News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2019-11-13-interiordesign
November 13, 2019
Students Win LA Haunt Couture Award
Five College of the Canyons interior design students won the People’s Choice Award
at the International Interior Design Association’s LA Haunt Couture show on Thursday,
Oct. 24.
Held at Avalon Hollywood, the competition fuses fashion, design and architecture while
challenging designers to create and construct inspiring haute couture fashion from interior design materials.
“This is our fourth win in five years,” said Holly Hitt-Zuniga, an assistant professor
of interior design at the college. “We have now become ‘the team to beat.’ As their
faculty advisor, I’m so proud of our students, even though each of them balances a
full-time class load while working. They pulled together a great costume and performance
in six weeks.”
Abigail Ornelas, Rachel Provencal, Jesse Franco, Kimberly Meza, and Melanie Ornelas
worked together to create a couture design portraying the symptoms of claustrophobia.
Judged by former “Project Runway” contestants Samantha Black, Sonjia Williams, Gunnar
Deatherage, and Melissa Fleis, the competition included nine large interior design and
architecture firms and three schools. The college was the only two-year school competing.
“This event teaches our interior design and architecture students about stretching
their creativity, the importance of collaboration, meeting fast deadlines and networking,”
said Hitt-Zuniga. “It is a fantastic event our students get the opportunity to participate
in, earning them contacts for future jobs, as well as a design competition participation
they can add to their resumes.”