By Bob Sorokanich, senior editor, GM News
WARREN, Mich. - Last weekend, a crowd flooded the General Motors Design Dome to catch a glimpse of the future. This time, the cutting-edge visions didn’t roll on wheels – they strutted on platform heels and elaborate leather sandals, as fashion design students from Detroit’s College for Creative Studies showed off their runway looks to an audience of over 400 people.
The fifth-annual CCS fashion show on April 26 marked the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Fashion Department at the Detroit college. The theme for this year’s show was “Icons: Celebrating the individuals, institutions and movements throughout history that make Detroit the iconic city it is.”
Caption: Design by CCS student Robert Robinson. Photo: Amber Zundel Roberts.
That made GM’s Design Dome the perfect venue for this year’s fashion show. Designed by modernist architect Eero Saarinen in 1956, the facility, on the company’s Warren, Michigan tech center campus, is hallowed ground among GM creatives. The domed ceiling and elaborate illumination system allow designers to evaluate vehicles under shadowless light. Every new GM vehicle passes through the Design Dome for final scrutiny before it ever reaches production – a momentous rite of passage for GM designers.
“It’s the biggest runway we’ve ever had,” said Stacy Hutchcraft, senior communications manager at CCS. “The theme of the fashion show is Icons, and the Design Dome is such an iconic architectural landmark in Metro Detroit. It’s very futuristic inside there, and our designers are future trendsetters.”
Caption: Design by CCS student Aiden Richards. Photo: Amber Zundel Roberts.
This was the first fashion show held at Design Dome. GM Chief of Design Michael Simcoe, who serves on the Board of Trustees at CCS, helped make the facility available for the college. After the event, Simcoe told the Detroit Free Press that there are unexpected parallels between automotive design and fashion design.
“There’s a recognition that design is now the factor that delivers a customer experience and an emotional connection between a customer and a car,” Simcoe told the Free Press. “[I]t's the design and brand that make the difference. More now than ever, customers will look at something that’s a little bit different, well-branded, fresh.”
Caption: Over 400 people attended the CCS fashion show at the Design Dome, with representatives from several major fashion labels in the crowd. Photo: Amber Zundel Roberts.
In total, nearly 130 looks were presented by 27 CCS fashion design students, including seven soon-to-graduate seniors. The runway gala wasn’t just a chance to show off – it provided a crucial learning opportunity for young designers eager to succeed in the highly-competitive industry. Fashion labels ranging from Detroit-based workwear juggernaut Carhartt to renowned ultra-luxury labels Louis Vuitton and Hermès had representatives in attendance, giving students the chance to make an impression on some of the most powerful people in the fashion industry.
“We believe our students need to leave the comforts of the teacher-student presentation world,” said Rey Pador, Associate Professor of Fashion Design at CCS. Students “presented their collections for consideration and went through a rigorous Q&A session with our invited local, national, and international jury members,” he explained.
Fostering the next generation of designers through career-oriented opportunities has always been a key goal for General Motors. Whether it’s partnering with high-school students through the Youth Modelers, Artists and Designers program or hosting the future fashion moguls of CCS, GM Design is committed to supporting tomorrow’s designers.
WARREN, Mich. - Last weekend, a crowd flooded the General Motors Design Dome to catch a glimpse of the future. This time, the cutting-edge visions didn’t roll on wheels – they strutted on platform heels and elaborate leather sandals, as fashion design students from Detroit’s College for Creative Studies showed off their runway looks to an audience of over 400 people.
The fifth-annual CCS fashion show on April 26 marked the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Fashion Department at the Detroit college. The theme for this year’s show was “Icons: Celebrating the individuals, institutions and movements throughout history that make Detroit the iconic city it is.”
That made GM’s Design Dome the perfect venue for this year’s fashion show. Designed by modernist architect Eero Saarinen in 1956, the facility, on the company’s Warren, Michigan tech center campus, is hallowed ground among GM creatives. The domed ceiling and elaborate illumination system allow designers to evaluate vehicles under shadowless light. Every new GM vehicle passes through the Design Dome for final scrutiny before it ever reaches production – a momentous rite of passage for GM designers.
“It’s the biggest runway we’ve ever had,” said Stacy Hutchcraft, senior communications manager at CCS. “The theme of the fashion show is Icons, and the Design Dome is such an iconic architectural landmark in Metro Detroit. It’s very futuristic inside there, and our designers are future trendsetters.”
This was the first fashion show held at Design Dome. GM Chief of Design Michael Simcoe, who serves on the Board of Trustees at CCS, helped make the facility available for the college. After the event, Simcoe told the Detroit Free Press that there are unexpected parallels between automotive design and fashion design.
“There’s a recognition that design is now the factor that delivers a customer experience and an emotional connection between a customer and a car,” Simcoe told the Free Press. “[I]t's the design and brand that make the difference. More now than ever, customers will look at something that’s a little bit different, well-branded, fresh.”
In total, nearly 130 looks were presented by 27 CCS fashion design students, including seven soon-to-graduate seniors. The runway gala wasn’t just a chance to show off – it provided a crucial learning opportunity for young designers eager to succeed in the highly-competitive industry. Fashion labels ranging from Detroit-based workwear juggernaut Carhartt to renowned ultra-luxury labels Louis Vuitton and Hermès had representatives in attendance, giving students the chance to make an impression on some of the most powerful people in the fashion industry.
“We believe our students need to leave the comforts of the teacher-student presentation world,” said Rey Pador, Associate Professor of Fashion Design at CCS. Students “presented their collections for consideration and went through a rigorous Q&A session with our invited local, national, and international jury members,” he explained.
Fostering the next generation of designers through career-oriented opportunities has always been a key goal for General Motors. Whether it’s partnering with high-school students through the Youth Modelers, Artists and Designers program or hosting the future fashion moguls of CCS, GM Design is committed to supporting tomorrow’s designers.