SCAD FASH museum of fashion opens with Oscar de la Renta exhibition

Regular admission: $10. Memberships begin at $50 for individuals. Regular hours: noon-5 p.m. Sundays; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursdays.

Over a decade ago, fashion designer Oscar de la Renta visited the Savannah College of Art and Design as the first recipient of the Andre Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award. It was the start of a long relationship as de la Renta would go on to contribute time and materials to the school and SCAD students would intern for his design house.

So it is fitting that the late designer will again mark a first for SCAD. On Saturday, Oct. 3, much of his life's work will serve as the inaugural exhibition for SCAD FASH, a new fashion museum at the Midtown campus of SCAD Atlanta.

The “Oscar de la Renta” exhibition, which runs through December, features de la Renta garments from the mid-1960s through today including items on loan from former first lady Laura Bush and gowns worn by Taylor Swift, Oprah Winfrey and Beyoncé. Current work of Peter Copping, the designer appointed by de la Renta to lead the fashion house, will also be on display with items from the fall 2015 collection. The public is invited to visit the museum free of charge from noon-5 p.m. during the grand opening.

SCAD FASH, the only metro-area museum dedicated to fashion, is the vision of SCAD founder and President Paula Wallace. Construction began this summer with a full-scale remodeling of the facade and interior of the school. A grand staircase, double glass doors and a panoramic view of Midtown greet visitors as they enter the museum from the fourth level of the parking deck. A reception area and media lounge offer visitors space to gather or rest while visiting the museum.

The 10,000-square-foot exhibit space is surrounded on either side by student classrooms as part of the museum’s mission to encourage and support student learning, says Danielle Styles, public relations and marketing manager for SCAD. SCAD students will be curators and docents for exhibitions, and the museum will serve as a laboratory for students to further their knowledge and understanding of the garments, accessories and wearable art on display at any given time.

In the future, the museum also will house a permanent fashion collection culled from the 4,500 SCAD-owned works dating from the 16th century forward.

While the focus is fashion, a smaller space in the rear of the museum is dedicated to film, Styles says. “The film industry in Atlanta is growing. Film is increasingly one of the ways we experience fashion today,” she says. During the first exhibition, a short documentary film created by SCAD alumni and students will be on view. “Ovations for Oscar” is a behind-the-scenes look at creating a major museum exhibition to honor de la Renta.

In January, the SCAD FASH exhibitions continue with "I Feel Ya: SCAD + André 3000 Benjamin," an exploration of fashion, film and painting by André 3000 Benjamin and two SCAD alumni. The installation of 47 jumpsuits with Benjamin's musings opened last year in South Florida and was most recently on display at the SCAD Museum of Art in Savannah. "Art x Fashion" opens in May, followed by "Lars Nilsson: Hats & Headgear" in October 2016.

Along with exhibitions, SCAD FASH will host gallery talks, lectures, film screenings, special events for members and a curriculum for K-12 students. All events are designed to engage the SCAD community and Atlantans in the world of fashion. “Atlanta is known as the fashion capital of the South,” Styles says. “In that way, SCAD FASH connects with the DNA of the city.”