The Savannah College of Art and Design honored Isabel and Ruben Toledo, internationally renowned artists in the worlds of high fashion, style and design, with the 2009 Andre Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award Saturday, May 16, at the university's annual SCAD Fashion Show. SCAD President Paula Wallace and Vogue Editor-at-Large Andre Leon Talley presented the Toledos with the award.

"To present this award to them is a great honor," said Talley. "The Toledos represent a quarter century of love and brand building. They're like two oaks, branches intertwined forever."

    "It is an honor for us to be acknowledged by him, the god of fashion," said Isabel Toledo. "He is an inspiration to all of us. Thank you, Andre, and thank you to SCAD."

    In 2000, the college honored Talley with a Lifetime Achievement Award. The award thereafter bore Talley's name and has been presented to fashion legends Oscar de la Renta, Karl Lagerfeld, Miuccia Prada, Tom Ford, Vera Wang, Marc Jacobs and John Galliano. In 2004, Zac Posen was honored with the Andre Leon Talley New Look Award.

    Isabel Toledo's approach to designing clothing makes her an iconic and freethinking talent. Designing and exhibiting twice-yearly collections since 1986, Isabel has been described as a "cult figure" by The New York Times, one of the "100 designers that count" by Women's Wear Daily, and Vogue has named Isabel "an important raw talent." Her work has been sold in Barneys New York, Ikram in Chicago, Colette Paris, Shiseido Ginza in Tokyo and Liberty of London. Isabel has twice been named on the International Best Dressed List and most recently First Lady Michelle Obama wore her designs for the Presidential Inauguration in January 2009.

    Ruben Toledo is a painter, sculptor, illustrator, fashion chronicler and critic, and surrealist wit. The changing themes of fashion and the changing body language of style appear throughout his work. He has designed everything from mannequins, store windows, and award statuettes to scarves, fabrics, dishes and carpets. He has created illustrations for top fashion magazines and journals, among them The New Yorker, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar,
Town & Country, Paper, Visionaire, Interview Magazine and The New York Times. He has created images and art installations for Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Tiffany & Co., and Barney's New York. His work has been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Victoria and Albert Museum and the Mode Museum in Antwerp.

    The Toledos met with aspiring SCAD fashion designers and artists at the annual SCAD Fashion Show, where more than 70 undergraduate and graduate students showed nearly 170 garments selected through a rigorous jury process.

    "Tonight we're here to honor the students of SCAD," said Ruben Toledo. "This campus is a breeding ground for creating the future. I think we're in good hands, all of us."

    About the SCAD Fashion Department

    The SCAD fashion department partners with innovative designers and critics such as Mark Badgley, James Mischka, Lela Rose, Lars Nilsson, Yigal Azrouel and Michael Fink, bringing visiting industry professionals to network with, critique, and lead workshops for students. The fashion department is a "style lab" in design education and innovation, balancing the development of a student's creative and intellectual skills with necessary practical and professional training specific to the needs of the global apparel industries. Alumni have started successful labels, won prestigious awards and landed jobs working for some of the biggest labels in fashion today. For more information, visit scad.edu/fashion

    SCAD: The University for Creative Careers

    With more degree programs and specializations than any other art and design university in the United States, the Savannah College of Art and Design is uniquely qualified to prepare talented students for professional, creative careers. SCAD is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution that offers a choice of degree programs in 42 different majors, plus 52 minors.
Students can pursue their degrees at campuses in Savannah and Atlanta, Ga., in Lacoste, France, and online through SCAD-eLearning. The career preparation of each student is nurtured and cultivated by nearly 600 full-time professors with extraordinary academic credentials and valuable professional experience. SCAD confers Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Architecture, Master of Arts, Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Fine Arts and Master of Urban Design degrees. For more information, visit scad.edu.