Fashion and Textile Technology Department Forms Exchange with Beijing University

When Lynn Boorady, chair and associate professor of fashion and textile technology at Buffalo State, visited Beijing University of Technology’s College of Art and Design last October, she was struck by the diligence and friendliness of its students—and the beautiful clothes they created. The faculty in Beijing, in turn, was impressed with the contributions Buffalo State students are making to the fashion world, and suggested creating a mutually beneficial exchange between the two institutions.

On Thursday, April 25, two days before Runway 6.0, Buffalo State’s annual fashion show, an exchange agreement will be formalized in a small ceremony in E. H. Butler Library from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Buffalo State's Center for China Studies is also supporting the exchange, which will enable six to eight fashion students to travel to Beijing for two weeks beginning in spring 2014. Every spring thereafter, the two institutions will alter sending students and a faculty member to the other school to study, exhibit work, and share ideas.

Two faculty members and three students from Beijing University, along with a Chinese fashion industry professional, are visiting Buffalo as part of a 10-day visit. Along with signing the agreement, participating in a few classes, and touring the region while learning about traditional American arts and crafts, they are participating in Runway on Saturday, April 27, in the Campbell Student Union’s Social Hall.

”I saw their ideas and inspiration when I was over there. I’m excited to see the completed projects,” Boorady said. “I know they are going to be fantastic.”

The exchange not only will expose Buffalo State students to another culture, it will boost their resumes, as fashion and textile companies do the majority of their international work in China and India. While any travel experience is beneficial for students, showing a potential employer that they “have the mettle” to study in India or China is impressive, Boorady said.

“These students in China are their competition. It’s not just the students sitting next to them in class,” she said. “We are competing with the world now.”