How SCAD’s Rising Fashion Designers Are Using AI on Their Own Terms

On May 15, sixty of the Savannah College of Art and Design’s graduating fashion design students presented their final collections in the school’s museum of art. From beneath a hanging, multicolor fiber art installation by Janet Echelman, student models—who'd been coached by Coco Rocha—stomped the runway wearing their peers’ creations. The looks ranged from latex Victorian gowns and a skirt resembling a coat rack made of upcycled button-downs to coats shaped like a letter, replete with a giant red wax seal on the front. To close the show, six students mentored by Lanvin artistic director Peter Copping sent individual eveningwear looks down the catwalk.

Although this generation of student designers grew up during a digital age, many said they were inspired by tactile, real-life things and people (and when it came to the clothes, they were still cognizant of their hand skills). Professors, they say, have been pushing students to implement AI and new technology into their design process. But these creators are using tech on their own terms, and trusting their individual creative abilities.

I understood firsthand what these students had achieved: as a SCAD alumnus of the School of Fashion, I too had designed a collection from start to finish. What was so refreshing to see all these years on was how students still embraced technology while maintaining their foundational skills. I spoke to graduating student designer Mollie Porch, who said she used AI outside of her ideation process. Instead, she implemented the tool to assist in creating her garment’s technical flats, or line drawings of the designs that are sent to manufacturers. Porch, who initially came to SCAD for graphic design, went viral on TikTok earlier this year after showcasing her senior designs on the platform.

Jane Jurchak, who made the aforementioned Victorian gowns, incorporated digital printing as a way to "trap" the lace inside latex. Drawing on their upbringing in South Carolina, Jurchak created designs inspired by the abandoned churches they grew up around and by their community in the American Gothic South. The designer noted that their muse for this collection was singer Ethel Cain; Jurchak has already caught the attention of FKA Twigs, who wore their shoes during her Coachella performance this year.

For Jack Sharrod Wilkins, inspiration came from the past. He cited Jack Kerouac as a source of creativity for his collection, which featured one chic needle-felted cotton peacoat and a range of hats reminiscent of Kerouac’s own. To bring his process into the future, Wilkins created his sketches in Photoshop using the collage method rather than hand-sketching. But the key remained rooted in the IRL experience, “I looked to hitchhiking culture for inspiration, that transactional moment.” In this age of technology, SCAD is ensuring its students are equipped with the tools to do not just one thing, but everything.