Documentation of The Show 2026 at Somerset Collection
May 8, 2026
On April 26, 2026, College for Creative Studies held their annual fashion design showcase featuring the work of nineteen artists studying apparel and accessories design. The location of this year’s event was the Skywalk at Somerset Collection. This 700-foot-long, glass-enclosed moving walkway was transformed into a spatial installation in collaboration with the Interior Design department at CCS. The theme of both the fashion and the installation design contemplated contemporary trends that recall the cinematic minimalism of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Guests were invited into a world defined by light, reflection, and precision to witness the premiere of looks designed by senior designers Izzy Abohasira, Mar Bissada, Hayden Brice, Maxwell Honeycutt, Falina Jimerson, Griffin Mesner, Sarah Nofar, Ryan Putnam, Veronica Wardowski, and Emma Wisler. These collections were complemented by those of junior designers Quade Feller, Luka Gallé, Santino Giglio, Bryn Hazen, Athan Hillman, Megan Hotchkiss, Sophia Jensen, Lilly Steele, and Bryce Truby. While the group collectively worked within the framework that they called “Future Fantastic”, each individual artist explored their own personal narrative and cultural history, blending traditional craftsmanship with advanced fabrication methods.
Megan Hotchkiss, Junior Designer
Bryn Hazen, Junior Designer
Santino Giglio, Junior Designer
Athan Hillman, Junior Designer
Lilly Steele, Junior Designer
Sophia Jensen, Junior Designer
Quade Feller, Junior Designer
Luka Gallé, Junior Designer
Bryce Truby, Junior Designer
Griffin Mesner, Senior Designer
Ryan Putnam, Senior Designer
Mar Bissada, Senior Designer
Hayden Brice, Senior Designer
Maxwell Honeycutt, Senior Designer
Emma Wisler, Senior Designer
Izzy Abohasira, Senior Designer
Sarah Nofar, Senior Designer
Veronica Wardowski, Senior Designer
Falina Jimerson, Senior Designer
The Fashion Design program at College for Creative Studies is led by the Linda Dresner Endowed Chair, Aki Choklat. As an internationally recognized designer, Aki works in collaboration with fellow industry professional, Rey Benedict Pador to build and grow a rigorous undergraduate program for aspiring designers. We had the opportunity to ask him a few questions about his role at CCS and his perspective on the future of the program, its students and alumni.
Aki Choklat: I fell in love with CCS right away. I fell in love with the campus. I fell in love with the space. Before I moved to Detroit in 2015, I lived between London and Florence. While European schools might have nice buildings, we don’t really have much in terms of actual production facilities. I was very impressed by the amount of space and resources available to the students here.
runner: Are a majority of the students from the Detroit area or from abroad?
Aki: The students are primarily local, but we have seen a steady increase in the number of students from other states in recent years. Each year, we visit different cities in the USA to promote our program; places like New York, Virginia and Miami. There is a very good design school in Miami called Dash, so we’re always getting students from there. We are also seeing students coming from unexpected places like Colorado every once in a while.
I feel like it’s important to decentralize fashion and break away from this idea that the industry can only exist in cities like New York, Paris, London...I do find value in going out and exploring the world, and I encourage the students to do that, but I also encourage them to consider coming back to Detroit, and even teach for CCS eventually.
runner: CCS is primarily known as a design school. People come here from all over the world to study transportation design, and I am wondering if you feel like the Fashion Design department is further contributing to this reputation?
Aki: I mean, it takes a long time to establish culture. London College of Fashion, for instance, has been around since 1906. One thing I will say is that our fashion department started with handbag and footwear design, and technically footwear design is transportation, so that falls directly in line with the reputation that CCS already has in regards to transportation design. I am proud to have seen the program grow to include garments as well. We have collaborated with the Transportation Design department which has led to opportunities to work for Stellantis, Jeep, and other companies. For me, design is design, you know, fashion and the mobility of the human body, transportation design, it’s all connected.
runner: Have you seen any initiative or impulse by the students of the fashion department to stay in Detroit after graduation?
Aki: Honest, after COVID, our whole way of thinking about life, thinking about existence, thinking like what makes us happy has changed. It’s no longer about the trophy jobs in your typical destination cities, or the major internships at the luxury design companies. Some students from the department have been offered great opportunities with companies like Louis Vuitton or Coach, and I have been surprised to hear that some of them choose not to pursue these offers because they want to stay in Detroit. Like I said earlier, I do encourage students to go and do internships, become more familiar with the global industry, and then come back and build. These sort of fashion cities were not built overnight, it takes long-term dedication and investment from the local talent. But yeah, many students do want to stay and cultivate Detroit.
This year’s senior thesis jury included several A-list professionals in the fashion industry, including:
Millie de la Valette / Louis Vuitton - Paris
Heaven Montero / LITO - Detroit
Bethany Shorb / Well Done Goods - Detroit
Jeff Newsom / Detroit
Ben Ewy / Carhartt - Detroit
Eric Hardin / Today Clothing - Ann Arbor
Diana Costescu / Tapestry - New York
Silvia Prada / Kate Spade - New York
Drew Little / Fear of God - Los Angeles
Tracy Reese/ Hope for Flowers - Detroit
Danialle Karmanos, CCS Trustee - Detroit
and Stuart McMillan, Banana Republic - New York
Learn more about Fashion Design at College for Creative Studies here
Action shots by Juan Majerowicz, Sam Ajluni and Ashley Cook