College for Creative Studies Expands Fashion Programming As Global Industry Looks to Detroit as New Fashion Hub

As major brands set their sights on Detroit’s budding fashion scene, CCS expands its fashion offerings beyond accessories to include apparel.

News of Detroit’s resurgence may seem a bit passé these days, however, news of the city establishing itself as the next up-and-coming fashion hub is not. Just look to the fashion powerhouses such as Bottega Veneta, who is presenting their Spring 2022 collection in Detroit this fall, and Gucci, who named Detroit one of its grant recipient cities, supporting emerging fashion and accessories designers from within the city. Based on the growing fashion entrepreneurial ecosystem and other business investments, the City of Detroit’s economic development agency has identified the apparel, fashion, and luxury sector as a featured sector. 

College for Creative Studies (CCS) Fashion Accessories Design program, which was established in 2015 under the leadership of renowned footwear and accessories designer Aki Choklat, is expanding into a more comprehensive Fashion Design program. This change will allow CCS the opportunity to educate students in fashion accessories, apparel and multiple other fashion career paths.

The need for this program expansion is imperative based on industry trajectory, student interest, and industry growth in Detroit. CCS’s new BFA in Fashion Design will provide a comprehensive and substantial professional education equipping all students with the technical and design expertise to excel in the dynamic and highly competitive trillion-dollar global industry. Emphasizing technical knowledge, trend forecasting and creative, research-based design coupled with technical know-how, the program will provide students with sustainable business skills that will evolve as they grow in the industry. 

The strengths and successes of CCS’s Fashion Design program is exemplified through multiple corporate-sponsored studios with companies such as Stuart Weitzman and Eileen Fisher and the impressive career placement of its alumni, who are working for Calvin Klein, Coach, Carhartt and beyond. In addition, this past spring CCS hosted its first-ever rooftop runway show and had three graduating seniors’ final designs included in Paper Magazines “Best Looks From This Year’s Graduating Fashion Students.”

CCS looks forward to educating and presenting the world with the next generation of fashion designers.