College for Creative Studies Rising Stars Illuminate Milan Design Week

Explore the Projects

“Having my work shown in Milan Design Week felt so unreal, but I also felt so proud of my team. We all worked extremely hard, for many long hours, days and weeks to make sure our project was perfect.”

– Yostina Kaoud ’24, Color & Materials Design

In what was once home to the historic Carminati Toselli factory for tram and railway rolling stock, the Fabbrica del Vapore showcased undergraduate CCS Communication Design student work during the INTERDEPENDENCE international exhibition. As part of the larger Milan Design Week, INTERDEPENDENCE reflected relationships connecting projects of Politecnico di Milano students with those of 50 international design schools. Four of these projects were from CCS Communication Design students: Luke Fabricatore, Rebecca Hernandez, Yasmin Ali, Madi Ritemburg and Lucy VanEerde. Their projects explored concepts in reframing immigrants through an immigrant lens, a first generation social advocate experience and empowering Native people to reclaim their history.

Also participating in Salone del Mobile, undergraduate Interior Design and graduate Color & Materials Design students were one of only six international design schools asked to participate in the six-day UNFOLD exhibition hosted by Domus Academy. UNFOLD showcased design prototypes addressing crucial global challenges through design as a problem-solving discipline and as a form of communication. CCS students Yostina Kaoud (MFA Color & Materials Design), An Luu (BFA Interior Design), Yuya Cheng (MFA Color & Materials Design) and Yasmeen Khalifa (BFA Interior Design) were in attendance and presented their work from a Winter sponsored project with the local Detroit non-profit Changing Lives and Staying Sober (the C.L.A.S.S. Agency). C.L.A.S.S. asked students to create an environment that promotes a safe space, holistic healing and transformation for a newly acquired residential property that will serve as a safe haven for prevention, intervention and substance use disorder treatment for both adults and children.

“It was an honor to bring both CCS and C.L.A.S.S. Agency to an international viewpoint. So thankful to showcase our group’s work and passion — it was overwhelming in the best way possible. It provided a space with new ideas and new horizons where I was able to talk and learn with fellow students and schools from all over the globe.”

– Yasmeen Khalifa ’25, Interior Design