Apparel Design
Apparel Design at RISD prepares fashion design students for creative longevity. Here you engage in experimental, process-driven fabrication alongside substantiative research and concept development, in order to produce thoughtful and thought-provoking garments. Faculty in this small-scale, nurturing department help you cultivate distinctive voices, preparing you for design careers across fashion, costume, and the fine arts.
Degree program
In the Apparel Design BFA program you establish unique approaches to clothing the body, integrating the foundational skills of garment construction with experimental processes and materials.
In the studio
With an intense focus on craftsmanship, Apparel Design majors develop diverse creative practices rooted in an awareness of clothing as an emotional medium as well as a material and visual one. Emphasizing ethical sourcing and production, the program encourages students to challenge industry conventions and work toward positive, sustainable change.
Student work
Popular around the world, Nicole Miller’s designs continue to stand out on the runway. In 2013 she earned the Spirit of Design Award for outstanding contributions to the world of design and for her generosity in working with students and young designers. Launched in 1982, Miller’s label now includes women’s apparel, handbags, footwear, jewelry, bridal wear and men’s sportswear. She credits RISD with inspiring her sense of freedom and creativity, and remains connected with the college as a visiting critic and mentor to RISD students and as a trustee.
Mel Ottenberg, one of the industry’s most sought-after stylists, is well known for shaping the singular style of global pop icon Rihanna and for lending his aesthetic vision to ad campaigns for commercial clients like Dior and Nike. Now the creative director of Interview magazine—which he helped relaunch in 2018—says that RISD suited him well because he needed a bit of distance from the intensity of the NYC fashion world. “I wanted to figure out what I was about before being drenched in… what everyone else was doing.”
Featured stories
Faculty members Catherine Andreozzi and Michael Lye teach courses focused on apparel design and habitats for astronauts and have created an informal pipeline for alums interested in working for the space agency.
Rhode Island School of Design is among the schools that showcased their seniors’ work on the runway
A devotee of historical workwear, the environmentally conscious new grad will show his all-cotton collection at New York Fashion Week in September.