The Designed in Michigan series examines the extensive role that design plays across industries. This month, we sit down with a group of budding designers to hear how our local fashion students are leveraging design to tackle real-world challenges.
From plastic milk cartons transformed into dresses via scissors and heat to zero-waste garments crafted entirely from a single piece of muslin, the students behind Kendall College of Art and Design's (KCAD) 2025 Fashion Studies capstone runway show aren't just creating for the runway. They are crafting a vision for the world they wish to live in, with their courage and personal experiences woven seamlessly into these curated collections, enhancing their impact.
On April 15, the Grand Rapids Public Museum's main floor will again transform into a catwalk for emerging designers from the
Pamella Roland DeVos School of Fashion at KCAD. This year’s student-led show, “Couture Code,” features original creations and innovative ideas, with each garment telling a story of sustainability, inclusion, and resilience.
And it’s all produced by fashion studies students.
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Photo by Tommy AllenThis collection, designed by Zayne J Cutrar, is just one of the 14 capstone collections heading to the runway.
Fashion as Future: A Design-Centered Education
KCAD’s Fashion Studies program provides so much more than classroom experiences. The program strengthens connections with various cultural institutions in West Michigan, such as the Grand Rapids Ballet, Opera Grand Rapids, and Civic Theater, as well as neighboring communities like Holland's Tulip Time Festival. This offers students practical design experiences that go beyond theoretical concepts. These collaborations outside the classroom enhance the creative ecosystem in the area and provide students with real-world opportunities to apply their ideas in actual design scenarios.
“It’s just really cool to have my work in a museum and have so many people see it,” says Sarah Kuhnert, a junior this year at the college.
The Pamella Roland DeVos School of Fashion Studies at KCAD offers students more than just access to a runway; it equips them with the tools to grasp the entire ecosystem of fashion, from couture techniques and fabric science to event production and sustainable design. As part of the Designed in Michigan series, which examines the extensive role design plays across industries, this story emphasizes how fashion students leverage design to address real-world challenges.
As part of their educational experience, design students also have an opportunity to travel abroad to fashion capitals like New York and countries like Spain, Belgium, and the Netherlands. These fully sponsored trips — made possible through the support of Pamella Roland — immerse students in global fashion systems, connecting classroom theory with real-world insight. For Rogellio Villarreal, a first-time international traveler who recently completed a trip to Spain, it was a professional and personal milestone for the Spanish-speaking student participating in this year's runway show.
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Photo by Tommy AllenKCAD's Fashion Studies program immerses students in all aspects of production, including casting for their upcoming runway show.
“Being in this new-to-me country (of Spain) and speaking Spanish—it was wild," Villarreal says. "You just don’t get those kinds of opportunities everywhere.”
For junior Sarah Kuhnert, KCAD’s fashion program's curriculum became a catalyst for self-discovery.
“We touch on everything — show production, marketing, retail buying, and more,” says Kuhnert, reflecting on the process of producing a fashion runway show. “And now, I feel like I know what I love. The range has helped me shape my identity as a designer.”
Kuhnert will feature several pieces in the upcoming show, including her corset design — a reimagined 1950s pin-up silhouette — and a collaborative ensemble created for the Holland Tulip Time Festival. She credits the program’s broad exposure and team-oriented projects as game-changers.
“You can look at a student’s mood board and instantly connect it to who they are. That’s design at work — it reflects identity,” says Kuhnert.
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Photo by Tommy AllenRogellio Villarreal shares some of her designs with Sarah Pham, who is also a Fashion Studies student at KCAD.
Designing with intention: Our future values on display
Senior Zayne Cutrara brings this vision to life through a collection that fuses Gothic aesthetics with accessibility and zero-waste practices. As a designer with a disability, Zayne prioritizes comfort and inclusivity in every stitch, drawing on his lived experience and his ability to listen to others in the creation process.
“I wanted to design garments that are not just stylish, but wearable for people like me — people using mobility aids,” they say. “Everything is either secondhand-sourced, made from repurposed garments, or drafted to be completely zero waste. I’m creating a brand that reflects who I am and the world I want to help shape.”
In fact, Zayne’s favorite piece is a skirt and corset they made from a deconstructed men’s suit, sewn together with almost no scrap left behind — so complete that their sustainability professor kept the bag of leftover thread as an example and a reminder of what is possible when we commit to going beyond the norms often critiqued in the fashion world. Fashion is increasingly under scrutiny yearly due to the vast amount of waste the industry generates annually.
For Sarah Pham, a military veteran and mother of two, the journey to KCAD’s fashion program was anything but conventional. However, that hasn’t prevented her from excelling. After initially studying computer science, she discovered her passion for pattern making while sewing for her son’s marching band. Now, she’s combining that precision with creative flair — her recyclable plastic dress (featuring magnetic side closures and holographic detail) is a showstopper.
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Photo by Tommy AllenAs a designer with a disability, Zayne J Cutrara prioritizes comfort and inclusivity in every stitch.
“Everyone brings something different to the table,” says Pham. “We approach the same projects in 15 completely different ways. And they’re all valuable.”
Lori Faulkner, program chair of KCAD's fashion program, reminds us that this program, which is just over a decade old, has real power built within it.
At the heart of the event is a deep focus on values-driven design — a hallmark of the solutions journalism lens by which we operate and why these class projects reflect so much of what is heading our way as this next generation prepares to enter the workforce.
“Fashion is how we express who we are — it’s how we want to be seen in the world," says fashion designer and KCAD benefactor Pamella Roland.
Couture Code: decoding the process
The show itself — dubbed Couture Code — is a metaphor. Every garment is “coded” by the hands of the student who made it, reflecting their identity, intentions, and perspective.
“Couture” isn’t just a fancy word," says Villarreal. “Every garment in this show is couture, as 75% or more of it is made by hand. These are one-of-a-kind, from the first sketch to the last seam.”
The “code” element includes the digital and futuristic themes integrated into the show’s branding and staging. Students are developing interactive projections, binary visuals, and glitchy aesthetics, highlighting the tension between analog craft and digital culture.
But do not be mistaken: This is a collective focused on excellence and achievement, as students ranging from freshmen to seniors hit the runway with their creations. With more than a dozen students participating in planning committees — public relations, finance, casting, and design — this show is a crash course in collaborative problem-solving.
“Fourteen students. Fourteen different perspectives,” says Villarreal, about the graduating class who are about to showcase their work with the public. “There was a lot of voting [on what pieces would be included], and a lot of compromise. But in the end, we all agreed—we wanted to show the future of fashion through our own lens.”
This idea—that design is both deeply personal and socially powerful — is echoed by those who have supported the program since its inception.
“Fashion is how we express who we are — it’s how we want to be seen in the world,” says designer and KCAD benefactor Pamella Roland on the role fashion can have in our lives.
A Living Laboratory for Design
The runway will feature everything from corsets to couture, and from recyclables to the radical. However, beyond the garments lies the process— the design thinking, systems awareness, and empathy that characterize the KCAD approach.
Fashion, like any field, serves as a mirror. In an era when fast fashion saturates our social feeds and fills our landfills, KCAD students present an alternative. One garment, one story, one show at a time.
So, who is the Couture Code show for?
“It’s for everyone,” Kuhnert says. “We want high school students to walk away inspired. We want industry professionals to take notice. And we want the public to see what the future of fashion really looks like when it’s in the hands of people who care.”
Photos by Tommy Allen
From furniture to shoes, from arts to education to even policy creation, design is everywhere you look. Designed in Michigan, a story series coming out of West Michigan, is devoted to sharing the expansive role design plays in Michigan's past, present and future. It is made possible through the support of Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University.