Reading, Pa.– Albright’s Fashion Department will present its spring fashion showcase on Sunday, May 3, 2009. A reception and exhibit will open at 3 p.m. in the Freedman Gallery, followed by the runway show at 4 p.m. in the Campus Center. The exhibit and runway show are free and open to the public.

The theme of the event is “Peace, Love and Fashion.” The exhibit portion will showcase work from corsets to handbags, while an eclectic mix of fashion—ballet tutus to Victorian ball gowns to trendy sportswear—will be displayed on the runway. Some four-legged, furry friends will also take part in the runway show, displaying their “doggie couture” designed by senior Maria Valentine.

Joseph Hancock, Ph.D., a professor in the design and merchandising program at Drexel University with 20 years of experience in management, retailing and product merchandising, will be the featured speaker.

Hancock has worked for U.S. companies such as The Gap, Limited, Inc. and Target Corporation. He conducts research and lectures internationally in the areas of fashion branding, product merchandising, popular culture and contemporary men’s style. He is the national area chair for the Popular Culture & American Culture Association of America in the areas of fashion, appearance and consumer identity. Hancock is currently authoring a book on fashion brands for Fairchild Publications and is working on a special fashion issue of the Journal of American Culture for Blackwell Publications.

The Freedman Gallery, which is in the Center for the Arts, and the Campus Center are located on the Albright College campus at 13 th & Bern Streets, Reading, Pa. For more information or disabled assistance, please call the College Relations Office at 610-921-7526.

Founded in 1856, Albright College is a nationally ranked, private college with a rigorous liberal arts curriculum with an interdisciplinary focus. The College’s hallmarks are connecting fields of learning, collaborative teaching and learning, and a flexible curriculum that allows students to create an individualized education. Two-thirds of students graduate with dual/individualized majors in more than 200 different combinations. Albright enrolls about 1,625 undergraduates in traditional programs, another 500 adult students in accelerated degree programs, and 100 students in the master’s program in education. Albright College is located in Reading, Pennsylvania, about 60 miles west of Philadelphia.