EXECUTIVE MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Professor Dana Keaton– Master Fashion Design Artist & Educator.
The DFC honors Prof. Dana Keaton for her devotion to education, quality of design and skill of garment construction, and her vision for Detroit’s future in fashion.
Master Fashion Design Artist.
Fashion Design extraordinaire Dana Keaton-Wilson is an Artist, Educator, Fashion Designer, and Style Influencer. The former runway model and dancer spent 13 years as a Web designer for Ford Motor Company before taking a job as an instructor at the College for Creative Studies where she also took classes in Art and Fashion illustration. It wasn't until her son bought her a sewing machine for Mother's Day that the artist got serious about designing her own line.
Dana challenged herself to create fashionable works of art with innovative and structured designs that stand on their own. The Dana Keaton Collection guarantees durability presenting styles that are well-built to last and still represents the "fun" in functional fashion. Committed to being a source for trendy design and quality construction, Dana designs for an elegant woman who wants to stand out in a crowd from season to season.
Education is the new Black.
Dana is most proud of her education which took longer than expected to get through. Dana holds a certification in "Women's Entrepreneurship" from the ivy league University of Cornell. She also obtained an MBA in marketing from the University of Phoenix, and a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management. Dana’s passion for education compelled her to develop a youth program teaching Business Management and Marketing, Fashion Design and Illustration, Fine Arts–Drawing, Painting, Photography, Graphic Design, Visual Merchandising Catalog and Product Development.
Pay It Forward.
Dana is currently an Adjunct Professor at Detroit’s prestigious College for Creative Studies, and has facilitated guest lectures at various colleges and universities for major events. Dana also works as an instructor with various Community-based youth programs teaching her award-winning Fashion Design and Modeling program to youth ages 8-17 who have been featured in various events all over Detroit and have been published in domestic and international magazines.
Dana also serves as a mentor to aspiring designers and models across the Metro Detroit area. Last, and certainly not least among a plethora of accomplishments, Dana serves as the Director of Education for the Detroit Fashion Community. Dana’s advice for those aspiring to break into the business of Fashion is, “... Stay innovative. Do your homework and research. Find out what your target market wants and give it to them.”
