Internationally Recognized Designer Will Head CCS Fashion Accessories Design Program

Image from CCS

College for Creative Studies has announced the appointment of renowned footwear and accessories designer Aki Choklat as Chair of its Fashion Accessories Design Department, and we wouldn't be more excited! He is head of an all-star advisory committee, but we'll get to that in a minute. The BFA in Fashion Accessories Design will launch, officially on September 8, 2015, and is among only a few such programs in the country. The education of design and manufacturing of products including footwear, handbags, and accessories hardware will give students the knowledge they need to work for and to create succesful accessories brands.

Image from CCS

“Fashion accessories represents billions in revenue annually and is a segment that continues to grow, yet there are few institutions in the U.S. preparing the next generations of accessories designers,” said Aki Choklat. “CCS is one of few schools taking notice, and with their rich history and excellence in product design and crafts disciplines, as well as strong industry partnerships, it’s a wonderful place to give young fashion accessories designers the platform they need for future success. Detroit is bursting with promise, and I’m excited to re-establish myself and lend my experience to a city with such a prosperous future.”

We've definitely given you a run down of who Aki is when he was here for one of CCS's free workshops, so feel free to skip this part if you already know all about him. Aki has held numerous positions with international fashion labels such as Diverso and Lahtiset. He directs his own London-based label of shoes, handbags and accessories, and has help establish and lead the footwear and accessories master program at Polimoda, Italy's leading fashion school. In addition to establishing a program at a school in Italy, he has taught at the London College of Fashion and De Montfort University, and has written many design books. Clearly, he was the right choice as Chair of the Fashion Accessories Design program at CCS.

Image from CCS

The new Fashion Accessories Design program was developed in collaboration with the Council of Fashion Designers of America, Inc. and Shinola, and has a very impressive advisory council. This council represents a broad cross-section of industry professionals, and they include: Francesca Amfitheatr of Tiffany & Co.,  Lauren Bush Lauren of Feed Projects and Lauren Pierce Atelier, Linda Dresner of LINDA DRESNER, Catherine Forbes of The Forbes Company / Somerset Collection, Jen Guarino of Shinola, Jen Guarino of Shinola, Tom Kartsotis of Shinola, Steven Kolb of Council of Fashion Designers of America, Ashley Olsen of Dualstar Entertainment Group (OMG!), Lisa Smilor of Council of Fashion Designers of America, and John Varvatos of John Varvatos, who only had good things to say about all of this.

“Detroit has always been brimming with talent for the creative work we see in a number of industries, from the cars we drive to images we see on-screen at the movies," said Varvatos. "Expanding that great eye for what’s next into fashion was a logical step as Detroit becomes a beacon of fashion goods design and production. The College for Creative Studies has the history, resources and industry partnerships to raise up the next great generation of designers in the ever-growing fashion accessories design landscape.”

If you would like more information about the program, head over to CCS.