Kent State’s plan to ensure graduate portfolios seen by industry

For the past six years, Kent State University’s School of Fashion has invited a selection of its graduates to present their work to alumni and industry leaders in a special portfolio showcase held at the school’s NYC Studio. Each spring, a jury made up of industry alumni visits the school to review the portfolios of the senior design class and offer invaluable critique. One week before the jury were due to arrive in Ohio, the country went into lockdown. The jury members, with positions at Alexander Wang, Ann Taylor LOFT, WGSN, and DKNY among others, pivoted to conduct the process via Zoom, and the school conceived of a digital magazine to be sent industrywide to replace the cancelled NYC event.