In Her Own Words:
“I strongly believe that we need fashions because fashion to me it’s like dressing your soul.”
“My grandma put the needle in my hands when I was three, so I learned to sew before I learned to read.”
Bio sketch:
A native of Bulgaria, Galina Mihaleva brought her creative talents to the U.S. in 1992 as a Phoenix College student. Before emigrating, she earned a master’s degree from the competitive Academie of Fine Arts in Sofia, Bulgaria. Currently, she works as costume designer for ASU’s Department of Dance and as an adjunct professor for Phoenix College’s Fashion Design Program. Mihaleva is also a prolific fashion designer whose clients include rock band Sister Sledge and choreographer Trisha Brown. Her designs have appeared on the Spanish language version of “Project Runway” and in publications such as Yes, East Valley Tribune, Trends and Lucire.
Where to see Galina Mihaleva’s Art:
Galina Mihaleva Couture Showcase
3527 N. 24th St.
Phoenix, AZ 85016
(602) 435-4818
Open to the public on Mondays and Fridays 5-8 pm
By appointment only at other times
MOVING GROUND
ASU Dance Theatre
November 16-19
Box Office: 480-965-6447
http://mainstage.asu.edu
Related Community Activities
Phoenix Fashion Week 06
November 13th-17th
www.phoenixfashionweek.com
602-369-1820
After Dark: 100 Years of the Evening Dress
Phoenix Art Museum
Fashion Design Gallery
November 11th-April 1st 2007
www.phxart.org
602-257-1222
Arizona Fashion Retail
Swell
524 S. Mill Ave.
Tempe, AZ 85281
(480) 945-3898
www.swell.net
Passage
4400 N. Central Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85012
602-279-1272
www.passage4400.com
42 Saint
15220 N. Scottsdale Rd.
Scottsdale, AZ 85254
480-998-0495
Made Art Boutique
922 N. Fifth St.
Phoenix, AZ 85004
602-256-MADE
www.Madephx.com
Synopsis
She may be a long way from her native Bulgaria, but in the costume shop at Arizona State University, Galina Mihaleva is at home. It’s a place where she feels fully creative.
Viewers join her as she makes adjustments to the costumes for a dance performance and describes her design process. She explains how she always knew she would be a designer and remembers how her grandmother taught her to sew at the age of three.
While the dance rehearsal begins, she retreats back to the costume shop and sketches the latest design for one of her private clients, Jordan Rose, a young, successful attorney. Later, as Rose models the finished dress on the balcony of her home, which boasts spectacular views of Camelback Mountain, Mihaleva realizes that she intuitively repeated the shape of the mountain in her design.
Next, follow Mihaleva to the setting of the Biodesign Institute at ASU where she is working with researcher Dr. Frederic Zenhausern to design clothing to accommodate flexible, state-of-the-art technologies. With her help, Zenhausern’s team is developing garments that will have the ability to monitor a person’s health, administer medication and even prevent disease.
Through the hallways of the Institute, Audrey, and ASU dancer showcases Mihaleva’s design that she says was inspired by the research center’s environment. After her first visit she says it was evident that clear and white plastics would be the fabrics of choice. Again, Mihaleva employs her intuition to design particular garments for a particular client.
Finally, we are transported to the posh, pulsating scene of one of Mihaleva’s fashion shows—yet another distinct departure from the science lab and costume shop where her other work takes place. For Galina, “The style depends on how you feel. So I think people need to do that. They need to respect themselves, respect their souls and just dress them up.”
Links
www.phxart.org
www.phoenixfashionweek.com
www.Madephx.com
www.passage4400.com
www.swell.net
http://mainstage.asu.edu