Bottega Veneta Chooses Detroit as Fashion Show Location and Looks to CCS for Support

Fashion Design program students and faculty assisted an Italian luxury fashion brand with the production of their Detroit fashion show, and received a generous donation as a token of appreciation from the brand themselves.

Luxury Italian fashion brand Bottega Veneta hosted their “Salon 03” fashion show displaying designs from its Spring 2022 collection back in October at the Michigan Theatre, a historic building in Downtown Detroit. The brand produces footwear, handbags, accessories, jewelry, fragrances and apparel.

The Chair of the Fashion Design program, Aki Choklat, wanted to be of any assistance during Bottega’s time in Detroit. This led to a meeting with show producer Denise Lyons, where she also received a tour of the fashion department and was impressed with the space. She originally needed only 10 Dressers for the show.

Backstage Dressers are responsible for getting models dressed because there is limited time in-between changes — especially if a model has more than one look. Dressers have to know exactly what piece goes where, when, how and why.

Although it began with only needing the help of 10 students, around 35 students assisted in the “Salon 03” fashion show.

Before models arrived from New York, freshmen had the opportunity to walk in place of them — so that timing and choreography could be practiced.

Students also had the opportunity to work as Design Assistants. The items were shipped from Europe, so Design Assistants did an array of things, like fixing the cosmetics of an item, sewing, acting as fitting assistants, organizing lunch, etc.

Students even assisted with the transfer of mannequins to the venue.

“It left a long-standing impression with my students,” Choklat said. “Students were emotional when it was over, and they were just grateful.”

Bottega had invited 60 dressmakers from Milan to Detroit and bought 22 dressmaking machines. As an appreciation for all of the hard work put into the show, all of the machines were donated to the Fashion Design program. They had all but 24 hours to pick up the machines and bring them to their new home inside the Taubman Center.

The donation included:

• 7 x DDL 8700 Sewing machine with table & servo motor 110v
• 2 x DLN5410 Sewing machine with table 110v.
• 2 x DLN 9010-7 Sewing machine with table 110 v
• 1 x LU2810 Sewing machine with table 110v
• 1 x MO 6804 (1 needle) baby hem overlock machine 110v
• 1 x MO 6714 (2 needle) 4 thread overlock machine 110 v
• 1 x MF-7523 C11 Juki 2 needle collarette machine 110v
• 2 x Steam and 2500 vacuum table
• 2 x Steam mini boilers
• 3 x cutting table 48×7

“Our Fashion Apparel sewing atelier is set,” Choklat says.