SCAD is honored to present the exhibition Azzedine Alaïa: L'Art de la Mode at the university's SCAD FASH Lacoste museum in Provence, France. L'Art de la Mode is a chic highlight of SCAD's special summer exhibitions programming, as SCAD Lacoste celebrates its 20th anniversary as the university's global location in the Luberon Valley.

L'Art de la Mode artfully presents 20 career-defining gowns, sleek suits, and other exquisitely tailored creations from the designer's archives, exemplifying his timeless aesthetic and artistic triumphs. The exhibition showcases Alaïa's mastery of silhouette, and his status as a virtuoso of cut and proportion. His gift of constructing garments that remain unrivaled in accentuating the female form.

"Azzedine Alaïa created memorable couture and ready-to-wear for generations," said SCAD President Paula Wallace. "Years ago, I was fortunate to spend a special day with Alaïa in his Paris home — he was indisputably an original, known for his everlasting kindness and inventiveness. Alaïa's brilliance shines ever so brightly in L'Art de la Mode in Lacoste. Summer in Provence just got a lot more dazzling."

Born in Tunis, Tunisia, Alaïa moved to Paris in the mid-1950s and began working for the house of Christian Dior. After cultivating a loyal clientele of women from Parisian high society, Alaïa opened his Maison Alaïa in 1979 and was instantly revered internationally for his signature body-con silhouette, and aptly named the "King of Cling."

Azzedine Alaïa photographed by Gilles Bensimon.

The one true couturier of the body, Alaïa set a feminine ideal in which the most glamorous women of his time, from Greta Garbo to Tina Turner and supermodels Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford. An unceasing innovator, Alaïa perceived fashion as an art form and was involved in every step of the design process, meticulously constructing garments meant to drape and accentuate the female body to perfection.

"With this exhibition, the Fondation Azzedine Alaïa is proud to celebrate the 20th anniversary of SCAD Lacoste, the global epicenter of one of the best international universities for the arts," said Fondation Azzedine Alaïa President Carla Sozzani. "I would like to thank Paula Wallace for her vision of creativity and innovation."

The exhibition features a film about the designer narrated by Naomi Campbell, a muse and famously close friend who lovingly calls Alaïa "Papa."

L'Art de la Mode is the second exhibition for the legendary couturier presented by SCAD FASH and curated in collaboration with Saillard and Fondation Azzedine Alaïa. In 2020, SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film in Atlanta presented Alaia-Adrian: Masters of Cut. Pairing sleek looks by Alaïa and Gilbert Adrian – Alaïa was a consummate collector of Adrian's work – that exhibition revealed the designers' intertwined legacies.

L'Art de la Mode is organized in collaboration with Olivier Saillard, director of Fondation Azzedine Alaïa, Paris. "Fondation Azzedine Alaïa is delighted to collaborate with SCAD for the second time, now in Lacoste, in an intimate format where the art of the couturier can be appreciated. Created for the public — and Alaïa enthusiasts — this exhibition flourishes for SCAD students and all those who will appreciate the art of sculpting that the couturier expressed in his fashion."

Co-curator Rafael Gomes, director of fashion exhibitions at the SCAD FASH, said: "Alaïa's mastery of design and dedication to his craft are exalted in this exhibition, which will inspire our students and visitors alike."

This summer, SCAD Lacoste students from top-ranked degree programs including fashion, art history, performing arts, and painting will have the opportunity to admire Alaïa's exquisite creations. Students will engage with Maison Alaïa representatives in master classes and lectures.

L'Art de la Mode is on view through October, 2022, SCAD Lacoste.

Azzedine Alaïa, Spring/Summer 1986, moiré acetate jersey wedding dress. Photo by Andrea & Valentina.

This week promises to be a memorable one in the storied cinematic history of the Luberon Valley, as SCAD presents the SCAD Lacoste Film Festival, July 1–4, at the university's global location in majestic Lacoste, France. The four-day festival features exclusive screenings, industry insights, a special tribute to Agnès Varda, and the presentation of the SCAD Etoile for Lifetime Achievement in Cinema to honor Academy Award winner Jeremy Irons.

"For over 20 years, SCAD has imbued the Luberon Valley with beauty, art, and les superlatifs only SCAD can conjure, and once again we bring the magic of SCAD to our home among the lavender fields," said SCAD President Paula Wallace. "Provence has long inspired artistry and legendary films. From Picasso to Paglieri, from Van Gogh to Vadim, Renoir to Reisz, artists the world over have flocked to this extraordinary pastoral gem. There could be no more fitting place for SCAD, higher education's leader in film and entertainment, to continue its world-renowned series of film festivals and celebrations of artistic achievement."

The SCAD Lacoste Film Festival commences Friday, July 1, with an opening-night gala screening, followed by a starlight soirée held on the gorgeous lawn of La Maison Basse. SCAD will present Academy Award-winning actor Jeremy Irons with the SCAD Etoile for Lifetime Achievement in Cinema.

Throughout the festival, Irons' outstanding career will be honored with a dedicated film series titled Cinéma Elégance: A Celebration of Jeremy Irons that will include screenings of Reversal of Fortune and The Man Who Knew Infinity. On the evening of Sunday, July 3, following the screening of The French Lieutenant's Woman, Irons joins Andra Reeve-Rabb, dean of the SCAD School of Entertainment Arts, in conversation for an audience of festival attendees and students.

Additional SCAD Lacoste Film Festival highlights include a tribute to revolutionary filmmaker and artist Agnès Varda with screenings of Varda's films Cléo from 5 to 7 and Faces Places. Quinn Orear, SCAD associate chair of film and television, and Brantly Watts, director of SCADFILM, will also present Une lettre d'amour: The Original Multi-Hyphenate, Agnès Varda, which will explore Varda's multifaceted and boundless career. Other notable screenings include Murder in Provence on Sunday, July 3, followed by a panel discussion with executive producer Alison Owen, actor Keala Settle, and writer Shelagh Stephenson.

Throughout the festival, the university will screen SCAD original content in the breathtaking Chemin Parc, showcasing award-winning films, documentaries, animated shorts, and television series created and produced by SCAD professionals, faculty, and students. The festival will conclude with a Fourth of July celebration on the lawn of La Maison Basse with a quintessential BBQ cookout and a screening of the classic American blockbuster Jaws.

"Celebrating the entertainment arts at our beautiful SCAD Lacoste location provides us the opportunity to enjoy the thrill audiences regularly experience at SCAD festivals and events," said Leigh Seaman, senior executive director of SCADFILM. "Notable film and television luminaries from around the globe visit SCAD throughout the year to host screenings and share their expertise and insight, and it's exciting to expand our event programming to Lacoste with the SCAD Lacoste Film Festival this year."

The SCAD Lacoste Film Festival is presented by SCADFILM, the leading program for students and working professionals in film and television, animation, gaming, virtual reality, and digital media.

For more information and tickets, visit the SCAD Lacoste Film Festival.

More than a lane, Aleatha Lindsay is creating an intersectional superhighway, accessible to all.

Lindsay (M.A., arts administration, 2013), founder of the disability-led arts organization Ikouii, has curated the new book INSIDE THEIR STUDIO: Deaf & Disabled Artists Reshaping the Arts (Ikouii Creative, 2022). Featuring stunning photographs of artists including Chris Fonseca, David McCauley, Ellice Patterson, and Mary Anna Rappazzo, the book showcases versatile practices from painting and sculpture to photography, poetry, film, and dance.

"The works featured in INSIDE THEIR STUDIO are poetic, profound, beautiful, and visionary," Lindsay says. "Drawn from the artists' collections, they demystify the contributions that artists living with disabilities share."

As Jenna Reid, Artistic Director at Kickstart Disability Arts & Culture, writes in the foreword: "Being a disabled artist is fraught with challenges: this world was not built with us in mind. But our studios are spaces for dreaming, creating, and making in ways that bring our ancestors' dreams to life."

Lindsay and Ikouii are dedicated to manifesting those dreams. In addition to the new book, the org's current online exhibition, Bodies, on view through July 9, is "one of our most provocative exhibits," Lindsay says. "We provided a space to celebrate all types of bodies. Viewers have really resonated with the experiences on view and the vulnerability of each artist."

As a creative business leader, Lindsay is also a stakeholder in an ongoing Fulton Country Arts & Culture study assessing accessibility to performing arts facilities for individuals with disabilities. "The study focuses on developing best practices for engaging artists with disabilities in cultural facilities," Lindsay explains. "The need to ensure access for the disability arts community of greater Atlanta has never been more urgent, and this study can help steer us in the right direction."

Lindsay relishes the issues inherent in promoting individuals with disabilities as artists, art professionals, curators, and patrons of the arts. INSIDE THEIR STUDIO demonstrates her ever-evolving vision.

David McCauley by Lisa Presnail, from INSIDE THEIR STUDIO: Deaf & Disabled Artists Reshaping the Arts.

"With the new book, it was important to feature a diverse body of deaf and disabled artists from, but not limited to, the BIPOC, LGBTQIA, and Neurodivergent communities," Lindsay says. "This reflects one of Ikouii's core values: to provide space for diversity. These artists, like many that go unmentioned, deserve a rightful place in the larger global art landscape and deserve straightforward unhindered access."

Perhaps the biggest challenge comes in balancing the attention paid to artists across such a diverse community.

"Disability is not a one size fits all. Within the D/deaf community alone, you may find some who prefer lip-reading and are verbal, while others may primarily use sign language and are non-verbal, and some who are in between. You have some individuals who have multiple disabilities, and there are variations within each disability. For me, the best approach is to meet each individual where they are and consider their specific needs. Representation matters."

Above, Aleatha Lindsay, at work in her studio. Photo courtesy Aleatha Lindsay.

SCAD is proud to announce Darrell Naylor-Johnson as the new vice president for SCAD Savannah. Naylor-Johnson's professional experience in higher education spans three decades and includes teaching in the fine arts and humanities, combined with strategic leadership across numerous administrative areas.

"Becoming the new VP of SCAD Savannah is a remarkable privilege and honor," said Naylor-Johnson. "I have been a member of the Savannah and SCAD communities for more than 30 years. I raised my family here and have helped countless students make their dreams a reality. I am excited to bring these two communities that I cherish even closer together."

As vice president for SCAD Savannah, Naylor-Johnson will serve as an ambassador to the Savannah community. He will champion SCAD SERVE, empowering the university's students, faculty, and staff to work with neighbors and local leaders to create meaningful design solutions that improve quality of life. Naylor-Johnson will also lead the Office of Inclusion to ensure a culture where all people feel valued and able to thrive. Additionally, he will oversee the leadership of the university's Savannah location, promoting success across all SCAD Savannah departments and areas.

"I have witnessed SCAD's long legacy of giving in Savannah, uplifting diverse voices, and rallying our students to volunteer to help solve problems. I will build on these positive past experiences in my new role. Strengthening and deepening the ties between the local community and SCAD makes Savannah a more beautiful, creative, inclusive, and inspiring place for us all," Naylor-Johnson said.

Naylor-Johnson joined SCAD in 1992 as a professor of foundation studies and was promoted in 2000 to serve as Dean of the School of Fine Arts. He has impacted the SCAD community as a leader in numerous roles including assistant vice president for academic services, vice president for SCAD eLearning, interim associate vice president for SCAD Atlanta, and most recently as the senior director of library services, providing operational and strategic oversight for SCAD Libraries, one of the largest and most comprehensive art and design library systems in the United States. He is also a SCAD alumnus. He earned his B.F.A. in illustration from SCAD in 1989 and his M.F.A. in painting from Pennsylvania State University in 1992.

As an active contributor to the Savannah community, Naylor-Johnson has served on numerous organization and agency boards, including the West Broad Street YMCA, Beach Institute African American Cultural Center, vestry of the St. Paul's Episcopal Church, and Georgia Department of Children and Youth Services. Additionally, he spent several years leading community art and mural collaborations and has been involved with numerous City of Savannah initiatives spanning city and county administrations.

Known for his sartorial savoir-faire, Naylor-Johnson is seldom without a distinctive bow tie, often from the designs of Buck & Doe Goods founder Jessica Pope (B.F.A., fibers, 2005).

Naylor-Johnson officially moves into his new role on June 13.

Learn more about SCAD Savannah.

Palmer Hefferan keeps sounding off. In 2017, the composer and sound designer made Broadway history as part the all-female design team for "The Lifespan of a Fact." This year, she returned to Broadway at Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theater for the new production of "The Skin of Our Teeth," Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning play from 1942. Under the direction of Lileana Blain-Cruz, the lavish production offered what the New York Times called "the maximalist revival it deserves."

"A lot of times in theater I'm working on multiple shows at once, but for ‘The Skin of Our Teeth,' I blocked off two months to sit in on rehearsals," says Hefferan (B.F.A, sound design, 2007). "It was important for the actors to hear the sonic world that was going to be happening."

Across the play's three epic acts, Hefferan delivered the sounds of an Ice Age, a world war, and the Atlantic City Boardwalk in the Roaring Twenties. "I feel fortunate that SCAD gave me my solid foundation for the science of sound, and how sound conceptually engages with dialogue."

Hefferan has now received a Tony Award nomination for Best Sound Design of a Play, one of six nods for "The Skin of Our Teeth." With The Tony Awards set to broadcast this Sunday, she Zoom'd in to talk about her work. What follows is condensed from that discussion.

Photo by Julieta Cervantes — "The Skin of Our Teeth"

Palmer Hefferan: Sound designers are responsible for curating an experience for the audience, connecting them with the text and the performer as much as possible. I started my career at a moment when sound design was finally, rightly being acknowledged in a notable way. Sound design was first eligible for the Tony Awards in 2007, which happens to be the year I graduated from SCAD.

Our director Lileana Blain-Cruz chose this play as a feast of design, and because "The Skin of Our Teeth" is a story of human survival, encompassing cataclysmic events as one family moves through centuries. With climate change, war, and an ongoing pandemic, the play is a corollary to what we're experiencing today.

In my early conversations with Lileana, we knew we were going to have contemporary music in the show. Once we get to the Atlantic City Boardwalk, even though it's the 1920s, I knew I wanted electronic club music, so I found mashups of classic songs, like Cab Calloway's "The Hi Dee Ho Man." We embraced that anachronism.

One of the challenges, for me, was giving each audience member the ability to experience powerful sonic moments tethered to the play. The Vivian Beaumont Theater is one of the three largest theaters on Broadway. I created an umbrella of speakers, encompassing the space. At the end of Act Two there's a Noah's Ark moment where animals are collected and put on a ship. That means hearing a whale blowhole, seal chatter, or sea birds flying over the house. Every single person has a unique experience in their seat. When the dinosaur and mammoth appear, we'd placed a subwoofer under the stage, so the audience can feel those big, low-frequency sound waves.

This is my first time nominated for a Tony, and I have so many friends nominated too. We're all contemporaries. To me, it feels like this season represents an ushering in of new voices and ideas. I appreciate Broadway history and the generations of designers who made their mark, and it's exciting to be able to bring new ideas to the highest level. I tell students, you are the tastemakers of the future. As you become your own artist, your perspective is valuable, and you can make history.

Palmer Hefferan, Tony Awards "Meet the Nominees," May 11, 2022. Photo by Anthony Behar/Sipa USA/Alamy Live News

The 75th Annual Tony Awards air Sunday, June 12, 2022, with "Act One" design categories streaming from 7-8 p.m. ET on Paramount+, and the main event airing 8-11 p.m. ET on CBS.

"How can I use my sound art powers for good?" asks Lily Adams (B.F.A., sound design).

It's three days before commencement, and the senior sound artist is in Hamilton Hall Room 201, delivering their talk "Sound Art for the Soul" to 20 enthusiastic fellow sound design students—all members of the official club called SCAD PASO (Professional Audio Student Organization).

Adams, the club's outgoing president, is discussing sound conservation and acoustic ecology. Referencing soundscape ecologist Bernie Krause, and screening a clip of the documentary Chasing Coral, Adams makes the case for "the different ways you can take your sound talent and apply it to something you care about."

"Lily is a model sound design student with extraordinary creative and technical skills who contributes professional-level work on every project," says sound design professor Jamie Baker. "As the president of PASO, Lily masterfully collaborates with peers, professors, and special industry guests to host wonderful, educational, supportive events. Lily sets the tone and leads the troops with natural ease and competence."

In June, Adams will head west to Los Angeles, for a coveted internship at Formosa Group. It will be their second time in L.A. this calendar year: in March, they received the Student Recognition Award at the 58th Annual Cinema Audio Society Awards, taking home a $5,000 prize. "The best part was networking with everyone there, including those I'd met previously via Zoom, like Mark Lanza, President of Motion Picture Sound Editors," Adams says. "It was fun being with all the best mixers in Hollywood in one room."

Lily Adams at the Cinema Audio Society Awards, March, 2022.

Adams grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana, and attended Park Tudor School, before coming to SCAD, specifically to study sound. "I was interested in how sound can make you feel things. As I like to say, pictures are information, but sound is emotion."

While taking first year sound design classes, Adams wasn't picking up ProTools as quickly as hoped. "So, I did peer tutoring with a student named Ashton Faydenko (B.F.A., sound design, 2020), who got me a student film to mix at the end of my first quarter. I started mixing more student films, and sound editing, and kept going to PASO."

"PASO is about offering access and fostering collaboration," Adams continues. "That includes creating a safe space for underclassmen who might not know what questions to ask. Post-production is a collaborative art form, and it doesn't mean anything unless you share it with people. It's the same in film and in theater: You build a family with the people you work with."

As a senior, Adams was in high demand as a cross-disciplinary collaborator. They worked on The Tunnel, directed by Jovianny Berrios (B.F.A., film and television, 2020), an intense psychological drama set in South Carolina in 1865. Then there was comedy short Smoothie Heist, directed by Sydney Bowers (B.F.A., film and television), a uproarious audience favorite at this year's student film showcase. "It's great to work with directors who understand how important sound is," Adams says.

Back in Hamilton Hall, PASO is still happening. Adams, wearing a pair of rainbow-soled platform sneakers, initiates the next part of the evening, inviting fellow sound design students to the front of the room to jam on the Moog Grandmother, a semi-modular analog synthesizer with built-in spring reverb. As the room swells with chromatic oscillations, pizzas appear courtesy of professor Baker. It's a conscious, soul sound party, designed for the expansive, positive possibilities of our world.

As Adams says: "Sound, because it's so emotional, is a big part of opening up someone's mind and making them think about things differently."

Visit Lily Adams Sound!

With the arrival of SCAD FASHION 2022, senior and graduate students are exhilarated to debut their visions and share their worlds of inspiration. One senior of note, Stella DeLaughter (B.F.A., fashion) has created a standout collection she calls "Confabulatious." Focused on using primarily vintage, secondhand, and deadstock fabric, Stella will premiere her collection on Friday, May 20, 8:30 p.m. ET, on the runway and via free livestream.

Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Stella grew up watching her grandma sew uniforms for her parents' band, the 20-plus member musical group The Polyphonic Spree. Inspired, Stella began her journey into fashion by learning to sew at age seven, taking after her grandma by making pillows to give to loved ones.

"I loved being able to make something from scratch with my hands, and the attention to detail it took to remember how to thread the machine and wind a bobbin," Stella says. "Fast forward 16 years, and I just finished my senior collection!"

"Confabulatious" began to develop while Stella took a gap year and moved back home during the pandemic. She revisited another childhood passion: going to estate and garage sales.

"My favorite estate sales are at the homes of makers, where there is always an industrial sewing machine, piles of vintage fabrics and trims and closets full of colorful vintage clothes. I'm always curious about the people who lived there and the things they collected throughout their life."

Examining the vintage bedsheets, tablecloths among other fabrics, Stella created scenarios that fit the fabrics. She immersed herself in inspiration by collaging vintage magazines, also found at estate sales, which helped conceptualize silhouette and color inspiration for the collection.

While checking local estate sales and Etsy sellers for vintage and deadstock fabric, Stella found a vintage flocked floral organza. By "going down vintage fabric rabbit holes" she acquired fabrics and trims that had been in families for decades, each with its own unique story to tell. What better way to enhance those stories by adding a little bit of sparkle sponsored by Swarovski to each look?

"Adding the crystals really brought the collection together," Stella says. "I owe a massive thanks to [fellow students] Lexi Meyer, Tom Banks, Lauryn Porter, Bonnie Chan, and Hannah Gaffney for applying the crystals one by one. The collection wouldn't be the same without them."

Fashion can be perceived as pretentious and competitive to outsiders looking in. However, DeLaughter believes creative collaboration holds the key to new ideas and what becomes possible when a team shares a creative vision.

"We've fostered a supportive, encouraging environment," she says. "Being around these people for many days and nights, who are now all good friends, has been the best part." After working alongside many talented designers on this senior collection, Stella hopes to bring that same energy of collaboration into the industry.

Stella DeLaughter

About the author: Celine Consolo (B.F.A., fashion marketing and management) is minoring in fashion journalism and fashion photography. She is passionate about broadening her audience's perspective and presenting emotive work in visual marketing and journalism. See more of Celine's work here.


"I create jewelry that is imbued with meaningful intention and made for self-expression," says Melanie Clarke (B.F.A., jewelry, 2003). "Everything is energy and energy is everything."

After graduating from SCAD, Clarke relocated to San Francisco, working for many years at fine jewelry boutique Trabert Goldsmiths. She connected deeply with a spiritual practice in tune with her designs. Her own jewelry line, Mana Combe, infuses history and mysticism into gorgeous pieces that, as Clarke explains, represent "activations."

After close to two decades in California, Clarke has recently returned home to Georgia. A jaunt to Savannah means the healer will appear in person at this week’s SCAD Jewelry Trunk Show. 

SCAD: How do you balance your work between tradition and experimentation?

Melanie Clarke: My education at SCAD helped build a foundation of essential skills that has served me millions of times. The jewelry department provided my formal jewelry design discipline, while my fine art classes and historical studies sowed seeds of inspiration. I have expanded this 'garden' into the mystic realm—mostly through curiosity. I push myself to travel alongside the world of sacred geometry and ancient studies. I find the greatest inspiration by exploring the mystery of old-world artifacts and modern-day technologies. I use CAD software to render some of my overly complex designs that would otherwise be impossible. I approach my work with zero limitations. If you can envision it: it is possible! 

SCAD: How does your jewelry connect to your commitment to transformational wellness?

MC: I recently found my 2003 senior thesis artist statement and it is nearly identical to my ethos of Mana Combe. I want people to wear my work and draw kindred spirits into their space, so that they can connect and share a moment of loving exchange. I believe anything infused with loving intention can activate the subconscious, opening all sorts of fabulous doors, leading to expansion. What better way to experience joy than with the visual health and wellness of beauty, color, and form!

Melanie Clarke, 'Barakat // Blessings,' 2022, handmade 18k yellow gold pendant approx. 1" long x ½" wide; 18" diamond-cut chain.

SCAD: Which pieces of yours are in this year’s SCAD Trunk Show?

MC: I am selling a variety of designs I've made through the years, showcasing a range of favorites. I have everything from a super crisp and sparkly diamond ring to a golden crystal-grid 'artifact' ring to dainty little bands. I also brought some chunky animal pendants as well. All my pieces tell their own little story and I hope they find their happily-ever-after!

SCAD: What does Trunk Show 2022 mean to you as part of the SCAD jewelry family?


MC: I only recently moved back home to Georgia, and it's been nearly 20 years since I graduated, so this show is very exciting. So many formative moments happened here while I was learning my way around metal. Professor Jay Song was one the most important teachers I've ever had. She still teaches me today. When she speaks, I listen, because I trust her and love her. She wants her students to succeed. She is tough when she needs to be but always supportive in helping her students grow to be the best artists. I am a better artist today because of my experience at SCAD and my time in the jewelry department.

Meet Melanie this week at SCAD Jewelry Trunk Show 2022!

Fabulous? Absolutely! It's time for SCAD FASHION 2022, a global showcase of original designs by SCAD School of Fashion senior and graduate students.

The highly anticipated signature event commences in the Alex Townsend Memorial Courtyard at SCAD Museum of Art, Friday, May 20, at 8:30 p.m., as SCAD welcomes international fashion and design luminaries and special guests for a first look at exquisite, innovative creations by the industry's latest prodigies. Audiences around the world can witness the elite sartorial showcase, highlighting the unparalleled talent emerging from SCAD, via livestream.

The show begins with the high-concept film Fashion Run, directed by SCAD alum Squire Fox, featuring an eclectic range of more than 100 student-created garments. The film takes audiences behind the scenes as models race to SCAD MOA and dash backstage where hair and make-up artists and wardrobe assistants await. Models donning more than 50 garments curated from the student collections, then grace the red carpet and command the runway amid a fantastical mise-en-scène. SCAD alumni from the university's top-ranked degree programs collaborated on the film, which stars more than 100 SCAD student models and actors.

Each year, graduating SCAD School of Fashion students in Atlanta and Savannah are invited to have their work expertly critiqued by fashion and design leaders, who provide mentorship and industry knowledge essential for students' future careers. The university's SCAD Style Lab mentor program connects students directly with established designers as they complete their final collections for the runway.

This year's SCAD Style Lab mentors include Studio 189 co-founder and Fashion Our Future founder Abrima Erwiah; designer and Another Tomorrow creative director Elizabeth Giardina; Diesel creative director, streetwear designer, and SCAD alum Phil Riedel (B.F.A., industrial design, 2006); SCAD alum Ashley Romasko (B.F.A., fashion, 2018), a ready-to-wear designer at Tory Burch; conceptual artist, stylist, and influencer Charlie Staunton; Draper James VP and design consultant Frederic Tremblay; and acclaimed stylist Jules Wood.

As part of SCAD FASHION 2022, the university hosts Our Friend André: A SCAD Tribute to André Leon Talley, honoring the beloved fashion luminary and SCAD advocate and champion, Friday, May 20, at 5:30 p.m. The ceremony includes an enlightening conversation with famed fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg and premier fashion journalists Vanessa Friedman and Constance White on Talley's legendary life and bold spirit. During the event, the university will bestow internationally heralded fashion designer and SCAD alum Christopher John Rogers (B.F.A., fashion, 2016) with the André Leon Talley Award in recognition of his phenomenal rise to global acclaim.

SCAD FASHION programming also includes the annual SCAD Jewelry Trunk Show, where guests can shop one-of-a-kind wearable art by SCAD students, alumni, faculty, and staff. The top-ranked SCAD jewelry program is the largest in the U.S. and prepares students for success through an advanced-level curriculum and access to cutting-edge technological resources.

On Saturday, May 21, Christopher John Rogers and his team of fellow SCAD alumni —brand director Christina Ripley (B.F.A., fashion marketing and management, 2016), studio director David Rivera (B.F.A., dramatic writing, 2016), and production director Alex Tyson (B.F.A., fashion, 2016) — unite in conversation to share how their radical creativity, business savvy, and kindred collaboration has catapulted the brand to international success.

See the full list of events and tune in to the livestream here!

SCAD proudly announces the appointment of Lace Walker as the university's new director of inclusion. Walker, a Savannah native, is a SCAD alumnus, with an M.A. in creative business leadership and a B.F.A. in sound design. She will work closely with SCAD students, faculty, and staff at all SCAD locations to ensure a culture where all members of the university community feel welcomed, valued, respected, and empowered to thrive.

"SCAD is my family, my home," Walker says. "It is my intention to ensure every member of our SCAD community feels seen, celebrated, and cared for. It is important that we continue to engage in a culture that accepts all people with respect and open arms."

Walker is being promoted from within the university. Prior to her new role, she has an 11-year tenure at SCAD, working at the university's locations in Savannah, Atlanta, and Lacoste, France as a student success advisor and admission records specialist, developing authentic relationships with students and families.

"I was afforded memorable moments to contribute to embracing our diverse and inclusive culture," Walker says. "When the opportunity came along to work with the office of inclusion, I saw it as a chance to extend my heart, care, and concern for the greater SCAD community, and duplicate my efforts to faculty and staff."

The SCAD office of inclusion engages the collective ingenuity of its students, faculty, and staff to create opportunities and inspire inclusive innovation within the university community and the creative industries in the disciplines SCAD teaches.

"SCAD has so much to engage in—from museum exhibitions, workshops, events, training, student clubs, alumni affinity groups, tours, library resources, gender-inclusive restrooms, and programs, to name a few. No goal of mine is ever short-term. I do everything with passion and longevity in mind and want it to resonate as a legacy, building a foundation to grow and change with our cultural climate."

In her new role, Walker will develop and administer diversity and inclusion learning for the university community. Her focus will include implementing programming that engages diverse ideas and perspectives, broadening recruitment and hiring practices, engaging in proactive community collaborations through SCAD SERVE, and amplifying the work and ideas of artists, designers, and educators who are members of historically marginalized groups.

Learn more about the SCAD Office of Inclusion.