Thom Browne to discuss business of fashion
Thom Browne is considered one of America’s most successful designers of luxury fashion. His long list of plaudits includes chairman of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, former GQ Designer of the Year and three-time winner of the CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year Award. Credited with reconceptualizing the classic men’s suit, Browne has dressed the likes of LeBron James, Lizzo, Michelle Obama and many other celebrities.
Perhaps a lesser-known fact is that Browne earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame — not in design, but in accountancy.
Browne will discuss his career path and the fashion industry at 5 p.m. April 11 (Tuesday) at the Mendoza College of Business’ Jordan Auditorium. “By Design: Thom Browne on the Business of Fashion” is sponsored by the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study, where he is serving as the 2022-23 artist-in-residence, and the Mendoza College of Business.
The event is free and open to the public. The conversation will be moderated by 1986 graduate Michael Hainey, a writer at large for Air Mail and author of The New York Times bestseller “After Visiting Friends.” A question-and-answer period will follow.
The lecture is a continuation of the conversation that began in the fall, when Browne was part of a public discussion moderated by Hainey that focused on his origin story and emergence as a fashion icon. This semester’s event will focus on the business side of his fashion empire.
“This is an extraordinary occasion for Notre Dame students to understand the modern challenges and opportunities of building a brilliant and innovative business,” said Kristen Collett-Schmitt, associate dean for innovation and inclusion at Mendoza College of Business. “We are thrilled to welcome Thom Browne to the business school once again.”
Browne, who launched his fashion label in 2003, is credited with reimagining the traditional gray-striped business suit into a distinctive style that came to define his brand. His looks include shrunken jackets and trousers, knitted cardigans, kilts, leather brogues and sport socks in a muted palette of gray, white and navy.
He later expanded his portfolio to include full ready-to-wear collections for both men and women. In 2018, Ermenegildo Zegna purchased 85 percent of the company, valuing the brand at $500 million.
In addition to serving as artist-in-residence at Notre Dame, Browne and his work are the subject of a one-credit course, Strong Suits: The Art, Philosophy, and Business of Thom Browne, co-taught by Meghan Sullivan, director of the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study and the Wilsey Family College Professor of Philosophy, and Michael Schreffler, associate dean for the arts and associate professor in the Department of Art, Art History and Design. The course investigates high fashion through an interdisciplinary lens, incorporating discussions of philosophy, designs and business with fashion.
“We look forward to welcoming Thom Browne and Michael Hainey back to campus this spring to build on the conversation they began at Notre Dame in the fall,” said Sullivan. “This discussion will be a wonderful opportunity for students, faculty and the campus community to learn more about the inner workings of Thom Browne’s business and his journey to build an iconic American brand.”
Visit the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study for more information about the event.
Originally posted on Mendoza News.
Latest ND NewsWire
- Component of keto diet plus immunotherapy may reduce prostate cancerAdding a pre-ketone supplement — a component of a high-fat, low-carb ketogenic diet — to a type of cancer therapy in a laboratory setting was highly effective for treating prostate cancer, researchers from the University of Notre Dame found.
- School of Architecture’s Krusche wins prestigious Rome PrizeThe American Academy in Rome has awarded Krupali Krusche, an associate professor in the University of Notre Dame’s School of Architecture, the 2024 Adele Chatfield-Taylor Rome Prize in Historic Preservation and Conservation.
- Alumni Association set to hold second annual Notre Dame Global Day of ServiceThis Saturday (April 27) the Notre Dame Alumni Association will host the second annual Notre Dame Global Day of Service — a day to mobilize the Notre Dame spirit of service and serve those most in need in communities around the world.
- Alumni Association presents annual spring awardsThe University of Notre Dame Alumni Association recognized a number of distinguished alumni and staff during its annual spring board meeting. The association presents awards throughout the year that fall into six broad categories, each representing an area in which the University encourages excellence: the arts, athletics, service to the Alumni Association, service to country, service to humanity and service to the University.
- Sea-going expedition unearths clues to ancient climateMelissa Berke, a geochemist and associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and earth sciences, was selected to sail as a part of an expedition aboard the JOIDES research vessel. Her goal is to use ocean core samples to detect changes in global climate.
- Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz addresses inequality with a people-centered economyInequality is a policy choice — not an inevitable outcome — and can be addressed through economic approaches that prioritize human dignity, economist and Nobel laureate Joseph E. Stiglitz said during a recent visit to the University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs.