Jeffrey Mayer

Jeffrey Mayer is a professor of fashion design and coordinator for the fashion design program. He is also the curator of the Sue Ann Genet Costume Collection. He teaches courses in all areas of fashion design, but specializes in the history of fashion as well as technical and editorial illustration for the fashion industry.

Since 2014 Mayer has been working with Supermodel Emme to develop Fashion Without Limits, an initiative which incorporates size inclusive curriculum into the fashion design program.

Mayer’s research focuses on the history of twentieth century fashion with emphasis on American designers and the construction techniques used to create their designs. His research led to the co-authored book ‘Vintage Details; a Fashion Sourcebook’documenting 160 garments found within the Sue Ann Genet Costume Collection. His subsequent book, co-authored ‘500 Patterns’ highlights textile prints found in the collection; both were published by Laurence King, London.

As the curator of the Sue Ann Genet Costume Collection Mayer has designed several major historic fashion exhibitions for the Everson Museum of Art and Onondaga Historical Society, both located in Syracuse, New York, as well as Gustav Stickley’s Craftsman Farms located in Morris Plains, New Jersey. He designs an annual exhibition to highlight the collection, showcased in the Sue and Leon Genet Gallery located in the School of Design. Mayer is a frequent speaker on the area of historic fashion, giving talks on such varied subjects as diversity in fashion, the rise of American fashion industry, and how to ‘read’ a garment.

From 1995 to 2007 Mayer, along with Todd Conover, owned the women’s wear company Conover Mayer. This design business focused on after five and evening dresses, shown twice a year in NYC, which were sold by retailers such as Barney’s, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman.

Mayer earned his M.A. from the University of Connecticut and a B.A. from Linfield University, McMinnville, Oregon.