Safe Keeping, Emily Sontag, 2026

Designer Emily Sontag’s love of old objects was a point of connection for her and Grandpa George, who was a collector of all kinds of relics. After he passed away in 2024, he left behind an entire world to declutter. Safe Keeping translates the shapes of objects into silhouettes, exploring humor and grief, a composition of random found objects, referencing generational connections and divisions, and utilizing things owned by George Rocklein on the basis of giving them a new existence. An archive and a memorial, Safe Keeping preserves a space that no longer exists, exploring what it looks like to keep and to let go of what we inherit in an everchanging world.

The Design Show

The Design Show features garments, accessories, lookbooks, fragrances, and portfolio work, offering visitors an opportunity to engage with both the finished collections and the creative processes behind them. Together, these presentations reveal the breadth of ideas, approaches, and perspectives that define the Fashion Design Class of 2026.

The work on view reflects the creativity, rigor, and vision of a new generation of designers shaping the future of fashion through thoughtful and engaged practice.