On
Saturday, May 4, 2024, The College for
Creative Studies (CCS) presented its fourth iteration of
The Show, a runway show featuring collections from
23 students enrolled in the Fashion Design program.
With over 200 attendees, notable guests include Natelle
Baddeley, Caleres; Alvise Bullo, Bottega
Veneta; Kristen Bateman, Vogue, W Magazine;
Diana Costescu, Tapestry; Ben
Ewy, Carhartt; Jen Guarino, ISAIC;
Simion and Natalie
Kayiwa, Hermès; Olya
Kuryshchuk, 1 Granary; Barbara
May, B.May Bags; Mallory Motoulle, Select
Models; Filep Motwary, Vogue Greece;
Ann-Marie Mountford, Caleres; Baron
Osuna, Louis Vuitton; Tracy Reese, Hope
for Flowers by Tracy Reese; Youwie Roes, Eyes on
Talents; Janelle Sessoms, Fashionista;
Antoinette Strickland, Tapestry; Tori
Soudan, Tori Soudan Designs; Gretchen,
Mark, and Molly Valade, Carhartt;
Millie De La Valette, Louis Vuitton;
Calvin Wilson, Establishment New York.
The Show featured capsule collections from senior students
Gabriel Armelin, Clay Barckholtz, Miles Barron, Ana
Bosnjakovski, Andreas Caballero, Cierra Headings, Defne Kanberoglu,
Avis Kerns, David Rodriguez, Maureen Rossman, Mamie Scholl, and
Jannah Turner, as well as sophomore
students Izzy Abohasira, Mar Bissada, Max
Honeycutt, Falina Jimerson, Ryan Putnam, Veronica
Wardowski and Emma Wisler. Guest
designers included Bella Taylor, Interdisciplinary
Art and Design student; Sarah Tombelli,
Entertainment Arts student; international student Edgar
Saribekyan; and freshman Fashion Design student
Quade Feller.
“I am continuously inspired by how students each year bring
their design concepts to fruition,” said Aki
Choklat, Linda Dresner Endowed Chair in Fashion Design.
“At CCS, we are grateful to have the opportunity to equip students
with the education and resources they need to build such unique
concepts and showcase them to a global audience at such a pivotal
moment in their development.”
Drawing from concepts as simple as water, sleep and fruit to as
abstract as spontaneous acts of nature and liminal spaces, each
students’ collection is inspired by their unique life experiences
and motivations behind their work.
The College for Creative Studies Fashion Accessories Design
program, heralded as the largest and most equipped fashion
accessory design department in the United States, was established
in 2015 under the leadership of renowned footwear designer Aki
Choklat.
The program, up until 2022, has focused on fashion accessories
design such as footwear, handbags, and small leather goods. With
the addition of Antwerp designer Rey Pador as an
associate professor and full-time faculty member of the College’s
fashion department, CCS has been able to fully expand its
curriculum to include apparel design. This show marks the first
that will fully integrate accessories and apparel design.
THE SHOW 2024 HIGHLIGHTS
Running at Full Speed Without A Dent Factory ShineA capsule
collection designed by senior student Clay
Barckholtz, Running at Full Speed Without A Dent Factory
Shine encapsulates Detroit’s ecosystem as The Motor City. The
center of this collection draws inspiration from car crashes,
juxtaposing perfection vs spontaneity. The relationship between
mechanically engineered designs and spontaneous acts of nature
shines through Barckholtz’s design process, incorporating vinyl,
chrome and patent leather into the collection. Nods to automotive
accidents are apparent throughout the collection, with reflective
materials giving a “deer in headlights” effect, and many garments
and accessories appearing to look crushed or dented.
Shifted LinesSenior student Mamie Scholl’s
capsule collection Shifted Lines is a reflective collection
questioning whether or not women need to sacrifice style for
function; and the answer is no. During World War II, the dramatic
shift of dynamics between women and the workforce inspired Scholl’s
direction to examine female welders, machinists, riveters, pilots
and more. While on the job, women wore men’s uniforms due to the
lack of or complete absence of women’s involvement in these
respective industries. There was a need for practicality within
their wardrobe, and Shifted Lines meets this demand.
Contemporaneously, Scholl approaches design from the perspective of
offering women accessories that enhance the relationship between
their femininity and their aspirations without compromising
aesthetics.
Is His Name Billy?Senior student David
Rodriguez’s capsule collection began with his
self-exploration of his approach to love and romance in
relationships. Primarily focused on womenswear until his senior
year, Is His Name Billy? has proven to be a deeply personal
collection for Rodriguez. Inspired by the photography book by Swiss
artist Karlheinz Weinberger “Swiss Rebels,” nods to American
heartthrobs of the mid-20th century are clear in Rodriguez’s design
choices. A collection based around actors and musicians from the
1950s and '60s would feel incomplete without a bit of the Wild
West, which Rodriguez leans into through the silhouettes,
incorporating tassels and sheer cutouts. Rooted in our innate
desire to be wanted, hunted and sexually desired, his collection is
a fresh approach to the western craze of the fashion world.
I Miss My Own Backyard
Sophomore student Ryan Putnam’s capsule
collection plays into Midwest 1980s nostalgia. Putnam’s designs
follow the story of a traveling Midwesterner without a suitcase,
attempting to carry their entire wardrobe on their back. Mixing
handmade garments with upcycled materials, Putnam melds garments
together, evoking the all-too-familiar feeling of bundling up layer
upon layer during the frigid winter months. Bright yellow felted
garments stand out against the primarily neutral tones of the
collection, editorializing the typical Midwesterner’s attire.
NEXUS
Sophomore student Mar Bissada’s capsule
collection explores the concept of immortality. For this
collection, Bissada was particularly drawn to cryonics, a Greek
term referring to the low temperature freezing and storage of human
remains in hopes of future resurrection. Bissada’s first three
looks in the collection are in reference to doctors, with nods to
the dark, ominous nature of medical experts’ wardrobes throughout
history. The final look represents a young girl brought back to
life. Bissada’s combination of dark, slippery and smooth materials
mimics a sinister, sterile medical working environment.
TOWANDA
TOWANDA pays homage to women in motorcycle clubs during the
1960s. Sophomore student Veronica Wardowski shifts
the standard focus of men in these clubs to women, honoring them
for their significant contributions that often went unrecognized. A
collection intended to center strength and empowerment within
women, Wardowski’s carefully sculpted garments mimic bulging
muscles in the arms and legs. Viewers can easily see her
interpretation of motorcycle culture with the use of leather,
incorporating silhouettes of traditional garments worn by bikers,
with belts, pouches and silver hardware as adornments.
ABOUT THE COLLEGE FOR CREATIVE STUDIESThe
College for Creative Studies (CCS) is a nonprofit, private college
authorized by the Michigan Education Department to grant Bachelor’s
and Master’s degrees. CCS, located in midtown Detroit, strives to
provide students with the tools needed for successful careers in
the dynamic and growing creative industries. CCS fosters students’
resolve to pursue excellence, act ethically, engage their
responsibilities as citizens, and learn throughout their lives.
With world-class faculty and unsurpassed facilities, students learn
to be visual communicators who actively use art and design toward
the betterment of society. The College is a major supplier of
talent to numerous industries, such as transportation, film and
animation, advertising and communications, consumer electronics,
athletic apparel, and many more. Its graduates are exhibiting
artists and teachers, design problem solvers and innovators, as
well as creative leaders in business.
- CCS The Show 2024
- Clay Barckholtz
Stacy Hutchcraft
College for Creative Studies
3136647914
shutchcraft@ccsdetroit.edu