About

As a teenager at Croydon College, I was runner-up in the Grolsch Showcase fashion competition judged by John Galliano and Wayne Hemmingway of Red or Dead. This began my fashion career.

After graduating from Ravensbourne College for Design and Communication in England in 1995 with a degree in Fashion Design and Textiles, I moved to New York City to work for Here and There, one of the leading trend forecast companies, now owned by the Donegar Group.

In 1996 I joined Wilke-Rodriguez, where I worked in private label design for Club Monaco, Edwin Jeans, Bacharach, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Structure. I progressed to Head Designer for collection where I took full creative control of the label. Benjamin Bratt and Bobby Cannavale modeled in our advertisements, and the brand had a strong following with Johnny Depp, Jeremy Piven, Scott Wolf, Matthew Fox, Jeremey London, Jay Mohr, Michael Weatherly, Kevin Bacon, Matt Dillon, Hanson, Bobby Flay, and sports personalities Allan Houston and Rick Delgado.

Wilke Rodriguez showed at 10 NYC Fashion Week shows and presentations like a collaboration with Penthouse magazine and Bacardi at Metrzour in Grand Central station in addition to Underwear license with Isaco, ties with Superba and socks a division of Keeper’s International. Wilke Rodriguez was purchased by The Men’s Wearhouse to become a private label brand to add to their existing brands of Calvin Klein, Lauren by Ralph Lauren, Kenneth Cole, and Joseph Abboud. The agreement included the name-sake brand Eddie Rodriguez, a men’s and women’s brand targeted at the Latin community with seven free-standing stores.

At Macy's, I was the Design Director for Alfani, Alfani Red, and Via Europa, the store's largest private label brands where I continued to grow the brand seasonally becoming the most profitable in Menswear. Alfani Red was a brand extension developed through a collaboration with Grammy award-winning musical artist Neyo, which covered tailored clothing and sportswear with a slimmer fit and more modern aesthetic.

In 2013 I moved to San Francisco to join the Academy of Art University, ranked as one of the top fashion schools in the world. The School of Fashion has approximately 2,500 students onsite and online specializing in Fashion Design for Womenswear, Menswear, Childrenswear; Accessories; Technical Design; Knitwear Design and Construction; Textiles Design; Costume Design; Fashion Illustration; Fashion Journalism: Fashion Marketing: Visual Merchandising; and Product Development.

Fashion design students have been successful in industry-based competitions like CFDA Scholarship, CFDA Geoffrey Beene, CFDA Liz Claiborne, Joes Black Book, Royal Society of Arts, as well as the MET Metropolitan Museum – Manus x Machina curated by Andrew Bolton and Judged by threeASFOUR and the California Fashion Foundation. In May 2016 the department launched our own private label brand called Shop 657, to be housed in the retail space on 657 Sutter Street in San Francisco.

Students have gone on to have internships and jobs at. Rodarte. Abercrombie & Fitch, Adidas, Alexander McQueen, Azzedine Alaïa, Banana Republic, BCBG Max Azria, Bill Blass, Blanc de Chine, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Corso Como 10, Chloë, Celine, Diane von Fürstenberg, Donna Karan, Gap, Kate Spade, Kiton, L.A.M.B., L'Ecole Lesage Paris–Atelier de Broderie, Liz Claiborne, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Martin Margiela, Martine Sitbon, Missoni, Nike, Nordstrom, The North Face, Old Navy, Oscar de la Renta, Phillip Lim, Pottery Barn, Ralph Lauren, Reebok, Roland Mouret, Rodarte, St. John, Saint Laurent, Threeasfour, Tocca, Viktor & Rolf, Vivienne Westwood, and Williams-Sonoma.

Students continue to develop their skills with our exchange programs in AUT New Zealand as well as our French Exchange program in Paris with L’Ecole de a Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne now known as IFM Institut Français de la Mode., Studio Bercot and Kingston UK.

The Academy of Art University continues to push fashion boundaries, develop new curriculum, and lead in fashion education.