Keanan Duffty: The University of Experience
After a career filled with creative risks and a few hard-earned lessons, the CFDA designer is helping the next generation find its own path.
Designer. Musician. Entrepreneur. Educator.
Keanan Duffty has never followed fashion’s traditional path. Now, after a career filled with creative risks, extraordinary collaborations and a few hard-earned lessons, the CFDA member is sharing his knowledge. There may be no better name for Duffty’s current venture than The University of Failure.
Not because his career has been defined by failure — quite the opposite. Duffty’s CV reads like a study in reinvention: Central Saint Martins, New York Fashion Week, a record deal, his own retail store, global distribution, collaborations with David Bowie, Reebok, Aveda and Dr. Martens, and creative roles with brands ranging from John Varvatos to Gwen Stefani’s L.A.M.B. His designs have landed on the floors of Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdale’s, Barneys, Harrods and Harvey Nichols. Today, he runs the Master of Science in Fashion Innovation program at USC’s Jimmy Iovine and Andre “Dr. Dre” Young Academy — but Duffty understands something that only comes with experience: the missteps can be every bit as instructive as the successes.