Designing Your Career with Burak Cakmak

Career Curves

Many people assume that to work in a particular field, you have to have a degree in that field. Well, sometimes this is true but not always.
On this episode, we’re joined by Burak Cakmak who became Dean of Fashion at Parsons School of Design even though he didn't study fashion or have experience as a fashion designer. What he did have was a rich background in other aspects of the fashion business, especially supply chain and sustainability. Burak shares the deliberate actions he took to develop his expertise, gain exposure to all aspects of the industry, and build the credibility needed to rise to where he is today.
It's an unforgettable story loaded with wisdom that can be applied in any industry.
Meet the Guest
Burak Cakmak, Dean of Fashion at Parson School of Design, has extensive experience in forging strong partnerships as a business strategist and sustainability expert for some of the largest, most prestigious retail companies and luxury brands in the world.

He is focused on guiding the fashion programs at Parsons School of Design into a new era, where an emphasis on socially conscious and transformational design formulates the educational approach and training of the next generation of creators.

Prior to joining Parsons, Cakmak worked at Swarovski Group as the company’s first Vice President of Corporate Responsibility. Before that, he acted as General Manager of MADE-BY Benelux in the Netherlands. As the first Director of Corporate Sustainability for Kering, Cakmak spearheaded innovation-driven sustainability strategies. His career began at Gap Inc., where he served as the Senior Manager of Social Responsibility for eight years.
Links
Check out these links to learn more about Burak and Parsons School of Design:

• The BFA Fashion Design program at Parsons
• Burak on LinkedIn
• Burak on Instagram

To access the the publications Burak wrote for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, follow these links:

• Biotrade designer’s toolkit 2 : yellow anaconda (Eunectes Notaeus) : sustainable materials for the fashion industry : biodiversity, ecosystems, community impact review
• Biotrade designer’s toolkit 3 : Morelet’s crododile, Crocodylus moreletti : sustainable materials for the fashion industry : biodiversity, ecosystems, community impact review