Whether exploring the dynamic world of footwear through SCAD SNKR+ — the first of its kind — or materiality in the nation’s largest fibers department, Savannah College of Art and Design students learn from leaders and shape future markets.
SCAD’s museums — including the SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film and the award-winning SCAD Museum of Art — serve as living classrooms, where curated couture exhibitions spotlight legends like Oscar de la Renta and Vivienne Westwood. From VR-assisted accessory design and sustainable fish leather fashion to luxury brand strategy and equestrian business innovation, each program is meticulously crafted to transform passion into profession. At the programs in SCAD, creativity meets commerce, and students graduate prepared to lead in industries that demand both artistry and vision –:
Sneaker Design, MA, MFA
From athletic-inspired and classic designs to smart-casual, office-ready kicks, the SCAD SNKR+ program prepares students for the full spectrum of footwear possibilities in a booming, $80-billion field. SCAD SNKR+ students hone skills in sketching, rendering, concept development, digital prototyping, and branding, guided by accomplished industry insiders. With access to professional technology, students build physical and digital prototypes and become experts in every phase of launching a sneaker brand — from product design to product drop.
Sneaker design is a complex field. To thrive in this specialised industry, many students choose to pursue a double major or related minor while they are at SCAD. They can explore new perspectives, harness creative approaches, and develop a unique, well-rounded style — all while earning multiple degrees. At SCAD, students prepare to launch their own sneaker brands as entrepreneurs or step into leadership roles at elite sneaker design companies.
Fibers, BFA, MFA, MA
The SCAD fibers department is the largest of its kind in the U.S. with a comprehensive curriculum and large, inspiring facilities stocked with top-of-the-line tools and resources. Student can join the elite ranks of fibers artists who regularly win major awards. Then, follow in the footsteps of successful fibers graduates, who work in demanding and inventive roles, developing thermal insulating blankets for NASA, automotive interior surface fabrics for Chrysler, innovative athletics materials for Nike, and custom fabrics and installations for fashion houses and retailers like Anthropologie, Lilly Pulitzer and Macy’s. Former classmates Maureen Walsh and Trish Andersen (each earned a B.F.A. degree in fibers in 2005) attribute their success creating retail interiors and events for companies like Google and Bravo, to SCAD.
SCAD emphasizes collaboration between departments through opportunities like the SCADpad® micro-housing project. SCADpad combined students from 12 different fields to reimagine the spaces in which we live. The project earned global media attention and the World Architecture News Urban Design Award for its innovations.
“From the beginning at SCAD, I was encouraged to dig deep and create work that means something to me. I have experienced so many wonderful and exciting moments at SCAD that have empowered me and made me a stronger person.” (Sugandha Gupta | M.F.A., fibers, 2018).
Fashion Marketing And Management, BFA
With a focus on brand building in the global fashion industry, SCAD fashion marketing and management program opens the door to diverse careers. Guided by industry mentors and faculty, students gain hands-on experience in product development, supply chain management for sustainability, fashion merchandising and retail buying, visual communication, content creation, and marketing for consumer engagement on-ground and online.
It is all directed at fostering the next generation of executives, creators, and entrepreneurs empowered to shape the future of fashion. SCAD empowers students to collaborate and provide design and business solutions for fashion brands through SCADpro, the university’s in-house design studio. Students recently partnered with Sam Edelman on a market-ready capsule collection. Other partners have included eBay, Movado, and David Yurman.
Accessory Design, BFA
Students can explore accessory design in SCAD’s innovative, future-forward programs, including the world’s first sneaker design minor. Guided by expert faculty and collaborating closely with industry partners, they will hone their creative vision, learn advanced skills including VR-assisted design, and discover how to translate brand DNA into desirable goods.
Collaborations across the School of Fashion, and working relationships with factories, manufacturers, and suppliers prepare accessory design students for the professional practices of the industry. At SCAD, Erika Lynn McKelvery (B.F.A., accessory design, 2012) discovered a love for fish leather and established a unique accessory line using the fishing industry byproduct.
Jewellery Design, BFA, MFA, MA
Working with creatives in the fully equipped 13,800-square-foot studio space, students develop expertise in advanced techniques, materials, and cutting-edge 3D technology. Guided by experienced faculty, along with mentors from industry partners, they learn to conceptualise, design, make, and market jewellery collections. When they graduate from the STEM-designated degree program, they are ready to define the future of jewellery as an artist, creative director, entrepreneur, maker, and innovator.
David Yurman x SCAD — With a gift of $1 million worth of gemstones, jewelLEry visionaries David and Sybil Yurman are nurturing emerging artisans at SCAD’s leading-edge jewellery program, the largest in the U.S. Whether a jewellery collection is destined for exhibit or for retail markets, the SCAD education will prepare students for the journey. Graduate Kristen Baird (B.F.A., metals and jewellery, 2012) attributes her education at SCAD for inspiring her to launch her own jewellery brand.
Luxury And Brand Management, MA, MFA
SCAD offers the world’s first M.A. and M.F.A. degrees in luxury and brand management. Students will enter the $350 billion global luxury industry through tech, travel, hospitality, beauty and fragrance, and fashion. Through electives, internships, and thesis research, they will learn to create proposals and business solutions relevant to the international luxury market.
Through SCADpro, the university’s in-house design studio, luxury and brand management students work with powerhouse brands such as Hermès, L’Oréal, Kendra Scott, and Ernst Benz. Fashion designer Vivien So (M.A., luxury and fashion management, 2019) attributes her education at SCAD for instilling in her the business acumen to make her dream of starting an activewear line a reality.
Equestrienne Studies, BA
A practice that dates to the Byzantine era, the equestrian world is a massive economic machine supported by legions of professionals in business, marketing, medicine, and sport. At SCAD, students explore career paths from a state-of-the-art equestrian center amid a climate perfectly suited for year-round riding and stable-side education. With a comprehensive academic program complemented by a national championship equestrian team and a faculty of accomplished riders and coaches, students are prepared for careers across the equine studies spectrum.
SCAD students’ gateway to the equestrian world is the Ronald C. Waranch Equestrian Center, the university’s state-of-the-art, 180-acre compound located north of Savannah. Home to the champion SCAD equestrian team, students prepare for careers in business, marketing, medicine, and sport from an equestrian center that features stable barns, competition arenas, riding arena, paddocks, pastures, a staff veterinarian, and industry-standard equipment. The Shaw Pavilion also offers a covered riding arena for practice and fieldwork and is engineered with considerations for optimal equine vision and ventilation.
Jasmeen Dugal is Associate Editor at FashionABC, contributing her insights on fashion, technology, and sustainability. She brings with herself more than two decades of editorial experience, working for national newspapers and luxury magazines in India.
Jasmeen Dugal has worked with exchange4media as a senior writer contributing articles on the country’s advertising and marketing movements, and then with Condenast India as Net Editor where she helmed Vogue India’s official website in terms of design, layout and daily content. Besides this, she is also an entrepreneur running her own luxury portal, Explosivefashion, which highlights the latest in luxury fashion and hospitality.
