Annie Backs end-of-the-year show

At the conclude of just about every spring semester, fashion structure college students at the University of Cincinnati’s (UC) Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP) mail their creations down the runway at the close-of-the-calendar year fashion display, unveiling their senior selection and showcasing the expertise they’ve acquired in their time at UC. Just one of this semester’s seniors who will exhibit her line at the exhibit is Annie Backs.




At the stop of each spring semester, trend structure college students at the College of Cincinnati’s (UC) Design, Architecture, Artwork and Scheduling (DAAP) deliver their creations down the runway at the finish-of-the-year trend show, unveiling their senior selection and showcasing the capabilities they’ve obtained in their time at UC. A single of this semester’s seniors who will show her line at the present is Annie Backs. The Information Report sat down with Backs to examine her line “Choose the Energy” and the inspiration powering it.

The News Report (TNR): What was the inspiration for the line? 

Annie Backs (AB): A large point whilst brainstorming for my collection was that I was imagining a large amount about the past few yrs, you know, the state of the entire world and how it has impacted so a lot of people’s mental overall health. A whole lot of the variations that we have absent as a result of, they’ve been so isolating and a ton of people have definitely been pressured to acquire manage of their contentment in imaginative approaches. I’ve researched by listening to podcasts, looking through articles or blog posts and that reserve called “The Pleasure Advantage” by Shawn Achor. 

I truly loved this quote, it claims “happiness gain also lies in the smaller momentary blips of positivity that pepper our lives each and every working day. As we have witnessed just a short, humorous video clip, a quick dialogue with a pal or even a modest present of candy can create significant and rapid boosts in cognitive electrical power and work effectiveness.”

I thought that perhaps by a selection, I could do a little something that would trigger a burst of pleasure in any individual. I needed to build a women’s dress in selection that accentuates femininity with bright shades and bold prints. I really developed my personal prints using a whole lot of photographs that I sourced and a great deal of the imagery that I sourced came from points that make people today content. 

TNR: Why did you opt for the name “Choose the Energy” for your selection? What does it signify to you?







Annie Backs headshot

College of Cincinnati Design, Architecture, Artwork and Planning senior Annie Backs.




AB: My full principle is about picking items that make you happy and deciding upon the energy that you want to place into points and how you can get that strength again by managing certain facets of your lifetime.

TNR: What does the collection include things like? 

AB: There are 5 parts. There are a few attire, a romper and one particular pair of flare trousers. I also am working with a lot of power-mesh to do tights and underlays of some of the outfits.

TNR: What was the process of bringing this line to everyday living?

AB: I commenced analysis this previous May. The summer season was a lot about seeking in ourselves and listening to out items that we’re really passionate about and then conceptualizing almost everything. Towards the conclude of the semester, we commenced ideating, which incorporates mainly a ton of drawing ideations and drawing like 150 thumbnails of various silhouettes with small variations. 

Just after that, we all went on  Co-op and then arrived back again for the spring semester. Considering that, every person has been doing the job on finalizing the prints, materials, coloration, themes and stitching. Then we experienced our muslin critique, basically our rough drafts of our looks. We have our ultimate muslin prototype thanks before long and then after that, we’ll commence stitching in our last fabrics before photographing. 

TNR: Is the line like what you generally design or is this something new for you? 

AB: I guess in some means, it is really related. I aim a great deal on dresses specially and I feel a large amount of my silhouettes are inclined to be similar, but conceptually I come to feel like it can be distinct simply because a whole lot of periods artists, myself integrated, chat a good deal about anxiousness. I wished to make this a actually favourable collection and to be joyful when performing on it. 

TNR: Was it complicated to test and set the nervousness to the aspect and make this pleased line?

AB: I essentially believe it’s been really useful. It is really my inspiration and also just, in typical, I am executing this perform so much that I really feel like it increases my temper, which I truly enjoy.

TNR: What’s your preferred matter about this line?

AB: I like the colours. I just required to go total-out with the colours. They are tremendous vibrant and sort of ’60s and ’70s motivated with the prints. One thing I am really on the lookout ahead to is photographing this assortment. I want to do it as a picnic with all varieties of entertaining food stuff and it can be just likely to provide out all the colors.

TNR: Do you have a favored out of the 5?

AB: The green seem with the cutout. I just imagine it really is definitely exciting and it truly is flattering as effectively.

TNR: Who do you see putting on these pieces and when?

AB: The concentrate on viewers is Gen Z and Millennial females just wanting to have a wonderful time and specific on their own by the parts, someone that’s not worried to make a statement with what they’re donning.

TNR: What are you looking ahead to most with this line? 

AB: I am undoubtedly really energized for the manner display, but I assume I am most energized for the appear book simply because I truly like discovering styling with that because I get to have fun with accessorizing setting up the real scene of exactly where you are using the photos.