Marie Aja-Herrera

Fashion professor

Professional experience

Professor of fashion, Sept. 1999-present, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA
Departmental M.F.A./M.A. graduate program liaison/co-coordinator, departmental freshman/graduate advisor, departmental internship and industrial project advisor, competitions advisor, member of annual fashion show team of co-coordinators.

Chair of fashion design, Sept. 1997-Sept. 1999, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA
Invited from England to teach and run the B.F.A., M.F.A., and M.A. fashion design programs.

Head of design, Sept. 1996-April 1997, Twins Enterprise PLC
Head of European design office of an American proactive sportswear company based out of Boston, MA. Dealt with menswear apparel for all American college sports plus licensed apparel products for Warner Bros., Disney, Nike, and United Artists. In charge of the design team for logos, graphic design, and the apparel section. Responsibilities included implementing marketing and merchandising strategies, color and trend development, design, sourcing, and interaction with all overseas clients and production units.

Dean/faculty of art and design, April 1995-April 1996, The American University in Dubai
Active in the implementation and setting up of five design departments from original conception to operational status. The different design disciplines implemented included the following: Fashion Design/Fashion Design & Merchandising/Commercial Art & Illustration/Interior Design/Video. Responsible for liaison between the University and the U.A.E. Minister of Education. One-year contract only due to commitments.

Brand/design director CAD/knitwear/textiles, Aug. 1992-Feb. 1995, Jacques Vert PLC
Responsible for all printed textiles and knitwear in the company. Also instrumental in developing two new brands, with input and responsibility for five different brands within the group. A total of approximately 200+ pieces per brand. Initially employed to set up CAD design systems within the company and the retraining of all existing design personnel with the new technology.

Chair of fashion design and chair of fashion merchandising, Sept. 1989-July 1992, The American College in London
Head of two B.A. degree courses, responsible for curriculum development, course development, and teaching. Other responsibilities included course coordinator, competitions, industrial liaison, work placements, staff and student development, transfer credits, liaison for international college exchange programs, interviewing, writing, and implementation of new courses (i.e., M.A. course in Fashion Design/Fashion Merchandising).

Freelance design consultancy

Fashion book editorial book reviewer, 2006-2008, Fairchild Publishers and Prentice Hall
Collaborated on four different editorials regarding forecasting and fashion, and fashion illustration

Specialist consultant and member, Academic Accreditation Board of Hong Kong, 2016-present
Member, Harvard Club, Harvard Book Scholarship Committee, 2015-present
The Arts Club, London, 2012-present
National Association of Professional Women (NAPW), 2012
The American Association of University Women, 2009-present

Key speaker at the annual International Textiles Review Conference, Savannah, GA, 2007.
“First Ladies: Political Role & Public Image.” Lecture at The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, Atlanta, GA, 2005.
“Fashion and Art.” Preface for Picture Perfect Fashion in Art, by Stephanie Hoppen, 2003-2004.
“The Avant-garde and Futurism in Fashion.” Editorial in Threads magazine, 2003-2004.
“Wovens.” Womenswear proactive sportswear presentation at NIKE, Hilversum, Amsterdam, Holland, 1997 and 1999.