Award-winning fashion designer and University of Notre Dame alumnus Thom Browne will join the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Studies (NDIAS) as Artist-in-Residence during the 2022-23 academic year.

The NDIAS is a university-wide research institute that annually brings together an interdisciplinary group of faculty, graduates, and undergraduate fellows to study issues that require a common focus, benefit from sustained research, and advance understanding of pressing issues that affect our ability to lead precious, meaningful lives. Browne will join a cohort of scholars studying the research topic “The audience.”

A former GQ Designer of the Year and three-time CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year award winner, Browne is known for his modern and innovative approach to design. His designs have been recognized by leading museums around the world, including the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Costume Museum in Bath and the ModeMuseum Antwerpen. Browne has crafted global public moments while dressing cultural icons for generations, from LeBron James and David Bowie to Michelle Obama and Cardi B.

“It is a great honor to welcome Thom to the institute this year,” said the NDIAS Director. Meghan Sullivansaid the Wilsey Family College philosophy professor. “As an artist, businessman and cultural force, Thom and his company changed the way Americans think about suits – and our identities at work and in public. There is no modern designer who has had a greater impact on connecting athletes with boundary-pushing fashion, and his work with celebrities and public figures ingeniously elevated our ideas of beauty. We are thrilled to see him back at his alma mater and to host a University-wide discussion on how fashion and design shape public life.

The NDIAS will host Browne for campus visits during the fall and spring semesters. Each visit will include a public event focusing on the life and work of Browne, hosted by a Notre Dame alumnus Michael Hainey, best-selling author and former deputy editor of GQ. Browne’s residency will also include time with NDIAS fellows and classroom visits with Notre Dame students.

“My years at Notre Dame were formative for me, developing my sense of self and motivation to succeed,” Browne said. “Athletics has always been important to me, an important part of my life. My time swimming at Notre Dame stays with me until today. Rigor and discipline push me to do more every day, without ever compromising. My Notre Dame experience continues to inform my daily approach to life, design and success. It’s an honor to return to South Bend as Artist-in-Residence with the NDIAS, especially with my close friend Michael Hainey.

During her spring visit, Browne will participate in a credit course “Strong Suits: The Art, Philosophy, and Business of Thom Browne,” co-taught by Meghan Sullivan and Michael Schreffler, Associate Dean of Arts and Associate Professor in the Department of Art, Art History and Design. The course, which is open for application to College of Arts and Letters and Mendoza College of Business students, will study high fashion from an interdisciplinary perspective.

“Thom Browne’s residency with the NDIAS underscores Notre Dame’s commitment to the arts,” Schreffler said. “His presence on campus will be an important addition to our fine arts programming, and his public events and engagement with faculty and students will provide us all with an incredible opportunity to learn and be inspired by a leading luminary. of the world of art and fashion.”

Browne graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1988 with a business degree and launched her fashion label in 2001. Public events will give Notre Dame students the opportunity to learn more about her journey as it was moving from a single store in New York’s West Village to the center of a global fashion brand with more than 80 stores worldwide.

By joining the NDIAS, Browne becomes part of an institute with a tradition of supporting artists and creative endeavours. Previous artists in residence include an award-winning science fiction author Ted ChangMacArthur Fellow and Poet Reginald Dwayne Betts and acclaimed Russian artist Maxim Kantor.

Contact: Kristian Olsen, Associate Director of Communications and Scholarships, Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study, kolsen1@nd.edu, 574-631-2830