AVEN HELFORD

Aven Helford explores to create and creates to explore. He breaks rules and norms to expand the possibilities of the world, utilizing clothing design and art to challenge systems and promote equality and expression. Aven creates unisex clothing that fits various body types in order to nurture inclusivity. The clothing often utilizes transformative interaction to create a conversation between designer and wearer to define clothing in new ways.

 

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Aven grew up skateboarding and painting for his entire life before beginning to design clothing. The skating and artistic mindsets are utilized and transferred into his design process through technical, conceptual, and experimental approaches. Aven creates unique clothing that reveals a human touch and intricate detail to challenge the identical mass-production of the current design system. All of these ideals and philosophies are explored in his work and were encompassed in Helford’s thesis collection, which explored his lifelong history with skateboarding and its ability to expand one’s interpretations of the world outside of the norm.

 

Aven was a semifinalist for BFA Womenswear Designer of the Year at Parsons the New School for Design, a semifinalist for the Eyes on Talents Innovation Award, a nominee for the Hugo Boss Junior Prize at Parsons, and a semifinalist for the CFDA+ program. Helford was selected to present in the Parsons Benefit runway show and display pieces from his thesis collection at Saks Fifth Avenue, placing Aven within the top 10% of his class. Helford's designs have been shown by The Style Almanac and Women's Wear Daily. Aven’s SS17 collection WAY TO BE showed on the runway in Vancouver Fashion Week.