CCS Fashion Department Celebrates Ten Years with Annual Runway Presentation Honoring Detroit

Taking place at the historic General Motors Design Dome, this year’s theme for The Show is “Icons,” paying homage to the individuals and cultural movements that make the city legendary.

The College for Creative Studies (CCS) celebrated its fifth iteration of The Show, which took place on April 26, 2025 at 7 p.m. at the General Motors Design Dome.

Featuring over 100 looks from 26 students enrolled in CCS’s Fashion Design Program, this year’s runway presentation marked 10 years since the department’s inception in 2015.

The Show 2025 featured collections from Bridget Weiss, Morgan Novetsky, Jackie Kramer, Nicholas Alberto Madruga, Justin Hilberer, Emma Wilson, Meka Johnson, Robert Robinson, Santino Giglio, Luka Galle-Callahan, Sophia Jensen, Avery Mangum, Sarah Nofar, Bryce Truby, Aidan Richards, Bryn Hazen, Athan Hillman, Imani Stowers, Quade Feller, Kaiden McArthur, Maxwell Honeycutt, Veronica Wardowski, Izzy Abohasira, Marwa Bissada, Falina Jimerson and Griffin Mesner.

The show had over 400 guests throughout the evening. Notable attendees include Rea Brayshaw, Office Magazine; Chuck Bennett, Fox 2 News Style Ambassador; Awenate Cobbina, Bedrock; Cassell Ferere, Forbes; Catherine and Nathan Forbes, The Forbes Company; Ralph Gilles, Stellantis; Darwin “Detroit Dar” Gordon, Influencer; Ryan Patrick Hooper, WDET; Erica Jackson, Soho House; Roslyn Karamako, Detroit is the New Black; Danialle Karmanos, Mad Dog Technology; Nate Lynn, Detroit Lions; Diane Mahady, Hèrmes; Tiff Massey, Artist; Mario Moore, Artist; Ann-Marie Mountford, Caleres; Ekanem N. Obong, Michigan Senate; Youwie Roes, KV Roes; Michael Simcoe, Senior Vice President of GM Global Design; Brittany Simmons, Influencer; Gretchen Valade, Carhartt; Millie de la Valette, Louis Vuitton; Tony Whlgn, Artist; Angela Wisnieski, Coup de’Tat; Jennifer Witcher, DJ Minx.

To commemorate this milestone, the theme of this year’s show is “Icons,” celebrating the individuals, institutions and movements throughout history that make Detroit the iconic city it is. As an institution that fosters the next generation of artists and designers in Detroit through its unique experiential learning model, CCS hopes to contribute to furthering the city’s creative economy with its annual runway presentation. The Show brings together entrepreneurs, recruiters, tastemakers and industry professionals to showcase CCS’s fresh class of emerging designers.

Featuring capsule collections from a select group of senior, junior, sophomore and freshman students enrolled in the program, The Show presented a broad range of cutting-edge designs in apparel and accessories. This year, The Show’s media partner was SEEN Magazine.

The CCS Fashion Design Program, heralded as the largest and most equipped fashion accessory design department in the United States, was established a decade ago under the leadership of renowned footwear designer and Linda Dresner Endowed Chair in Fashion Design Aki Choklat. Thanks to the addition of Antwerp designer Rey Pador as associate professor and full-time faculty member, and countless contributions from the department’s dedicated faculty, the department has fully expanded to include Apparel Design, making it the robust program it is today.

The program has grown exponentially over the last ten years, equipping students with the tools they need to enter the job market through supplementary resources such as its Fashion Design Advisory Council. With representatives from Louis Vuitton, Bottega Veneta, Tapestry, Hermès, Caleres, Carhartt, CFDA and more, students have the opportunity to engage with these fashion houses and organizations through semester-long sponsored projects as well as jury evaluations twice per year. Looking ahead to the next decade, CCS announced last fall that they have submitted a fashion business management program for 2026 accreditation.

Designed in 1956 as part of Eero Saarinen’s mid-century modern campus, the GM Design Dome revolutionized the automotive industry, marking the first time cars were presented as works of art. Widely recognized today as a historical landmark representing architectural and automotive innovation, the Design Dome’s bold modern aesthetic aligns closely with The Show’s vision, putting designers at the start of their careers in front of a global audience.

SENIOR COLLECTIONS

Justin Hilberer

CCS Senior Justin Hilberer’s collection, Preservation, explores the concept of evolution, honing in on the adaptability of animals. Hilberer’s collection is reflective of how human beings emulate tactics of survival. Drawing parallels between brutalist architecture and cold, uncanny feelings associated with survival, he combines mixed metals, leather and animal fur, manipulating these materials into large, boxy shapes. Referencing how technological advancements by humans speed the process of everyday tasks, all pieces in Hilberer’s collection are meticulously hand-sewn. As a jewelry minor, he incorporates hammer-formed masks and neck pieces, as well as hand-spun chain mail to adorn many of the collection pieces.

Meka Johnson

Inspired by the seven deadly sins, CCS Senior Meka Johnson’s collection, Ambrose, is a gothic spin on wedding attire. Johnson has created seven elaborate gowns that personify each of the deadly sins, signifying their individual relationship to emotional betrayal. Primarily working with satin, tulle, crinoline and cotton, Johnson has fulfilled a need for garments that fall outside of traditional white wedding attire.

Jackie Kramer

CCS Senior Jackie Kramer weaves sacred geometry into every aspect of her final collection. Titled Courage is a Virtue, Kramer follows the parameters of the “golden mean,” or desirable middle ground between two extremes. For this collection, she utilizes leather and wood as her extremes. Every shape crafted into her accessories references geometry, with her primary shapes being a half circle, circle and triangle. She has ensured every piece has an intersection point between the wood and leather to create this middle ground. Her collection is grounded in the famous quote from Aristotle, “Courage is the first virtue that makes all other virtues possible.”

Nick Madruga

Titled “BIONICK,” CCS Senior Nick Madruga’s collection pays homage to his younger self and his relationship with nature. Driven by what he refers to as “simple construction with interesting shapes,” Madruga’s design philosophy leads him to create larger-than-life silhouettes with unconventional, upcycled materials. All garments were constructed by hand and are complemented by custom 3D-printed shoes.

Morgan Novetsky

CCS Senior Morgan Novetsky’s senior accessories collection hones in on the concept of leaving a legacy. As many designers struggle with anxieties of being forgotten or not leaving an impact on such a saturated fashion industry, EMET-met explores these emotions that can hinder personal growth. With all shoes and bags made by hand, many pieces appear unfinished or peel back to reveal the technical process of shoe-making, showing how feelings of uncertainty can slow the path to success.

Bridget Weiss

CCS Senior Bridget Weiss’s technical approach to design led her to her collection thesis exploring the domination of technology and machines over nature, and how these man-made entities attempt to mimic qualities of living organisms. With nods to aquatic life in contrast to automotive construction, her collection, titled Seal the River at it’s Mouth Take the Water Prisoner, utilizes wood, leather and 3D-printed aluminum fixtures to create smooth, shiny textures that intersect with fluid movement.

Emma Wilson

Gaia Carnis, CCS Senior Emma Wilson’s final collection, represents parallels between the exploitation of women and nature, subverting the way both are traditionally perceived as beautiful. Wilson takes the romanticization of women throughout history and traditional gardens with reference to the Enlightenment era and spins them to the grotesque. Working with leather, transparent lamb skin, hair, possum fur and even worms, Wilson encourages viewers to find beauty in the less appealing facets of womanhood and nature.

THE COLLEGE FOR CREATIVE STUDIES
www.ccsdetroit.edu | @ccs_detroit | @ccs_fashiondesign

The College for Creative Studies (CCS) is a nonprofit, private college accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and authorized by the Michigan Education Department to grant Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. CCS, located in midtown Detroit, strives to provide students with the tools needed for successful careers in the dynamic and growing creative industries. CCS fosters students’ resolve to pursue excellence, act ethically, engage their responsibilities as citizens, and learn throughout their lives. With world-class faculty and unsurpassed facilities, students learn to be visual communicators who actively use art and design toward the betterment of society. The College is a major supplier of talent to numerous industries, such as transportation, film and animation, advertising and communications, consumer electronics, athletic apparel, and many more. Its graduates are exhibiting artists and teachers, design problem solvers and innovators, as well as creative leaders in business.

SEEN MAGAZINE
@seenmagazine

SEEN Magazine is a hyper-local lifestyle publication dedicated to celebrating the people, places, businesses, and experiences that make metro Detroit unique. Through engaging storytelling, curated content, and exclusive events, SEEN brings the region’s vibrant culture and connections to life.

All images courtesy of the College for Creative Studies (CCS).

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