Reigning 'Project Runway' Champion Will Showcase Solar-inspired Collection as Part of LA Fashion Week

Designer brings fashion lineup to hub of national solar-technology hotbed

CAMARILLO, Calif., Oct. 6 – "Project Runway" winner Seth Aaron Henderson will stage a pioneering high-fashion runway collection inspired by solar technology at the very epicenter of U.S. solar power adoption – Southern California – in a showing as part of LA Fashion Week at the biggest solar-industry trade show in the Americas.

Models posing atop all-black SolarWorld Sunmodule® solar panels will show off designs in the "Seth Aaron SolarWorld Collection Presented by Portland Fashion Week" at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 13, at the SolarWorld booth at Solar Power International, a photovoltaic technology trade show expected to attract more than 25,000 people. SolarWorld's Booth 3708 is located in Los Angeles Convention Center’s South Hall H. LA Fashion Week runs from Oct. 13 to 20, Solar Power International from Oct. 12 to 14.

The solar-inspired runway collection will debut Oct. 9 at the sustainable fashion showcase Portland Fashion Week, featuring a runway composed of SolarWorld's sleek black panels under the theme "Solar Is the New Black." The panels offer a homogeneous color variation for buyers interested an installing solar power technology with an aesthetic twist.

Seth Aaron, who plans to install solar on his own new home, is celebrating solar's arrival by applying his edgy design vocabulary to what he believes to be the first non-literal, high-fashion interpretation of solar technology. He partnered with SolarWorld, the largest and most experienced U.S. manufacturer of crystalline silicon solar technology, and took inspiration from its production in Hillsboro, Ore., and Camarillo, Calif., a plant north of LA that has operated continuously since 1977. The facility has set many milestones in the solar development of California, by far the nation’s photovoltaic technology leader.

"What could be cooler?" says Seth Aaron, who won Season 7 of TV's "Project Runway" competition last spring. "I get to feature my designs at key gatherings of two different crowds – enthusiasts of solar and fashion. It's what I had in mind as I took on this project. Solar's time is here, and in a way it's like a lifestyle choice for a whole society … much like fashion is for the individual. I hope my fashion interpretation of the technology can serve as something of a two-industry celebration."

Members of the media not registered to cover Solar Power International but interested in the Seth Aaron event can mention the event in registering as media at the solar trade show or, in advance, email Ashley.Dolezal@edelman.com to request registration.

About SolarWorld (www.solarworld-usa.com)

SolarWorld (ISIN: DE0005108401) is a worldwide leader in offering brand-name, high-quality, crystalline silicon solar-power technology. The company’s strength is its fully integrated solar production. From silicon as the raw material through wafers, cells and panels all the way to turn-key solar systems of all sizes, the group combines all stages of the solar value chain. The central business activity is selling high-quality panels into the installation and distribution trades and wafers to the international solar cell industry. Group headquarters are located in Bonn, Germany, with sales sites in Singapore, South Africa, Spain, France as well as in the U.S. state of California. The group’s largest production facilities operate in Freiberg, Germany, and Hillsboro in the U.S. state of Oregon. Sustainability is the basis of the group strategy. Under the name Solar2World, the group supports community aid projects using off-grid solar-power solutions in developing countries, exemplifying sustainable economic development. Worldwide, SolarWorld employs about 3,300 people. SolarWorld AG has been quoted on the stock exchange since 1999 and today is listed on, among others, the TecDAX and ÖkoDAX as well as in the sustainability index NAI.

Media Contact:

Devon Cichoski
Media relations manager
SolarWorld Americas
4650 Adohr Lane
Camarillo, CA 93012
Mobile: 805-377-2905
Office: 805-388-6388
devon.cichoski(at)solarworld-usa.com