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 systemtically 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:
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,” 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. Read the full interview here., external link
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 for more information.
Sonia Prancho, external link
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 for more information on Prancho’s brand.