From mentoring aspiring designers on the set of “Project Runway” to advising the students of Fairfield, Tim Gunn will take the stage of the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts on Wednesday, Oct. 14 in the 10th Annual Students Forum as part of the Open Visions Forum series.
According to Dr. Philip Eliasoph, professor in the department of visual and performing arts and moderator of the OVF, Gunn’s talk, called “Fashion Today & Designing Your Future Lives & Careers,” will provide students with insight on how to “dress for success,” while also learning how to become a valuable colleague in a variety of competitive work environments.
Gunn is certainly an authority in both areas. In addition to his work as a co-host, mentor and producer on the hit Lifetime show, “Project Runway,” Gunn was also the chief creative officer at Liz Claiborne, Inc. and fashion dean at Fifth & Pacific, a company that designed and marketed for brands such as Kate Spade. He has also served as an administrator and faculty member at the prestigious Parsons School of Design in New York City — a job he held for 29 years.
Gunn is a co-host, producer, and mentor on the Lifetime hit show, “Project Runway.”
Beyond his work in the fashion industry, Gunn is also a New York Times best-selling author, with his recent title, “The Natty Professor: A Master Class on Mentoring, Motivating, and Making it Work!” delivering lessons on mentorship and teaching.
Eliasoph explained that while Gunn’s talk will stem from this book, Gunn will also “offer us a timely presentation from his wide range of expertise in terms of professional styling, design and how to make a difference in your workplace or social networking teams.”
Because this is the Annual Students Forum, Gunn will be sharing the stage with a panel of student leaders from Fairfield’s major clubs and organizations who will get the chance to ask Gunn questions succeeding his talk. The student panel will consist of Brittney Wright ’16 of the Fairfield University Student Association, Angela Sammarone ’16 of the Fairfield Mirror and Pejay Lucky, the assistant director of Residence Life.
Gunn is scheduled to appear on the Quick Center stage at 8 p.m. Student tickets are available online for $5 on the Quick Center’s website, or, according to Nicole Heller, free at the Office of Student Engagement in the Barone Campus Center 094.
Leave a Reply