See Looks From Edessa School of Fashion’s ‘VUR-JUHL’ Showcase

On Friday, Nov. 8, Edessa School of Fashion hosted its annual Haute List student-faculty fashion production. This year’s theme, “VUR-JUHL,” honored the life, legacy, and impact of the late designer Virgil Abloh.

The rotunda of the Central Library served as a multi-level runway, with its historic architecture providing the perfect backdrop for a parade of garments from 24 student and faculty designers across a range of disciplines, including swimwear, bridal and children’s streetwear. Lighting by ‘LaserBob’ Mullins transformed the marble pillars and gold moldings into an electrifying visual landscape. A Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra flutist played airy melodies, and the gospel choir from Christian Faith Church joyfully chanted to close out the show. Both live performances added to the dynamism of the space and transported 350 audience members to a world of Edessa’s creation. 

In addition to the diverse collections from students and faculty, event partner Stacy Adams, a Wisconsin owned menswear company, presented a collection featuring custom shoes designed by Keven Ringgold, vice president of design. The shoes were inspired by Virgil Abloh’s design philosophy, which focused on deconstructing the design process and blending disciplines and ideologies.

People of all ages, backgrounds, and identities took to the stage, reflecting the rich diversity of Milwaukee and echoing the global impact of Virgil Abloh’s life and work. A Ghanaian-American born and educated in the Midwest, Abloh went on to lead major European fashion houses Louis Vuitton and Off-White. It was a true celebration of the work Abloh did to bring street culture into the high fashion realm and the efforts Edessa is making to set a new standard for Milwaukee’s creative economy.

Edessa Fashion School Dean Lynne Dixon-Speller led production efforts for the school’s fourth fashion production over the last 11 months, gathering sponsors, securing venues, shooting promotional materials, casting models, and creating garments. The idea for a theme centering Abloh came from Edessa’s Multimedia Art Director Leonardt Horák after he pointed out the immense cultural impact Abloh’s career made in fashion and culture globally. The team collectively felt that not nearly enough was being done to highlight Abloh’s influence here in Wisconsin, where Abloh received his undergraduate degree in civil engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Horák, Speller and the entire Edessa Team dreamed up this theme as a means to pay proper tribute to the late designer, who passed away in 2021 after a battle with cancer. Born in Rockford, Illinois, Abloh went on to translate his engineering background and passion for street subcultures into the fashion world forming an unmistakable aesthetic that has helped shape the face of fashion today.

“When it comes to art, creativity, and business,  I see Abloh’s footprint, he drove a lot of people to do more,” Horák said, describing the influence Abloh has made on the new generation of artists and creative entrepreneurs. 

This show was only the beginning. Horák and Speller are set to launch a traveling exhibition in 2025 that will explore and honor Abloh’s life, work and influence. Drawing from in-depth research and curated artwork, the exhibit will be based on an academic white paper co-authored by Horák, Dr. Courtney Hammonds and a dedicated team of researchers.

Lynne Dixon-Speller didn’t know what direction her career would take when her husband’s job brought them to Milwaukee 27 years ago. She had started as an apparel professor at the University of Delaware, but her love for fashion and passion for education had been nurtured in her from a young age by her grandmother, Edessa Meek Dixon, the college’s namesake. 

“My husband dragged me from Baltimore kicking and screaming,” Dixon-Speller joked, “but we found ourselves in Milwaukee, and it actually became home.” 

Laying down roots in the city is what would eventually lead Dixon-Speller and her husband Jeffery Speller to found Edessa School of Fashion. The initial idea came to Dixon-Speller in the middle of the night after her previous institution dissolved abruptly leaving instructors and students with nowhere to continue. Recognizing the urgent need for a new program, Dixon-Speller felt called to fill the gap. That calling set her on a years-long journey toward state program approval, culminating just over two years ago with Edessa Fashion School becoming the first new four-year college to be approved in Wisconsin.

“It took dedication,” Dixon-Speller said, reflecting on the grueling process of more than two years of planning, revisions, learning curves, bureaucracy, and uncertainty involved in establishing Edessa. “But it has been incredibly validating as an academician. I’ve had my hands in every single aspect of what it takes to operate a college.”

Edessa’s core mission is to prepare students for successful careers in the fashion industry. Dixon-Speller sees a wealth of untapped creative potential in Milwaukee and believes that the right preparation can help this talent reach new heights. She points to Virgil Abloh’s background in architecture and civil engineering as an example of how training in foundational design principles can be applied across disciplines to transform mere ideas into tangible, impactful results.

“Garments should be as good on the inside as they are on the outside, and Edessa strives for that quality, I almost feel that we’re alone at that level,” Dixon-Speller said.

She is proud of the work her students are producing early in their educational journeys and is confident in their potential to thrive as professionals under the guidance of Edessa faculty. As a seasoned industry professional, her garments are displayed in museums across the country, including the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Dixon-Speller encourages her students who aspire to similar places to work hard, to prepare, just as her grandmother taught her to do – and just as visionary designers like Abloh have done.

“You do good work, and they’ll find you,” she said.