SCAD's New Luxury Boutique Puts Student Designers Front and Center – Latest Fashion Trends & Style Tips May 7, 2026 at 06:15PM
📰 SCAD's New Luxury Boutique Puts Student Designers Front and Center
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The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) stands apart from its peers thanks to its extensive hands-on training: Its film majors explore an 11-acre backlot, aspiring actors enjoy an on-site casting office and now, its fashion design students can sell their one-of-a-kind garments in a luxury boutique. Located at 318 E Liberty St. in downtown Savannah, GA, Bazaar by ShopSCAD opened its doors in March to showcase student, faculty and alumni creations while simultaneously preparing its collegiate designers for the realities of the retail landscape.
To Bazaar Director and Manager Ash Williams, the off-campus boutique functions as "a trading post of sorts for the school of fashion." "Students learn about design, branding and consumer behavior in the classroom, and Bazaar gives them a real-world environment to see those lessons play out," she expands. "When a customer picks up your product, examines it and decides to buy it, [it] allows a kind of feedback no assignment can fully replicate."
Photo: Courtesy of SCAD
Mannequins bedecked in student designs welcome Bazaar visitors into a sartorial wonderland: Candy-colored stripes cascade down the walls from the ceiling, juxtaposing ornate Southern furnishings sprinkled throughout the space. Unique garments spanning hand-painted denim to romantic slips line the walls, offering a discovery-fueled shopping experience akin to that of a highly curated New York City boutique. Designs from notable alumni like Kate Barton and Christopher John Rogers are also stocked alongside current student creations.
"SCAD students were producing outstanding, market-ready work, but there wasn't always a clear pathway for that work to reach customers," Williams says. "We wanted to create a space that honored that talent."
Senior M.F.A. fashion design student Emily Chambers has multiple pieces available for purchase at Bazaar, including selections from the denim extension of her thesis that reimagines Pre-Raphaelite artwork by hand-painting them onto wearable garments. Chambers was approached by her professor, Maria Korovilas, SCAD associate chair of fashion, about participating in Bazaar and the two collectively determined which of Chambers' designs would translate best into a retail setting.
"To see the work that I've spent hours on end creating and 'perfecting' in a store catching people's eyes and bringing them joy is quite reassuring that the thing I feel that I'm meant to do is also meaningful to others," says Chambers.
Photo: Courtesy of SCAD
Korovilas also tapped Jinseo Park, a senior B.F.A. fashion design student, to showcase her ready-to-wear designs in Bazaar. Park says she "explores hope through a feminine lens" via textile draping, natural dyeing and her own smocking technique inspired by blooming flowers. Looking ahead, Park shares that she wants to pursue a career as a couture or special occasion designer, and she credits Bazaar with teaching her "to interpret and communicate [her] design aesthetic in ready-to-wear pieces and work directly with customers."
Beyond ready-to-wear garments, Bazaar also spotlights student-made ceramics, accessories and jewelry. For example, visitors can shop jewelry by Paige Swope, a senior B.F.A. jewelry design student who melds traditional metalsmithing techniques with contemporary processes to create wearable, sculptural forms. "Seeing my work in a retail space has pushed me to step outside of my comfort zone and realize that I enjoy designing for others," Swope says. "It has reinforced the idea that jewelry is meant to be worn, experienced and interpreted differently by each individual."
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Of course, many fashion design programs address the inner workings of luxury retail, but few offer students the opportunity to directly participate in the real-life retail market. Swope notes that Bazaar's luxury boutique concept encourages students to think beyond concept development and delve into branding, pricing, production and marketing, which she adds are "essential for building a successful design practice."
Park concurs: "While my thesis work is driven by creative ideals, this retail experience required me to think more critically about cost, time management and how my designs translate within a commercial setting."
With a revolving assortment filled with limited-run pieces, Bazaar is open Monday and Tuesday by appointment only; Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
"Bazaar by ShopSCAD exists because of the trust and talent of the designers who contribute to it, and the enthusiasm of everyone at SCAD who believed in the vision," Williams says. "We're just getting started, and I'm excited to see how it grows and evolves."
Disclosure: SCAD paid for Fashionista’s travel and accommodations to report this story.
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