Jordan Dennett '05

About Jordan

Hometown:
Santa Barbara, CA

University Partner:
Parsons The New School for Design

Degree:
B.F.A. in Fashion Design, 2006

Grant Partner:
Vineyard Vines

Senior Mentor:
Nate Whiteley, Director, Corporate Sales & Sponsorship

"Steamboat Foundation gave me a chance to interact and become friends with talented and driven individuals from all different fields. Its executives are models of professionalism, wisdom, generosity and integrity who inspired us by the values they upheld, especially in their commitment to give back to others."

Scholar Background

Since the age of 13, Jordan has been designing sportswear, a passion derived from his desire to find clothes that he himself would want to wear. He developed a sense of style that consistently foreshadowed popular trends, drawing inspirations from the classic detailing of vintage finds. Pursuing fashion design academically at Parsons, Jordan received numerous awards, including the Young Men’s Apparel Scholarship and the Gallen BFA Fashion Scholarship Award. During his senior year, he focused on introducing his own women’s ready-to-wear collection. Jordan gained experience in luxury American sportswear while working with Michael Kors for two years, learning how to “let the fabric do the work.” He also interned at Isaac Mizrahi as a design assistant alongside his mentor Trevor Ballin, former design director at Isaac Mizrahi before joining Gap, Inc. Frequently confronted by the competitive and superficial fashion world, Jordan finds balance in his faith as an active member of the Origins Church in New York City.

Internship Highlight

Jordan worked with the production team at Vineyard Vines to develop new women’s products for the Spring and Fall '06 seasons. His assignments included researching the market, drawing technical flats and illustrations, selecting color palettes, and preparing technical detail information sheets for factories overseas. Jordan was given time to research and work on a more refined illustration technique, an opportunity that is rare in the fashion industry workplace. He particularly appreciated being able to observe what distinguishes more commercially successful products and having the opportunity to come up with new designs on his own.