Study Abroad & Travel Courses
Bring your creative practice to places you never imagined with a semester abroad, exchange program, or travel course.
Study AbroadFashion Design Faculty & Department Administrators
From Laos to Mexico: Student Travel Courses Emphasize Craft and Sustainability
Jenine Shereos & Jennifer Varekamp
Program Area Chair, Fibers & Chair, Fashion Design
- Faculty
Embroidery workshop with Esteban Rodriguez and Virginia Alverez during the Threads of Oaxaca travel course. Photo by Jenine Shereos.
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In the first few weeks of 2025, two groups of MassArt students spent their winter break engaging with local artisans in Laos and Mexico.
In the northern villages of Laos, students travelled with Fashion Design Chair Jennifer Varekamp to work alongside local artisans through the social enterprise, Ma Té Sai, on the preservation of craft and culture. They also explored the unique natural landscape of Laos through a boat trip along the Mekong River, a scenic bike tour of Luang Prabang, walks in the villages, and visits to Buddhist Temples and other historic sites.
Evening boat cruise in Luang Prabang on the Mekong River in Laos. Photo by Emi Weir
Natural Dying Workshop Ban Nyanyang during the travel course, Laos: A Journey Into Culture and Craft. Photo by Jenn Varekamp.
Embroidery Workshop w/ Lanten Group at Ban Phiengngam. Photo by Jenn Varekamp.
In Oaxaca, Mexico, students travelled with Fibers Program Area Chair Jenine Shereos to collaborate with a community of textile artists. The group participated in hands-on learning through studio visits, conversations, demos and workshops focusing on natural dyes, weaving, embroidery, and papermaking in the context of cultural and environmental sustainability.
Ana-Sofia Sarmiento and Francesca Santiago grind chochineal the traditional way at the natural dye workshop at BII Dauu Cooperative in Teotitlan. Photo by Jenn Varekamp.
Visit to a textile studio in Santa Maria Tlahuitoltepec during the travel course, Threads of Oaxaca .
Through MassArt’s International Education Center, students have a variety of opportunities to study abroad and enroll in travel courses. By immersing themselves in new ideas, approaches, and techniques — while exploring different geographies and cultures — students are inspired by global artists and designers on a once-in-a-lifetime travel experience.
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MassArt Alumni and Friends Gather for Art-Filled Winter Getaway in the Berkshires
Abe Morell & Steve Locke MassArt Professor Emeritus & Former Visiting Lecturer, BFA ’97, MFA ’01MassArt alumni and friends gathered in the Berkshires for an inspiring weekend of art, connection, and discussions on creativity.
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MassArt Alum’s Fashion on Full Display at ICA
Heily Rivas ('24 BFA Fashion) models her Quinceañera dress. Photo: Harol Rivas
- Alumni in the News
- Campus News
- Alumni Relations
- Fashion Design
Featured Photo: Harol Rivas
Fashion Designer and MassArt Alumnus Heily Rivas‘ (‘24) latest collection will be on full display at the Institute of Contemporary Arts’ (ICA) “First Fridays: Fashion Fête” (tickets on-sale now!) event on July 5.
Nine models adorned in Rivas’ designs will be immersed in the crowd at the popular summer soiree in the Seaport area of Boston, as part of a collaboration with Boston Caribbean Fashion week. Rivas will also be doing some freestyle designing on a mannequin as a special bonus for those who attend the event.
This innovative, fashion-forward installment from the immediate past president of the MassArt Student Government Association is “inspired specifically by waterways around the world,” drawing from places like Colombia (where her parents are from and which stretches a finger of land into the Caribbean Sea), Brazil, and the Mississippi River Delta. One of her designs, the ninth, will be modeled by Rivas’ father, and is inspired by his life story as a musician who came from a small town in Colombia and grew up to tour Europe and the U.S.
Rivas takes what you might call a “scrappy” approach to her craft, one that she learned and developed at MassArt, upcycling scrap textiles for her creations that otherwise would end up in bulging landfills. A self-proclaimed “optimistic designer,” her work focuses on sustainable fashion and the industry’s impact on the environment.
You won’t want to miss this chance to see sustainable fashion in action from a MassArt alum.
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Denim Expert Benjamin Talley Smith on Making Best-Selling Khaite and Reformation Jeans, Plus the Styles to Shop This Summer
- Alumni in the News
- MassArt in the Media
- Fashion Design
MassArt Alumus, Benjamin Talley Smith (’01 BFA Fashion Design), the founder of the renowned denim atelier Talley Creative, has been making waves in the fashion industry. Described as “the most influential jeans guy you’ve never heard of” by The New York Times, Smith discusses his extensive experience in the denim industry. He has collaborated with numerous high-profile brands, including Helmut Lang, Earnest Sewn, Ulla Johnson, Jordache, Re/Done, Everlane, Reformation, and Khaite.
In his interview on the Who What Wear Podcast, Ben shares insights into the best denim pairs currently available, the resurgence of low-rise jeans, and the story behind naming Khaite’s Danielle jeans after his wife. He also hints at an exciting upcoming denim line with Spanx set to launch in 2025.
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CityLine: Making fashion piece by piece
- Alumni in the News
- MassArt in the Media
- Fashion Design
- Sustainability
2023-2024 Student Government Association President Heily Rivas shares how creativity, exploration, (and fabric scraps!) can empower students to change the world
Heily Rivas
‘24 BFA
- Student
Heily Rivas, MassArt's SGA President for the 23-24 academic year.
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A Sustainable Approach to Fashion
MassArt senior Heily Rivas has never been one to shy away from getting involved and making an impact. As a member of the MassArt Activities Council Board, she’s helped plan a variety of cultural events on campus. Some of the events she coordinated — including the Latin American Heritage Celebration and the West African Celebration — even featured musical and dance performances from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. In the fall of 2022, Heily joined MassArt’s Student Government Association, and the following year, she was elected as SGA president.
MassArt helps students understand how much power they have — as artists, as designers, as thinkers, and as creative people.Heily Rivas ‘24 BFA
During my time as president, it’s been beautiful to see students use their energy and drive to improve their college experience and shape their futures. I think that’s an important part of the MassArt experience. Here, you bring your unique talents and your unique story and amplify them to create a larger message through your work. If you’re interested in coming to MassArt, think about how you can make an impact. Because you’re going to grow here, and you’re going to do great things.
Saving scraps. Scrapping waste.
I came to MassArt knowing that I wanted to do fashion and also work in sustainability, and I’ve been given a lot of space to explore. Lately, my work has centered on fabric scraps. In conventional garment cutting, 15 percent of the fabric usually goes to waste, so I’m exploring ways to use these scraps to create new garments that are classy, elegant, and desirable.
To collect scraps, I set up textile recycling bins in the fashion classrooms on campus. Within a week of setting up the first bin, it was overflowing. I’ve been spreading the word ever since, telling people in other majors that they can also take and donate scraps. Working with the fashion department chair, we’re pursuing a partnership with a textile recycling plant to take what we don’t use and turn it into new fabric. And I’ve noticed that my peers are more conscious about how they use material and what they do with what’s left over, which is incredibly powerful. It’s been a long journey, with a lot of research involved, but I’m excited to see how these efforts grow in the future.
MassArt helps students understand how much power they have — as artists, as designers, as thinkers, and as creative people. And I can’t wait to see how future students capitalize on that power to propel the world to where it needs to be.
Heily Rivas walks the runway in the final dress of her collection, Riachuelos, in the 2024 MassArt Fashion Show. Photo: Amy Fink ’18.
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State’s Leading Fashion Design Students to Showcase Extraordinary Styles at Annual Fashion Show
Fashion Design Department Chair Jen Varekamp kicks off the 2023 MassArt Fashion Show.
- Press Release
- Fashion Design
Senior Projects Will Highlight Work of Up and Coming Designers
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BOSTON – Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt) will host its annual Fashion Show, Resurgence, on Saturday, May 11, 2024. The event will feature work of graduating seniors and preview the styles of up and coming designers who will shape the fashion industry.
WHO: MassArt Student Designers
WHEN: Saturday, May 11, 2024
Shows at 5:30pm and 8:00pm
Note: Members of the press credentialed in advance are invited to the 8pm
show
WHERE: MassArt Design and Media Center
621 Huntington Ave
Boston
Established in 1907, the MassArt’s Fashion Design Department has been devoted to educating fashion and textile designers with a unique and compelling vision for the industry. MassArt is the nation’s first and only independent public college of art and design.
Members of the media interested in requesting credentials should make the request to Matt Wilder, matt@wilderstrategies.com by Thursday, May 9, 2024.
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About Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt) is a public, independent institution that prepares artists, designers, and educators to shape communities, economies, and cultures for the common good. Since 1873, MassArt has built a legacy of leadership as the first freestanding public college of art and design in the country, and the nation’s first art school to grant a degree. MassArt offers a comprehensive range of undergraduate and graduate degrees in art, design, and art education, taught by world-class faculty.
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