FASHION
FIDM Names New Co-Chairs of Fashion Design Program
The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising has named two designers and longtime school supporters to become the co-chairs of FIDM’s fashion design program, which encompasses four campuses.
Nick Verreos and David Paul, the co-founders of the Nikolaki fashion label and the forces behind the brand NV Nick Verreos, are taking over the position previously held by Christine Yao, who left in July to work in design and product development for accessories, apparel and home at furniture retailer Williams-Sonoma.
Mary Stephens continues in her job as FIDM creative director, fashion design.
Verreos has been teaching at FIDM since 2003 and often is the master of ceremonies for the annual FIDM student fashion show.
While heading up the fashion design program, the two designers will continue to work on their fashion labels while Verreos will also maintain his careers as a TV red-carpet commentator and a fashion consultant.
Both designers graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles. Verreos has a bachelor’s degree in political science and Paul has a bachelor’s degree in theater arts and a master’s degree in costume design from that school. After graduating from UCLA, Verreos went on to study at FIDM, where he graduated from the advanced fashion design program.
Verreos gained national and international attention in 2005 when he participated in the second season of the reality TV show “Project Runway,” where fashion designers competed against each other for a design mentorship with Banana Republic and seed money to start their own line. Verreos finished fifth.
In 2014, he became the winning mentor on the TV series “Project Runway: Under the Gunn.”
FIDM was established in Los Angeles in 1969 as a for-profit institution by Tonian Hohberg, who is still the school’s president and chief executive.
The school now has campuses in San Francisco, San Diego and Orange County, with a student population of more than 4,500 students and more than 70,000 graduates, including Los Angeles designers Monique Lhuillier and Karen Kane.
