What PLC Detroit Students Learned From a Conversation With Fashion Designer B. Michael

A designer’s finished work can reveal a distinctive point of view, but a conversation offers another way to understand the person behind it. For students at Pensole Lewis College of Business & Design, interviewing fashion designer B. Michael brought their education into direct contact with someone whose career is part of American fashion history.

The students, known as BlackLights, joined B. Michael at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit for “Stitched in Excellence.” The exchange explored design, inspiration and Black creative legacy, connecting emerging talent with an established designer whose work spans millinery, couture and ready-to-wear.

His designs have been worn by celebrated figures including Cicely Tyson. Speaking with him gave students an opportunity to ask about his career, his inspirations and how he developed his approach to design.

B. Michael’s reflection on the evening also made clear that the exchange held meaning for him.

“What an unforgettable, deeply moving evening at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit. ‘Stitched in Excellence’ was so much more than a conversation about fashion—it was a celebration of legacy, education, and the passing of the torch.

“Sharing the stage with the visionary students from Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design and the College for Creative Studies (CCS) reminded us exactly why we do this work. The future of American design is in brilliant, capable, and resilient hands.”

His words capture the broader educational value of the experience. Alongside the opportunity to explore his work, the conversation offered a setting for students to consider how history, individual perspective and relationships across generations can inform their own development.

Understanding the history behind the work

Fashion history is often encountered through photographs, exhibitions and finished garments. Speaking with a designer creates a different point of connection, allowing students to engage with someone whose decisions and experiences have contributed to that history.

For emerging creatives, understanding those contributions can provide context for the work they hope to produce. A design exists within a larger cultural story, shaped by the people who create it, the influences they draw upon and the individuals who wear it.

The setting for “Stitched in Excellence” reinforced that relationship. At a museum dedicated to preserving and sharing Black history and culture, the students’ exploration of design became part of a broader consideration of Black creative contributions.

It also brought the idea of legacy into the present. B. Michael was there to speak with students who are developing the skills and perspectives that will shape their own careers. The exchange connected an established body of work with the possibilities still ahead of them.

Recognizing the value of an individual perspective

For students, developing as a designer involves learning techniques while discovering what they want their work to express. Their backgrounds, interests and experiences can help inform that process.

“Learning directly from designers like B. Michael helps our students connect what they’re studying with the experiences of those who have built careers in the industry,” said Nikki Taylor, director of student services at PLC Detroit. “Learning about the designers who came before them helps our students see how their own experiences and ideas can shape their work and contribute to the future of design.”

Taylor’s observation gives the experience a practical connection to creative development. Learning about an established designer can help students consider how a professional identity takes shape over time, while encouraging them to examine the influences that matter in their own lives.

That process requires room for exploration. Emerging designers may still be determining which disciplines interest them, what questions they want their work to address and how they want to contribute to the field. Exposure to different careers gives them more context for making those decisions.

B. Michael’s career across several areas of fashion offered one example of the breadth a creative practice can encompass.

Learning to ask questions

The BlackLights took an active role in the event as interviewers. That distinction matters because preparing questions and listening to the answers are valuable parts of a creative education.

Interviewing an established professional requires students to think about what they want to understand. It invites them to look beyond the visibility of a career and consider the experiences behind it.

For anyone preparing to enter a creative field, curiosity can become a professional habit. Asking thoughtful questions can open conversations about influences, choices and working practices that are difficult to understand through finished work alone.

The opportunity also gives students experience engaging with professionals. As they move toward careers, the ability to listen, explain their interests and participate in a substantive exchange can support the relationships they build.

Seeing themselves as part of the future

B. Michael’s description of the students as “brilliant, capable, and resilient” brought another dimension to the evening. His reflection recognized their potential and placed them within his vision for the future of American design.

That acknowledgment complements the purpose of industry access: helping emerging creatives connect their education with a professional future they can begin to imagine for themselves.

PLC Detroit is Michigan’s only historically Black college or university and the nation’s only design-focused HBCU. Through education, mentorship, brand partnerships and a learn-by-doing approach, the college connects creative development with professional opportunity.

“Stitched in Excellence” extended that approach into a cultural institution, bringing students together with a designer whose career offered a connection between history and practice.

For the BlackLights, the experience provided an opportunity to explore the legacies that inform their field while developing perspectives of their own. For B. Michael, it was also an occasion to recognize the promise of the students sharing the stage with him. That exchange gave substance to his description of the evening as a passing of the torch.

For more information about PLC Detroit and its programs, visit www.plcdetroit.com.