Margaret Watkins ’27 introduces her fashion collection “the Semantics of Style.” The dress behind her uses resin to make it look as if the model is consumed by flames.
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Student designers challenge convention to enhance human thriving
By Marisa LeFalce
Self-watering planters that improve air quality and alert users to risk. Fashion that transforms gendered words into powerful symbols of passion. A reimagined classroom designed to foster active learning. These are some of the bold and innovative student projects presented at the Cornell Fashion & Design Expo on April 25, the annual juried exhibition hosted by the Department of Human Centered Design (HCD).
This year’s theme, Challenging Convention in 2025, honors Cornell Human Ecology’s (CHE) centennial year. HCD faculty selected 17 individual and group projects for their ingenuity, creativity and commitment to human thriving. From eco-conscious hotel rooms to a fashion collection exploring women’s reproductive freedom, the projects span interior design, product design, fashion design and fiber science, representing all CHE design majors.
“These student projects exemplify the future of design and how it will evolve over the next 100 years,” said Rachel Dunifon, the Rebecca Q. and James C. Morgan Dean of CHE. “They also reflect CHE’s interdisciplinary nature, touching on environmental science and sustainability, psychology and computational science.”
A hallmark of the Expo is human connection, as students engage directly with alumni, industry professionals and Cornell community members to share their design thinking.
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