Sass Brown, our new Acting Assistant Dean, has been appointed to replace Dr. Erika Massaquoi, who left in April.  Brown is student-conscious,  eco-conscious,  a dedicated promoter of sustainable fashion, and about to publish her second book on eco fashion and accessories.

“She not only has her heart in the right place but her intelligence and creativity as well,” says Dean Joanne Arbuckle. “Assistant Dean Brown has great knowledge of our fashion programs, and will be an enormous asset.”

Brown has been the Resident Director for FIT’s study abroad program in Florence and a full-time professor in the Fashion Design department. Brown received her BA in fashion design from Ravensbourne College of Art and Design  in the U.K. and her master’s in Global Fashion Management from FIT.

Before entering academia, Brown was a designer with her own signature collection in the U.K. and Canada. She has published papers and spoken around the world on the topic of sustainable design, worked and volunteered in women’s cooperatives in South America, and taught workshops for manufacturers and fashion enterprises throughout South America and China.

Her first book, “Eco Fashion,” has been translated into Italian and Spanish.

“We’ve moved way beyond organic cotton T-shirts and baggy hemp pants,” she says. “Today, eco fashion must be chic, with materials and production truly sustainable, not only in procurement but also in processing and disposal.”

Photo credit:  Kah Poon