Debera Johnson leads Pratt’s commitment to integrate sustainability into education, research and practice. She is the Executive Director of Pratt’s Center for Sustainable Design Studies and founded the Pratt Design Incubator for Sustainable Innovation, in 2002 during her tenure as chair of Pratt’s Industrial Design program. Over the past 12 years the Incubator has launched over 38 social and environmental enterprises in four sectors: energy, fashion, product design and social entrepreneurship. Johnson also developed the new Certificate in Design Entrepreneurship program at Pratt. Her newest initiative is the Brooklyn Fashion and Design Accelerator (BF+DA) which will open its doors to the public in July 2014. The Accelerator offers 28 studios for makers, including fashion and product designers, filmmakers, photographers and transmedia designers. The BF+DA is a citywide resource for business development, apparel production, digital fabrication, showroom space and event space. The Accelerator is focused on the intersection of fashion and technology and the redefinition of the fashion industry to benefit the environment and society. Johnson also founded and leads the Partnership for Academic Leadership in Sustainability (PALS), 25 art and design colleges that are working collaboratively to advance sustainability in art and design programs.
Session Title: Accelerating Change – The Brooklyn Fashion + Design Accelerator
