Most fashion schools send their graduates into the industry. Academy of Art University sends its students to New York Fashion Week first. For more than a decade, graduating designers from the university’s School of Fashion have presented their thesis collections on the NYFW runway — a distinction the institution holds alone among fashion schools in the country. This spring, the program adds two more events to that legacy: the “US NOW” runway shows on May 7 and the Halston-inspired “Bloom Fashion Show” on May 8, both presented in San Francisco.
The shows arrive at a moment of continued momentum for a program that has grown into one of the largest fashion schools in the United States. With roughly 1,754 undergraduate students and approximately 211 graduate students enrolled in the School of Fashion, Academy of Art University brings significant scale to its mission of preparing designers for the professional world — without filtering who gets access to that training. The school maintains open admissions and a 100% acceptance rate, a deliberate choice that reflects the university’s broader philosophy.
A Program Built on Industry Proximity
Academy of Art University was founded in 1929 by Richard S. Stephens as the Academy of Advertising Art. Nearly a century later, it has evolved into one of the largest private, accredited art and design schools in the country, with university-wide enrollment of approximately 5,498 students. The School of Fashion reflects the institution’s longstanding emphasis on professional preparation: all courses are taught by working industry professionals, and the curriculum blends traditional studio instruction with personalized study programs and online coursework.
That industry orientation extends to the program’s leadership and advisory structure. Neil Gilks, who has led the School of Fashion as Executive Director since Fall 2022, brings experience that includes work with the Council of Fashion Designers of America. The school’s Industry Advisory Board for 2023–2025 drew from across the profession, including figures such as Ulrich Grimm, a former EVP of Global Design at Calvin Klein; Kate Wallace, Creative Director at Derek Lam 10 Crosby; Daniel Reynolds, Senior Design Director of Print at Tory Burch; and Simon O’Mahony, Director of Creative Talent Acquisition overseeing Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Athleta. Talent acquisition consultants from J.Crew and Madewell also sat on the board — giving faculty and students direct lines to the companies doing the hiring.
Those connections translate into tangible opportunities for students. While still completing their degrees, many gain hands-on experience through internships and studio placements with major companies, including Gap Inc. and Levi Strauss, with some placements leading directly to post-graduation roles.
Degree Tracks Spanning the Full Industry Spectrum
The School of Fashion offers undergraduate programs — at the BFA, BA, and AA levels — and graduate programs at the MFA and MA level, covering a wide range of specializations. Undergraduate students can pursue degrees in Fashion Design, Knitwear Design, Textile Design, Costume Design, Footwear and Accessory Design, Fashion Communication and Styling, Fashion Product Development, Fashion Visual Merchandising, Fashion Merchandising, and Fashion Marketing. Graduate tracks mirror much of that range, with additional options in Fashion Merchandising and Management and Fashion Marketing and Brand Management.
Coursework spans design and production alongside merchandising, styling, journalism, sustainability strategy, and product development. Capstone work includes runway shows and press launches — experiences that put students in professional-level situations before graduation. The spring shows represent the most public expression of that capstone model.
“Our students form opinions, create concepts, and showcase them through fashion and clothing,” says Gilks. “It’s open to their interpretation.”
San Francisco as a Fashion Capital on Its Own Terms
The “Bloom Fashion Show” on May 8, staged in Union Square as part of the city’s annual floral showcase, puts that work in a distinctly San Francisco context. Developed in partnership with the With Love Halston Foundation, the presentation draws from Halston’s principles of ease and movement — then reframes them for a contemporary audience and a public outdoor setting.
For Gilks, placing student work in Union Square isn’t simply a logistical choice — it’s a statement about where San Francisco sits in the broader fashion landscape. The city’s fashion ecosystem has historically developed outside the centralized infrastructure of New York or Los Angeles, operating instead as a network of independent designers, art schools, and cross-disciplinary practices. That independence, Gilks argues, is a strength.
“I think there’s such a cross-section of people and fashion in this city, which I find really wonderful,” he says. “The greatest thing I find about San Francisco is that there’s a lot less judgment. Everyone is much happier to let people identify, dress, and do as they wish. There’s a pulse to this place that’s reflected in the shows.”
The “US NOW” presentations on May 7 — at 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., with the evening show streaming globally — give 19 graduating designers the runway to present thesis collections developed over the past year. The range on display spans structured tailoring and fluid silhouettes, ceremonial layering and reconstructed vintage, theatrical costume and quietly personal work rooted in biography. It is, in other words, the full breadth of what a fashion education at Academy of Art University is designed to produce.
“We have students who are big and passionate about making political statements, but we also have people who just want to create things of beauty,” Gilks says. “I hope people will leave the shows with a few question marks. It’s about provoking thoughts and emotion.”
