Dirk Standen has been named dean of the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) School of Fashion.
He will oversee SCAD’s undergraduate and graduate fashion design, fashion marketing and management, fiber, accessory design and jewelry design programs at the university’s Atlanta and Savannah, Ga., locations. He will be based on the Savannah campus and his appointment is effective immediately.
on foot succeeds Michael Fink, who served in that role for 12 years and retired last academic year.
Standen joined SCAD in fall 2021 as a professor of fashion marketing and management.
“From my first day as a professor at SCAD, I have been very impressed with the quality of our students’ work and the caliber of our programs,” Standen said. “I am delighted to take on a greater role in growing the School of Fashion and highlighting the achievements of its students and faculty. SCAD offers a unique combination of technological and artistic innovation, global reach and a deep connection to two of the most dynamic and fastest-growing cities in the US, and I am thrilled to be a part of this trajectory.”
Standen was previously the editor-in-chief of the website Style.com, and when it closed, he went on to become the founding editor of 23 Stories, Condé Nast’s creative agency. His writing has appeared in Vanity Fair, Vogue, Tatler and GQ.
“Dean Standen is a forward thinker who has a deep understanding of style and luxury, as well as a clear vision for the future of high fashion and the potential of circular economies and virtual commerce,” said Jesus Rojas, vice president of services academic of SCAD. “SCAD is among the top-ranked, world-leading fashion schools, and with the addition of our new dean, Dirk Standen, we will now take fashion to the next level.”
