Eight undergraduate Fashion Accessories Design students and one Fulbright Scholar at Detroit’s College For Creative Studies presented capsule collections exploring individual identities in an indefinite world.

Fashion accessories is a $51 billion global industry. The Fashion Accessories Design program at Detroit’s College For Creative Studies (CCS)— established in 2015 under the leadership of renowned footwear designer Aki Choklat, is one of few in the United Stated that helps students develop a broad set of skills that focus on vision, craft, and business and is heralded as the largest and most equipped fashion accessory design department in the United States. 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 industries.

The program, up until last year, 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 CCS’s fashion department in 2022, CCS has been able to fully expand its curriculum to include apparel design. In CCS’s new unique program, students learn to manage any fashion brand from initial concept and design to fabrication, supply-chain management and distribution. Unlike any other program, CCS’s Fashion Design program integrates all aspects of fashion design education in the foundation year including daywear, couture, footwear, handbags and accessories design.

On Thursday, April 20, The College for Creative Studies (CCS) presented its third iteration of The Show, a runway show featuring collections from the class of 2023 senior fashion student designers: Jacob Emmett, Jerome Fulton, Mikayla Hoak, Nikki Park, Sofia Proen, Ja’maiya Ryan, Cameron Sucaet, Stiven Woznicki and Fulbright Scholar, Mehran Musta. This final class in the last pre-fashion apparel integration exhibited their own apparel designs along with their accessories. This show marked the final cohort of solely fashion accessories design students, as the major has now integrated to include apparel design. Each year, students are asked to select a color that collectively represents their designs to help inform the show’s theme. This year, the group chose Kelly Green to symbolize new possibilities and hope in our ever-changing society.

The individual collections speak to each designer’s personal identity, experiences and various talents. From earliest childhood memories to their latest adversities, the students chose materials such as leather, neoprene, tulle and snake skins to represent themselves and the world they want to see in their designs. These collections, for some, have been months in the making, combining new-age technology such as 3D-printing and microchipping with classic hand-sewn techniques.

“The belief is that there is always hope for humanity and what comes next will be chaotically brilliant. The mood will mirror what my students are feeling and seeing currently and how they can be the best for their future.” - Aki Choklat, Linda Dresner Endowed Chair in Fashion Design at CCS.

Exhibition

Each year, The College For Creative Studies celebrates the accomplishments of its students with a Student Exhibition. On Thursday, April 20, 2023, CCS hosted its annual exhibit of accessories featuring more than 3,000 pieces of artwork and designs from the Fashion Accessories Design program. All proceeds from the sale of art go directly to the student artists to contribute to their art and design careers. hosted an amazing showcase featuring more than 3,000 pieces of artwork and designs.

You can join CCS for an exclusive opportunity to browse and purchase exceptional artwork by CCS students at the Student Exhibition Opening Reception and Sale on Friday, May 12th from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. Featuring live music, sample hors d’oeuvres from top Detroit caterers, and an open bar.