Jay Calderin

Jay Calderin serves as a Visiting Lecturer in Fashion Design at Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt), Director of Community Relations at the School of Fashion Design in Boston, and teaches at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. He founded Boston Fashion Week in 1995 and served as its Executive Director, later appointed Creative Director of the first Chengdu Fashion Week in China in 2012.

Calderin's research interests focus on practical fashion design education, fashion accessibility for differently-abled individuals, and representation of marginalized communities in fashion. His work bridges academic instruction with industry practice, emphasizing the importance of inclusive design processes that consider diverse body types and cultural identities. His Fashion Accessibility Project demonstrated how involving end-users in design creates better outcomes for all wearers, not just those with disabilities.

His publications reveal consistent themes across fashion education, technical specifications, and industry practices. Calderin's books serve as foundational references that translate complex design concepts into accessible knowledge for students and professionals, with particular attention to the practical realities of working in the fashion industry that aren't typically covered in formal education.

• Big Brother of the Year from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay (2009)
• Mentor of the Year from Youth Design (2014)
• Boston Arts Academy Honors Medal (2018)
• Mentor of the Year from Boston Design Week (2019)
• Lifetime Achievement Award at Boston Fashion Awards (2021)
• ALX100 Honoree from Amplify Latinx (2023)

As an educator and mentor, Calderin has influenced countless students through his teaching positions and Boston Fashion Week's student runway shows. His community-focused initiatives like the Fashion Accessibility Project demonstrate his commitment to using fashion as a vehicle for social change. Calderin serves on the Boston Arts Academy's Fashion Technology Advisory Board and has worked with numerous cultural institutions including the Peabody Essex Museum, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and Harvard University.

Calderin directs Boston Fashion Week, which has evolved into a significant platform for emerging designers, and collaborates with institutions like the Villa Victoria Center for the Arts on exhibitions exploring Latinx and LGBTQIA identities through fashion. His work with the Peabody Essex Museum's Fashion & Design Gallery and initiatives like Science Surfaces demonstrate his commitment to interdisciplinary approaches that connect fashion with science, technology, and cultural expression.