When fashion icon Fern Mallis is inducted into Kent State University’s School of Fashion Hall of Fame this May, students there won’t just be reading about the "Godmother of Fashion Week." They’ll be in the room with her.

They’ll hear directly from the woman who helped transform New York Fashion Week into a global institution, an event that brought international attention, sponsorships and legitimacy to American designers.

At Kent State, moments like this are built into the student experience at its renowned School of Fashion. It announced Mallis’ induction as part of its annual fashion show, a program described as one of the best in the world. According to the university, the school fosters “industry excellence” and provides students with real-world experiences, including study-away programs in New York, Paris and Florence, as well as direct connections to industry leaders.

Mallis herself emphasized the importance of those connections, saying she looks forward to “sharing what I learned along the way and giving back to the next generation. They are the future of the fashion industry.”
 

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Could CSU offer students something similar?

Cleveland State is not lacking in creative students. Walk through campus and you’ll find aspiring photographers, stylists, designers and writers who engage with fashion as both art and industry. But without a dedicated fashion program, those interests remain fragmented, treated as hobbies instead of viable career paths.

Meanwhile, Kent State students are learning in structured programs that connect them directly to the industry they hope to enter.

That difference matters.

Fashion is more than clothing. It intersects with business, marketing, journalism and media, all areas where CSU already excels. A fashion program wouldn’t exist in isolation; it would collaborate across disciplines, giving students hands-on experience in branding, production, storytelling and event planning.

A fashion program at CSU would also make sense for the city.

Cleveland has a growing creative scene, from local designers to boutique retailers and cultural events. Located in the heart of downtown, Cleveland State is uniquely positioned to be part of that ecosystem. But without institutional support, students are left to navigate it on their own, or leave altogether for schools that offer more direct pathways.

Kent State’s investment shows what’s possible when a university takes fashion seriously. Events like the Hall of Fame induction don’t just honor industry leaders, they expose students to them, inspire them and connect them to opportunities that can shape their careers.

CSU students would benefit from that same access, because Cleveland shouldn’t lose creative talent because people have to look elsewhere to develop it. 

Fern Mallis helped build a platform that gave designers visibility on a global stage. Kent State has shown what can be done in the field. Could Cleveland State follow suit, or will its students continue watching those opportunities happen somewhere else?