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On Friday 16 May, the Savannah College of Art and Design’s Atlanta campus was abuzz. Crowds gathered around the runway, chatter dulling only when alumni Wayne Bucknor Jr (on cello) and Maxwell Park (on piano) began to play. The musical opener was followed by a stream of great menswear; sharp tailoring and graceful draping; and runway references from billowy blouses à la Chemena Kamali’s boho chic Chloé to fashion’s Western-wear double-down.
As Vogue Runway’s José Criales-Unzueta pointed out in his review of the show, the majority of the collections showcased on Friday were decidedly wearable — something that’s not always a given in student collections.
Over conversations with eight of SCAD’s soon-to-be graduates across various School of Fashion programmes including fashion design, fashion marketing and management, jewellery design and accessories, a strong thread became apparent: fashion’s next generation is acutely aware of the work and education they have ahead — and that clothes need to sell. As BFA student Flora Medina tells me: “Everything is a business.”
Atop a runway decorated with a colourful artwork by SCAD alum Trish Andersen, student models showcased the work of 53 students — about a third of the fashion programme’s graduating class — to celebrate the work of the next generation of design talent coming out of Savannah and Atlanta (SCAD has campuses in both cities). It was the cohort’s last hurrah before they graduate from the college at the end of May.
Many in this group have ambitions to start their own brands — but almost all want to gain experience at existing labels and companies first. Some are more wary of the industry they’re going into — tariff-ladden, rumour-fuelled, all-around chaotic — than others, but all are keen to get out there and get started.
Friday’s runway was the culmination of the first step in these students’ fledgling careers. Below, eight of them share their post-grad plans; why they’re doing what they’re doing; and their hopes and reservations about entering an industry that already looks very different to when they started at SCAD four years ago.
Cyerra Latham, BFA fashion
Cyerra Latham’s designs opened Friday night’s show. Her collection, she says, was inspired by her parents’ love story, and she looked to bring in elements deriving from both her mother and father. “I wanted to blend both of them, their separate cultures, because they’re so different as people, but their love is what really unites them,” she says. Latham’s time working at a factory called OnPoint Manufacturing in Alabama during high school sparked her interest in garment production, which she says is now her main priority. Her time at SCAD then helped her hone her design style and love of tailoring, suiting and textiles.
