Thom Browne (Photo by Alastair Nicol)
Award-winning fashion designer and University of Notre Dame alumnus Thom Browne will join the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study (NDIAS) as artist-in-residence for the 2022-23 academic year.
The NDIAS is a University-wide research institute that convenes an interdisciplinary group of faculty, graduates, and undergraduates each year to study issues that require a joint approach, benefit from sustained research, and advance understanding of pressing issues that affect our ability to lead valuable, meaningful lives. Browne will join a cohort of scholars investigating the research topic “The Public.”
A former GQ Designer of the Year and three-time CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year winner, Browne is known for his modern and innovative approach to design. His designs have been recognized by the best museums in the world, including the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Costume Museum in Bath and the ModeMuseum Antwerpen. Browne has designed global public moments while dressing up cultural icons from multiple generations, from LeBron James and David Bowie to Michelle Obama and Cardi B.
“It is a great honor to welcome Thom to the institute this year,” said NDIAS Director Meghan Sullivan, Professor of Philosophy at Wilsey Family College. “As an artist, businessman and cultural force, Thom and his company have changed the way Americans think about suits and our identities at work and in public. There is no modern designer who has had a greater impact on connecting athletes with innovative fashion, and his work with celebrities and public figures has artfully elevated our ideas of beauty. We are delighted to have him back at his alma mater and to host a University-wide discussion on how fashion and design shape public life.”
The NDIAS will host Browne for campus visits during the fall and spring semesters. Each visit will include a public event focusing on Browne’s life and work moderated by Notre Dame alumnus Michael Hainey, bestselling author and former deputy editor of GQ. Browne’s residency will also include time with NDIAS fellows and class visits with Notre Dame students.
“My years at Notre Dame were formative for me, developing my sense of identity and my motivation to succeed,” Browne said. “Athletics has always been important to me, an important part of my life. My time swimming at Notre Dame stays with me to this day. The rigor and discipline keep me fighting for more every day, without ever compromising. My experience at Notre Dame continues to inform my daily approach to life, design, and success. It is an honor to return to South Bend as an artist-in-residence with the NDIAS, especially with my close friend Michael Hainey.”
During her spring visit, Browne will participate in the one-credit course “Strong Suits: The Art, Philosophy, and Business of Thom Browne,” co-taught by Meghan Sullivan and Michael Schreffler, associate dean of arts and associate professor in the Department . of Art, History of Art and Design. The course, which is open by application to students from the Faculty of Arts and Letters and the Faculty of Business of Mendoza, will investigate high fashion from an interdisciplinary lens.
“Thom Browne’s residency with the NDIAS underscores Notre Dame’s commitment to the arts,” said Schreffler. “His presence on campus will be a significant addition to our fine arts programming, and his public events and engagement with faculty and students will provide an incredible opportunity for all of us to learn from and be inspired by a luminary in the world of art and science. fashion. ”
Browne graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1988 with a business degree and launched her fashion brand in 2001. The public events will give Notre Dame students a chance to learn about her journey as she moved from a single store in New York City’s West Village at the center of a global fashion brand with more than 80 stores worldwide.
By joining the NDIAS, Browne becomes part of an institute with a tradition of supporting artists and creative endeavors. Past artists-in-residence include award-winning science fiction author Ted Chiang, poet and MacArthur scholar Reginald Dwayne Betts, and acclaimed Russian artist Maxim Kantor.
Contact: Kristian Olsen, deputy director of communications and scholarship, Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study, [email protected], 574-631-2830
Source: news.nd.edu