About
The School of Fashion has a strong international reputation rooted in from over 65 years of leadership in fashion education.
Our Vision
As we enter the third decade of the twenty-first century, new skills, knowledges, practices and paradigms are required for continued leadership in the fashion industry. The School of Fashion prepares students for the future by equipping aspiring fashion creatives to RE-DESIGN THE WORLD.
As a fashion school, we consider how to integrate sustainable design and production practices that protect workers and the earth, how to value craft and quality over newness and speed, how to decolonize the fashion industry and foster Indigenous fashion resurgence, how to support transgender and non-binary fashion collections, as well as what impact we want our work to have on the fashion industry and the world today, tomorrow and for the next seven generations. By centring new worldviews and actions, the School of Fashion will further our legacy of leadership in the fashion industry.
Our Values
The School aims to transform the fashion industry by centring inclusive, decolonized and sustainable approaches to fashion through our teaching, research and creative activities as well as, our industry and community partnerships. The transformation is fueled by changes in industry, education, and culture. We value new creative design processes, techniques and methods that recognize and honour tradition while critically challenging convention and social norms, with a global perspective.
Our Goals
Housed within the Faculty of Communication & Design (FCAD), alongside eight of Canada’s best university programs for creative and cultural industries, we are part of a rich, interdisciplinary community at Ryerson. FCAD connects faculty and students across its programs to provide innovative course offerings, technical resources, research opportunities, creative projects, and community collaborations.
The School of Fashion has a long tradition of nurturing students to become leading fashion makers, thinkers and doers equipped to systemically transform the Canadian and global fashion system, as well as respond to and instigate new ideas in the ever-evolving fashion landscape.
Fashion at Ryerson – by the Numbers:
Media Mentions
Monthly media highlights of our Faculty and Leadership Team. Faculty and staff can use this google formthe media highlights form, external link to submit additional content.
BC Today, external link (CBC Radio 1 Vancouver CBU AM)
Date: Apr 28, 2021
Airtime: 15:59
Interview with Prof. Anika Kozlowski, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD, on sustainable fashion and fast fashion.
7 Cute Eco-Friendly Pieces To Wear This Spring, external link (Chatelaine (Online))
Date: Apr 20, 2021
Quotes Prof. Anika Kozlowski, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
15 Best Sustainable Clothing Brands, external link (Reader's Digest (Online))
Date: Apr 12, 2021
Quotes Prof. Anika Kozlowski, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
Parsons new dean aims to rid fashion education of white, nondisabled, cisgender, thin worldview, external link (Fashionunited (Online))
Date: Mar 22, 2021
Ben Barry will assume his new role as Dean of Fashion at Parsons School of Design this summer. In his former role as Chair of Fashion at Ryerson, he established himself as a leading voice of social change through the medium of fashion education.
North Face rejected an oil order for jackets. It went south, external link (Environment and Energy Publishing (Online))
Date: Mar 18, 2021
Quotes Prof. Anika Kozlowski, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
Why aren't plus-size clothes nicer?, external link (The Kit (Online))
Date: Mar 02, 2021
Quotes Ben Barry, Chair of Fashion, Associate Professor of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and Director of the Center for Fashion and Systemic Change at Ryerson Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
Kim Jenkins talks clothes, culture in the 1920s and today, external link (Tufts Daily (Online))
Date: Feb 24, 2021
Features Prof. Kim Jenkins, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
How Parsons's New Dean of Fashion Dr. Ben Barry Is Working to Bring Systemic Change to Fashion Education, external link (Yahoo! US (Online))
Date: Feb 08, 2021
As Chair of Fashion, Associate Professor of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and Director of the Center for Fashion and Systemic Change at Ryerson University, Barry helped transform everything from curriculum to hiring practices to prioritize inclusion, de-colonization and sustainability.
Tommy Hilfiger Strikes Key Partnerships to Advance Underrepresented Communities in Fashion, external link (Yahoo! US (Online))
Date: Feb 10, 2021
Quotes Prof. Kim Jenkins, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
Tommy Hilfiger announces key partnerships to drive minority representation, external link (FashionUnited UK (Online))
Date: Feb 10, 2021
Tommy Hilfiger is joining forces with The Fashion and Race Database, an online platform created by Prof. Kim Jenkins, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD, that expands the narrative of fashion history and challenges misrepresentation within the fashion system.
, external link, external link
, external linkHow 2020's Culture Wars Are Changing Fashion School, external link (The Business of Fashion (Online))
Date: Dec 20, 2020
Quotes Professors Ben Barry and Kimberly Jenkins, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
Op-Ed | How to Fight Anti-Black Racism in Fashion Schools, external link (The Business of Fashion (Online))
Date: Dec 22, 2020
A piece by Prof. Ben Barry, chair of Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD., external linkHow 2020's Culture Wars Are Changing Fashion School, external link (The Business of Fashion (Online))
Date: Dec 20, 2020
Quotes Professors Ben Barry and Kimberly Jenkins, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
Op-Ed | How to Fight Anti-Black Racism in Fashion Schools, external link (The Business of Fashion (Online))
Date: Dec 22, 2020
Date: Dec 17, 2020
Parsons School of Design names new Dean of Fashion, external link (Fashionunited (Online))
Date: Dec 14, 2020
The New School has named Prof. Ben Barry, chair of Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD, as dean of the School of Fashion at its Parsons School of Design.
Welcome to the Fashion and Race Database, external link (Fashion Revolution)
Date: Dec 14, 2020
Features interview with Prof. Kimberly Jenkins, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto designers are showcasing resistance and resurgence, external link (National Post (Online))
Date: Dec 02, 2020
A piece co-authored by Prof. Riley Kucheran, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD and Alysia Myette, Lecturer, School of Fashion and School of Performance at Ryerson University.
Style news: At one of Canada's last cookbook stores, culinary exploration is on the menu, external link (The Globe and Mail (Online))
Date: Dec 03, 2020
The Suzanne Rogers Fashion Institute at Ryerson University in Toronto has received a second gift of $1-million from The Edward and Suzanne Rogers Foundation for a five-year program renewal.
Here's What to Expect During Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto, external link (Fashion Magazine (Online)), external link
Date: Nov 25, 2020
Mentions a panel discussion featuring Prof. Ben Barry, chair of Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD, and moderated by Prof. Riley Kucheran, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
APTN InFocus, external link (Aboriginal Peoples Television Network)
Date: Nov 25, 2020
Airtime: 15:27
Interview with Prof. Riley Kucheran, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD, on indigenous fashion entrepreneurship.
Can emerging fashion brands scale sustainable initiatives?, external link (Homezenlife (Online))
Date: Nov 27, 2020
Quotes Prof. Anika Kozlowski, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
Reclaiming our style - Indigenous designers celebrate sustainable and decolonized fashion, external link (APTN (Online))
Date: Nov 26, 2020
Kimberly Jenkins Talks About Relaunching The Fashion and Race Database, external link (Couleurz (Online))
Date: Nov 22, 2020
Features Prof. Kimberly Jenkins, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
Quotes Prof. Riley Kucheran, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.Style news: Swarovski's Crystal Studio in Toronto sparkly connects in-person and virtual shopping, external link (The Globe and Mail (Online))
Date: Nov 19, 2020
Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto (IFWTO) is taking place from Nov. 26 to 29 includes Fashioning Resurgence, a series of panel discussions presented in partnership with Ryerson University.
Here's How to Stream Inclusion Revolution, A Talk On BIPOC Inclusion in Canada's Creative Industries, external link (Fashion Magazine (Online))
Date: Nov 17, 2020
Panelists include Prof. Riley Kucheran, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto will launch its online festival later this month, external link (TRNTO (Online))
Date: Nov 03, 2020
The series of panel discussions is co-presented with the Ryerson School of Fashion and is called Fashioning Resurgence. The topics include Indigenous representation in fashion, land-based fashion, fashion journalism and how community support is built through beading table discussions.
Police Uniforms Are Getting Scarier, Too, external link (Teen Vogue (Online))
Date: Nov 06, 2020
Quotes Prof. Sandra Tullio-Pow, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
Breakfast Television Toronto, external link (Citytv Toronto (CITY-TV))
Date: Nov 09, 2020
Airtime: 07:43
Interview with Olivia Rubens, graduate of The Suzanne Rogers Fashion Institute at FCAD, on winning two prestigious global fashion honours.
How to Create More Inclusive Recruitment Processes - Download the White Paper, external link (The Business of Fashion (Online))
Date: Nov 10, 2020
Features Prof. Ben Barry, chair of Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
The incredible whiteness of the museum fashion collection, external link (Art Daily (Online))
Date: Oct 01, 2020
Quotes Prof. Kimberly Jenkins, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
Fashion Art Toronto launches Virtual Fashion Week, external link (FashionNetwork.com USA (Online))
Date: Oct 11, 2020
The finale on October 26 will be a takeover from Ryerson University and will feature collections from graduates of the Fashion program, at different sites throughout the Ryerson campus.
Can a flannel nightgown make this winter bearable?, external link (Toronto Star (Online))
Date: Oct 16, 2020
Quotes Prof. Alison Matthews David, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
United Way talk, fundraiser, focuses on women's'she-cession', external link (Edmonton Examiner (Online))
Date: Oct 20, 2020
Features Laura Morlock, Lecturer in Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
No more Mr Muscle: the activists championing body confidence for men, external link (The Guardian (Online))
Date: Oct 25, 2020
Quotes Prof. Ben Barry, chair of Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
How to Watch Kimberly Jenkins' Virtual Talk on Racism in the Fashion Industry Tomorrow, external link (Fashion Magazine)
Date: Oct 28, 2020
Features a conversation led by Prof. Kimberly Jenkins, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
Cheap fast fashion or expensive slow fashion? Where is the future of sustainable fashion?, external link (SOHU.com (Online))
Date: Aug 23, 2020
Quotes Prof. Anika Kozlowski, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
Canadian Designer Spotlight: Mic. Carter On Making Fashion More Gender-Fluid, external link (Elle Canada (Online))
Date: Aug 26, 2020
Carter developed and taught the first-ever course on non-binary design at Ryerson University's School of Fashion last year.
Kimberly M. Jenkins on Her Revamped Fashion and Race Database and the Need for Change, external link(Vogue (Online))
Date: Jul 08, 2020
Features Prof. Kimberly M. Jenkins, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD
Scholar Kimberly Jenkins on fashion, race and Viola Davis's Vanity Fair cover, external link (NOW Toronto (Online))
Date: Jul 17, 2020
Features Prof. Kimberly Jenkins, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
Kimberly Jenkins Wants to Help Decolonize Our Understanding of Fashion, external link (Fashionista (online))
Date: Jul 16, 2020
Features Prof. Kimberly Jenkins, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
Canadians disrupt fashion industry with clothing for people with disabilities, external link (CTV Toronto (Online))
Date: Jul 20, 2020
Alexa Jovanovic, a 24-year-old recent graduate of Ryerson University's Faculty of Communication and Design... turned her love of fashion and beadwork into an innovative idea, creating "Braille in Fashion," a fashion line for the blind.
Fashion that's inclusive for all, external link (Citytv Montreal (Online))
Date: Jul 20, 2020
Story on Ryerson fashion grad Alexa Jovanovic's "Braille in Fashion," a fashion line for the blind.
Ryerson fashion professor Kimberly Jenkins on her Fashion and Race Database, external link (TheLoop.ca (Online))
Date: Jul 21, 2020
Features interview with Prof. Kimberly Jenkins, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
etalk, external link (CTV Saint John CKLT TV)
Date: Jul 21, 2020
Airtime: 18:19
Interview with Prof. Kimberly Jenkins, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD, on her fashion and race database.
Far-right 'boogaloo' movement is using Hawaiian shirts to hide its intentions, external link (The Conversation CA (Online))
Date: Jul 22, 2020
A piece by Prof. Henry Navarro Delgado, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
Reading Canada's coronavirus outbreak in the faces of Toronto's citizens, external link (Washington Post (Online))
Date: Jul 24, 2020
Quotes Prof. Alison Matthews David, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
Lire l'épidémie de coronavirus canadien sur le visage des résidents de Toronto (Reading Canada's coronavirus outbreak in the faces of Toronto's citizens), external link (News 24 (Online))
Date: Jul 24, 2020
Quotes Prof. Alison Matthews David, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
Queer Crip Fashion: For Standing Out, Proudly, external link (Refinery29 (Online))
Date: Jul 24, 2020
Quotes Prof. Ben Barry, chair of the Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
A style connoisseur's virtual exhibition catalogue for physically distanced times, external link (The Globe and Mail (Online))
Date: Jul 24, 2020
Features Fashion & Race Database project by Prof. Kimberly Jenkins, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
Are These Shirts The Next Far-Right Symbol?, external link (The National Interest (Online))
Date: Jul 27, 2020
A piece by Prof. Henry Navarro Delgado, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
Made Your Statement Yet? Actions Speak Louder than Words, external link (Cultured Magazine (Online))
Date: Jun 17, 2020
Mentions Prof. Kimberly Jenkins, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD, was hired by Gucci to be an in-house scholar after the company's 2019 blackface debacle, to teach employees about how race has a role in forming standards of beauty.
Fresh Air, external link (89.1 CBC Radio One Paris (CBLA-FM-2))
Date: Jun 07, 2020
Airtime: 08:17
Interview with Prof. Anika Kozlowski, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD, on brands merchandising around COVID-19 pandemic.
How wearing masks will change us, external link (VOX (Online))
Date: Jun 08, 2020
Quotes Prof. Alison Matthews David, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
What Does It Mean to Be a Mission-Driven Brand Now?, external link (The Business of Fashion (Online))
Date: Jun 08, 2020
Quotes Prof. Kim Jenkins, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
Pandemic style revolution; Virus restrictions could be death knell for gut-pinching waistbands of 'business casual', external link (Times Colonist)
Date: Jun 02, 2020
Quotes Prof. Ben Barry, chair of the Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
The new frontier for fashion and politics, external link (Vogue Business (Online))
Date: Jun 03, 2020
Quotes Prof. Kim Jenkins, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
Rethinking denim jeans, the most wasteful item you own, external link (Usa Today Post - Entertainment)
Date: Jun 03, 2020
Quotes Prof. Anika Kozlowski, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
, external linkSweats are in, slacks are out: Could 'work-leisure' become business as usual?, external link (CTV News (Online))
Date: May 31, 2020
Quotes Prof. Ben Barry, chair of the Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD. *, external linkAlso picked up by over 75 media outlets.The Problem with Quarantine Merchandise, external link
(Flare (Online))
Date: May 20, 2020
Quotes Prof. Anika Kozlowski, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
52 ideas that changed the world - 48. Fashion, external link (The Week UK (Online))
Date: May 22, 2020
Quotes Prof. Henry Navarro Delgado, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
What post-pandemic fashion may look like, external link (CTV News (Online))
Date: May 21, 2020
Quotes Prof. Alison Matthews David, Ryerson School of Fashion at FCAD.
Massive mask-making networks mobilize across Canada, external link (Toronto Star (Online))
Date: May 15, 2020
Features Ryerson School of Fashion's initiative, led by Professors Danielle Martin and Sandra TullioPow, to deliver 4,000 masks to St. Michael's Hospital.
FASHION Canada September Issue
School of Fashion Alumni and Faculty were featured in the September 2018 issue of FASHION Magazine. Profiles and interviews covered: Ethnic Futurism, Emerging Indigenous Designers, Cultural Appropriation, and Accessible Design.
Alumni featured: Susan E. Jean, Warren Steven Scott, Curtis Oland, Justine Woods, and Sonia Prancho
Faculty featured: Dr. Ben Barry and Anna Romanovska
Warren Steven Scott, external link
“How These Shapely Statement Earrings Celebrate Coast Salish Culture,”, external link contemporary Indigenous designer and alumnus, Warren Steven Scott featured on Vogue Magazine. Scott’s collection bridges the Western concept of luxury fashion with his ancestral worldview on ethics, craft, and aesthetic sustainability, representing a distinct contribution to a genuine Canadian fashion.
Photo Credit: Mckenzie James
Designing For Wellness 2018
A two-day symposium by FCAD and the School of Interior Design. School of Fashion’s Design Technician, Audrey Colphon-Reynolds presented about the process of fixing the furniture versus prescribing to disposable culture. This was a collaboration with the School of Interior Design, and industry professionals. Reynolds described the collaboration as, “working together to make us all better.
Devlyn van Loon, external link
Fashion Design graduate, Devlyn van Loon launched her eponymous label in 2016. The Devlyn van Loon line is focused on sustainability, streamlined silhouettes and modern essentials. The line is handmade in small batches in Toronto using ethical labour, sustainable fabrics and a keen eye for striking yet understated elegance. Visit Devlyn van Loon, external link, opens in new window for more information.
Sonia Prancho, external link, opens in new window
Fashion Design Alumna, Sonia Prancho’s collection UN•FORM seeks to change the form of disability aesthetics in fashion through adaptive design techniques and forward-thinking branding. UN•FORM reclaims space for the disability community by un-forming, rather than conforming to traditional body and beauty norms. Visit UN•FORM, external link, opens in new window for more information on Prancho’s brand.