The New York Times Profiles Fashion Designer and Alum Claire Sullivan

The New York Times recently profiled fashion designer Claire Sullivan (BFA 2016), whose iconic custom creations have helped define the looks of some of today’s biggest pop stars.

Through her label, Miss Claire Sullivan, the alum has designed unique performance and red-carpet looks for Addison Rae, Rosalía, Clairo, and Lady Gaga. Recently, a dress Sullivan made from a bootleg Knicks T-shirt caused a stir when New York’s first lady Rama Duwaji wore it to a victory parade. As Sullivan told the Times, “People come to me because of the vision I have.”

Sullivan grew up in Richmond, Virginia and was able to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) thanks to a scholarship. At SAIC, Sullivan studied widely, exploring fiber arts and performance before discovering fashion. “For the first year, I was trying everything,” she said, “My second year I took my intro to fashion class, and I was like, ‘I’m home.’”

Now nominated for the 2026 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award, Sullivan is marking the fifth anniversary of her brand by launching its first ready-to-wear collection during New York Fashion Week. Playful, complex, and unmistakably her own, Sullivan’s designs are bringing a needed spirit of uninhibited fun to the fashion landscape.