2008 Woodie Awards
Drawing up new designs
Angela Perez
Issue date: 3/8/07 Section: News
Modesto Junior College student Cindy Panyanouvong is looking for a venue. The up-and-coming young fashion designer and her design partner, Malita Sangseoury, have gotten the go ahead from Make-A-Wish Foundation to stage a fashion show featuring their clothing designs as a benefit for the national charity. But Panyanouvong, 19, who has been involved in similar undertakings in the Bay Area, is having a hard time finding a theater or auditorium that can handle the hundreds of people she expects, at a price she can afford.
Modesto Junior College facilities are pretty much booked until summer, she discovered.
Panyanouvong, a former Modestan, had been living in San Francisco for the past year of her life. While attending San Francisco City College, she participated in many successful fashion shows and started to develop a clear path into the fashion industry.
She returned home to Modesto, intending to continue her education at MJC , but was disappointed to find that the fashion design classes she planned to take were not being offered at this time. So, Panyanouvong decided to take it upon herself to start a fashion scene here and teach people what she learned about fashion in San Francisco.
Panyanouvong's interest in fashion began very early in her life. She was featured as a child model, at the age of 6, in a now defunct clothing company's catalog. But it wasn't until sixth grade, when she first viewed a televised fashion show, that she began to become fascinated with the fashion industry. With her fashion-passion underscored by a zeal for art, she began to sketch her first designs.
In high school, Panyanouvong took her first steps into the industry by attending fashion merchandising and retail sales classes. Previously she had aspirations to become a singer, but decided to focus on fashion after a talent show disaster.
While she was a student at Modesto High school, her fashion merchandising instructor convinced her to enter a student design contest. Up against stiff competition, she kept her designs secret before the competition. Her work paid off when her designs took second place. Her design inspiration was her fashion icon, her mother.
Modesto Junior College facilities are pretty much booked until summer, she discovered.
Panyanouvong, a former Modestan, had been living in San Francisco for the past year of her life. While attending San Francisco City College, she participated in many successful fashion shows and started to develop a clear path into the fashion industry.
She returned home to Modesto, intending to continue her education at MJC , but was disappointed to find that the fashion design classes she planned to take were not being offered at this time. So, Panyanouvong decided to take it upon herself to start a fashion scene here and teach people what she learned about fashion in San Francisco.
Panyanouvong's interest in fashion began very early in her life. She was featured as a child model, at the age of 6, in a now defunct clothing company's catalog. But it wasn't until sixth grade, when she first viewed a televised fashion show, that she began to become fascinated with the fashion industry. With her fashion-passion underscored by a zeal for art, she began to sketch her first designs.
In high school, Panyanouvong took her first steps into the industry by attending fashion merchandising and retail sales classes. Previously she had aspirations to become a singer, but decided to focus on fashion after a talent show disaster.
While she was a student at Modesto High school, her fashion merchandising instructor convinced her to enter a student design contest. Up against stiff competition, she kept her designs secret before the competition. Her work paid off when her designs took second place. Her design inspiration was her fashion icon, her mother.