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DESIGNING WOMEN

by Chi Nguyen
Intern

Ryerson’s interior design students hope their “Confidence by Design” calendar will help rake in a good portion of the $50,000 they need for their annual year-end design show.

The 12-month calendar will feature a different female model from the School of Interior Design each month, incorporating a tool of her trade with sexy and confident outfits. The idea for this fundraising tactic was inspired by a similar project from five years ago called “Women of Design.”

To launch the calendar, the students will host a party at the Ram and the Rye on Nov. 12, where the models will sign autographs.

In previous years, interior design students had to find sponsors to accommodate the costs of renting a venue for the three-day event, providing food and beverages, and hiring DJs.

The event showcases student work and allows them to connect with people in the interior design industry.

“The time and effort put into this project has especially impressed the first-year (students), who didn’t expect all of this from the program,” said Stephanie Hamm, a first-year interior design student and one of the calendar girls. “I didn’t expect my first year to be so great, and didn’t know that the program would go so much outside the classroom like this.”

“When people think of interior design, they think of us painting the walls. That’s not what we do. We design the rooms, we don’t decorate,” said Sarah Turnbull, a fourth-year interior design student and student council president. “The calendar will set people straight about what we actually do, and give us the proper recognition we need.”

The students take this project seriously and are quick to point out that the calendar is not the average pin-up with girls in bikinis.

Jessica Kugalowski, the calendar’s photographer and a fourth-year photography student at Ryerson, said the calendar is a good idea.

“It’s great to see that people are thinking outside the classroom, and with this project the program and the people are getting the recognition, and so am I by getting my work out there,” said Kugalowski.

If it’s a success, the calendar will not only raise money for the year-end show, but distinguish the interior design program from other similar programs. The calendar girls are keeping their fingers crossed in anticipation of the student response.

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