Lila Bath models one of her own designs. Photo provided by the estate of Lila Bath.
If you have visited the Fashion Management Department at UIW, you have probably seen the Lila Bath Gallery. Bath was an internationally renowned fashion designer who retired to San Antonio and became a longtime friend of the university. She was a pioneer in the Mexican apparel industry and brought worldwide awareness to the beauty of fabrics and artistry of the country that inspired her designs.
She established the gallery, which can now be seen in the Joyce building, with a generous gift and a donation of her original fashion designs before she died in 2006 at age 95. Through the gallery, she sought to unite top designers and local talent with students to share their expertise and experiences and create a permanent collection of classic and contemporary works. She also created the Lila Bath Scholarship, which was strengthened through a bequest in her will. The scholarship is awarded each year to fashion management students, with preference given to students from Mexico.
Ever the advocate of collaboration, Bath also established through her will an endowed internship at the University of Minnesota, Goldstein Gallery. This internship brings students to UIW to study and work at the Lila Bath Gallery and the fashion management department.
Through her extraordinary talent and vision, Bath has touched many lives, and she will continue to impact students in the years to come. Her generosity was crafted as carefully as her designs, and her legacy thrives today at UIW.
For information about establishing a scholarship or including UIW in your will or estate plan as a Verbum Society member, please contact the Planned Giving Office at (210) 829-6071.
