American West, Avalon Hester brings a fine arts aesthetic to design. Early on realizing the intimacy of storytelling through portraiture, Avalon’s work has been featured in the New York Times, Variety, and Playbill. She is Silver Congressional Award Winner, a Larry and Stacy Kohl Scholar, Perry Ellis/CFDA Scholar, and a recent vveave x Parsons Size Inclusive Fashion Lab competition finalist.

Graduating with a BFA in Fashion Design from Parsons and a BA in Journalism from Eugene Lang, she will continue in her aim to create clothing that serves both activism and artistic expression, showcasing her commitment to innovation and inclusivity.

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