SCAD Taps Dirk Standen as Dean of School of Fashion – WWD

Dirk Standen has been tapped as dean of the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) School of Fashion.

He will oversee SCAD’s undergraduate and graduate degree programs of fashion design, fashion marketing and management, fibers, accessory design and jewelry design at the university’s Atlanta and Savannah, Ga., locations. He will be based at the Savannah campus, and his appointment is effective immediately.

standing succeeds Michael Fink, who served in that role for 12 years, and retired in the last academic year.

Standen joined SCAD in fall 2021 as a professor of fashion marketing and management.

“Since my first day as a professor at SCAD, I have been deeply impressed by the quality of our students’ work and the caliber of our programs,” Standen said. “I’m delighted to take on a larger role in growing the School of Fashion and shining a light on the accomplishments of its students and faculty. SCAD offers a unique combination of technological and artistic innovation, global reach and a deep connection to two of the most dynamic, fast-growing cities in the U.S., and I’m excited to be part of that trajectory.”

Standen previously was editor in chief of the website Style.com and when that was shuttered went on to become the founding editor of 23 Stories, Condé Nast’s creative agency. His writing has been published in Vanity Fair, Vogue, Tatler and GQ.

“Dean Standen is a forward thinker who has a deep understanding of style and luxury as well as a clear vision for the future of high fashion and the potential of circular economies and virtual commerce,” said Jesus Rojas, SCAD’s vice president of academic services. “SCAD is amongst the top ranked, leading fashion schools in the world and with the addition of our new dean, Dirk Standen, we will now take fashion to the next level.”