July 03, 2012

It is our pleasure to announce that Lisa Hayes has been granted tenure and will take over the role of Program Director in our Fashion Design Program. Lisa will succeed Genevieve Dion, who will be concentrating on her new roll as Director of the Shima Seiki Haute Technology Lab, a multidisciplinary research initiative founded by Dion and colleagues from Drexel’s Colleges of Nursing and Health Professions, Engineering, Information Science & Technology, Medicine, and Biomedical Engineering.

Hayes has been teaching at Drexel since 2003. She advises Fashion Design seniors on their collections for our annual fashion show. There are, of course, many things that excite Lisa about the Fashion Program here at Drexel, but she’s especially excited about the ability to focus on sustainable and eco-friendly technology and ideas. She’s also eager to focus on social outreach that creates positive change through conscious design decisions.

Hayes’ research focuses on sustainability in fashion, a growing issue in the industry. The biggest hurdle for designers is finding a way to implement positive change without passing the cost onto consumers. “All areas of the global supply chain are affected and it is often a case of lessening the negative impact in just one place at a time,” said Hayes. “The next generation of young designers must be ready to demand and make a difference. In my research, I identify where green practices can be successful and still fashionable.”

Hayes, who was a Fulbright Specialist Candidate, has designed clothes and home goods for Anthropologie, Motherswork Inc., Liz Claiborne Inc. and Albert Nipon. Lisa's designs have been featured in stores throughout the US and UK and in publications such as Glamour and British Vogue.