Rey Benedict Pador
Associate Professor
2011-2012 MA Fine Arts with specialization in Fashion Design, Magna Cum Laude Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Antwerp, Belgium MA ; 2008-2011 BA Fine Arts with specialization in Fashion Design Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp
Given his formative experience with a traditional dressmaking background, Pador’s work as an educator places a strong emphasis on technical application as the foundation upon which to establish a label and envision a brand. Eschewing an overly conceptual or trend-based understanding of couture, Pador stresses to his students the importance of situating their compositions in craft, and emphasizes the significance of Detroit’s history as a mecca of quality manufacturing.
Pador’s recognition of the city’s potential as a site for ateliers drove his emphasis to base himself in Detroit as much as the city’s rich artistic and musical history—cultural exports that strongly influenced his upbringing in Germany. Following teaching positions in Germany, Belgium, India and the U.S.—most recently, at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago—Pador has recognized an innate affinity to Detroit in himself, and expects to make the city his home base for years to come.
Professional Experience
A native of Germany, Pador’s career in fashion began with a focus on the craft of dressmaking, gaining technical training through his experiences at Brigitte Kehrer and Holzenbecher Fashion Schools in Stuttgart. In 2012, Pador graduated with a Master’s degree in fashion design from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium—a program that cemented itself in the 1980s as one of the formative localities for cutting-edge design. Following in the footsteps of the Academy’s distinguished alumni, Pador has worked for numerous high fashion houses in Antwerp, Paris, New York and Milan. Under his company „GHOST“ he assisted on design concepts for clients such as Marc Jacobs and Dries Van Noten.Â
