Graduation Gown

Graduation Gown

This project is the culmination of years-long talks between Melissa Dawson (Undergraduate Director of Industrial Design at Rochester Institute of Technology) and Josh Owen (Vignelli Distinguished Professor at RIT's Vignelli Center for Design Studies) about a collaborative project to redesign the traditional graduation gown based on research into the apparel studies of Lella and Massimo Vignelli, two world-renowned Italian designers whose archives are housed at RIT. Josh's position as the Vignelli Distinguished Professor and Melissa's expertise in textiles and apparel design made for a perfect pairing for the project. As a senior Industrial Design student and Melissa's classroom assistant, Clare Maxwell was asked to join the project in January 2023 to begin fittings and samples of the gown. The project went through four different fittings, pattern re-drafts, muslin samples, and fabric & finding experiments. The final regalia was finished and worn by Josh at the 2023 RIT Commencement ceremony.

The Vignelli Connection

As well as following the Vignelli ethos throughout the course of the project, the original gown pattern was based on a jacket pattern designed by the Vignelis, and the black wool and interfacing on the final gown were sourced directly from the archives.