Student Craftsmanship Shines at the 2024 College for Creative Studies Runway Show
There's more to Detroit's fashion community than its close ties to Carhartt. The College for Creative Studies (CCS) fashion department is one such example, with a talented class of emerging designers to show for it.
On Saturday evening in the outskirts of Detroit, 23 CCS students showed off all they'd been working on for the past year in a runway presentation that championed artistry and craftsmanship. Unlike most end-of-year fashion productions that are typically reserved for graduates, CCS opened it up for students across all grades to present their work.
"The honest truth is that we wanted to make this a bit of an event," Chair of Fashion Design Aki Choklat tells Fashionista. "Obviously it's a senior-[focused] show, but we wanted to also showcase other levels because there are so many different points of view. We really wanted to show the world that you can also be very talented and work hard on your collections [regardless of your level]."
This show also marked the first cohort of apparel design students rather than solely showcasing fashion accessories designs. (In 2022, CCS established a fashion design program that fully integrated its accessory design department.)
Taking place in the industrial Cadieux Stage, the runway opened with garments from a select group of sophomores (the first class to enroll in fashion design since freshman year) and students from other majors. Then came the collections from the graduating designers: Gabriel Armelin, Ana Bosnjakovski, Clay Barckholtz, Miles Barron, Andreas Caballero, Cierra Headings, Defne Kanberoglu, Avis Kerns, David Rodriguez, Maureen Rossman, Mamie Scholl and Jannah Turner.
While there was technically no theme students were encouraged to abide by, the underlying common thread among all the collections was the pride and celebration of Detroit.
"The theme is always and forever Detroit," Choklat says. "We are Detroit. The students work here [and] they live here — the city is their laboratory…[The designers] can express their identity, individuality and happiness through this wonderful world of fashion. For me, that really reflects what the city is all about and what the future of this city is."
Below, see the stand-out looks from the 2024 CCS Student Runway show.
A look by Andreas Caballero at the 2024 College for Creative Studies Runway Show. Photo: Emma Albert/Courtesy of CCS
A look by Avis Kerns at the 2024 College for Creative Studies Runway Show. Photo: Emma Albert/Courtesy of CCS
A look by Ana Bosnjakovski at the 2024 College for Creative Studies Runway Show. Photo: Emma Albert/Courtesy of CCS
A look by Cierra Headings at the 2024 College for Creative Studies Runway Show. Photo: Emma Albert/Courtesy of CCS
A look by Clay Barckholtz at the 2024 College for Creative Studies Runway Show. Photo: Emma Albert/Courtesy of CCS
A look by Defne Kanberoglu at the 2024 College for Creative Studies Runway Show. Photo: Emma Albert/Courtesy of CCS
A look by Jannah Turner at the 2024 College for Creative Studies Runway Show. Photo: Emma Albert/Courtesy of CCS
A look by Mamie Scholl at the 2024 College for Creative Studies Runway Show. Photo: Emma Albert/Courtesy of CCS
A look by Maureen Rossman at the 2024 College for Creative Studies Runway Show. Photo: Emma Albert/Courtesy of CCS
A look by Miles Barron at the 2024 College for Creative Studies Runway Show. Photo: Emma Albert/Courtesy of CCS
A look by Gabriel Armelin at the 2024 College for Creative Studies Runway Show. Photo: Emma Albert/Courtesy of CCS
A look by David Rodriguez at the 2024 College for Creative Studies Runway Show. Photo: Emma Albert/Courtesy of CCS
A look by Max Honeycutt at the 2024 College for Creative Studies Runway Show. Photo: Emma Albert/Courtesy of CCS
A look by Bella Taylor at the 2024 College for Creative Studies Runway Show. Photo: Emma Albert/Courtesy of CCS
A look by Emma Wisler at the 2024 College for Creative Studies Runway Show. Photo: Emma Albert/Courtesy of CCS
A look by Sarah Tombelli at the 2024 College for Creative Studies Runway Show. Photo: Emma Albert/Courtesy of CCS
A look by Falina Jimerson at the 2024 College for Creative Studies Runway Show. Photo: Emma Albert/Courtesy of CCS
A look by Izzy Abohasira at the 2024 College for Creative Studies Runway Show. Photo: Emma Albert/Courtesy of CCS
A look by Mar Bissada at the 2024 College for Creative Studies Runway Show. Photo: Emma Albert/Courtesy of CCS
A look by Quade Feller at the 2024 College for Creative Studies Runway Show. Photo: Emma Albert/Courtesy of CCS
A look by Ryan Putnam at the 2024 College for Creative Studies Runway Show. Photo: Emma Albert/Courtesy of CCS
A look by Edgar Saribekyan at the 2024 College for Creative Studies Runway Show. Photo: Emma Albert/Courtesy of CCS
A look by Veronica Wardowski at the 2024 College for Creative Studies Runway Show. Photo: Emma Albert/Courtesy of CCS
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