Fashion Design Course Contributors

Kathryn Hagen

Everyone dresses, thus building a unique visual identity. Kathryn Hagen has spent much of her adult life exploring global fashion culture and the relationship of the designer to the fine artist. She believes in the validity of thinking with your hands and the value of the maker in this extreme technological age.

This desire for creative adventures led her to New York at age 17 to study at the prestigious Parsons School of Design. After graduation, she worked as a designer at one of the last great American couture houses. Ultimately, a scholarship to the venerable Art Students League provided three years of study with venerable abstract expressionist Julian Levy.

After a decade in New York, the West Coast beckoned. She joined the new fashion department at Parson's sister school, Otis Art Institute, and for more than twenty years watched her talented students obtain top industry jobs. She collaborated on projects with top designers like Rick Owens, Isabel Toledo, Jeremy Scott, and Bob Mackie, and also designed costumes for film and theater.

Still extremely involved in art production, she entered the Otis Fine Arts Graduate program and received her BFA and MFA in Painting/Alternative Media in 1999. As an author for Pearson/Prentice Hall, she developed two fashion textbooks, which are translated into Korean and Chinese and used globally. She also co-edited Garb, A Reader on Fashion and Culture.

Following a five-year stint chairing the venerable Woodbury fashion design program, Kathryn has now turned her attention to creative opportunities in global design and scholarship. She taught a Master Class at the University of Seoul and workshops for Senior Collections seven years at the Shanghai Institute of Visual Art. She teaches regular art history courses for Soochow University in Suzhou, China. Her recent involvement with course creation for the Fashion Design Institute has been a fascinating and involving project.

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Get to know Kathryn

Can you tell us a little about your background and how you got into fashion design?

I attended Parsons School of Design in New York, and my first job was on Seventh avenue in a high-end design firm called Teal Traina. I was an assistant to two designers.

What inspired you to become a fashion design tutor?

I was actually a professor at an Art College for twenty-seven years. Then I became Chair of a fashion design program at Woodbury University. I loved teaching the drawing and design skills and the life of a teacher suited me as I was married with two small children. I also really enjoy young people. They have kept me young!

What essential skills or qualities should every fashion designer possess?

You need to be dedicated, organized, and, of course, creative. You need to know textiles. You need to understand your customer and the business aspects of the industry. Social media is also key for new start-ups.

What are some of your favorite projects or collections you have worked on?

At Otis College we did projects with Rick Owens, Bob Mackie, Isaac Mizrahi, and many more. We also did projects with Mattel, designing beautiful fashion Barbies.

What is your teaching philosophy when it comes to fashion design?

I try to find the qualities, strengths, and interests that make each student unique. Then I nurture those to bring out interesting ideas. A designer has to have a lot of ideas!

What key skills and areas of knowledge do you focus on when guiding students?

I still think hand skills are important, but using technology is also key. Photoshop is amazing, and drawing flats can be creative and fun. Students need to spend more time with textiles and understand what each fabric can do. The science behind it is great, but it’s not enough. Design development is something I was not taught and it’s key to developing effective collections.

How would you describe your personal design style, and where do you find inspiration?

I like to dress in innovative silhouettes. Cool fabrics. Generic design is boring, so I avoid generic clothing. I have always pushed my students to move beyond the obvious. Inspiration can be in nature, in technology, in art. My eye is very eclectic. But I really get inspired by my students. I want them to love what they do.

Who are your biggest influences in the fashion industry?

I love the Belgians and the Japanese. Martin Margiela. Iris von Herpen-amazing!

What is your favorite part about being a tutor?

Seeing young people blossom and find joy in what they do.

What advice would you give to students beginning their fashion design journey?

Be open to new ideas and new pathways. It’s a complicated industry and its changing all the time. Think of the ecology and remaking, reusing as well. There are so many options that can also be good for the planet. Accept criticism gracefully but stay true to yourself. That is how you grow.