Introducing IU's 2026 FSF Scholars: Pt. 2

IU junior Danaka Howard has been awarded the 2026 Fashion Scholarship Fund (FSF) Case Study Scholarship and has been recognized as a 2026 Virgil Abloh “Post Modern” Scholar. Howard is a major in the merchandising program in the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design in the College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University. In her award-winning case study "Reform," Howard proposed a collaboration between the high fashion brand Miu Miu and the  nonprofit World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as a way of demonstrating how luxury brands can inspire change in the fashion industry. 

Together with Audessa Schaefer, Howard is of of two IU students recognized in the case-study competition this year and IU’s only Abloh Scholar, a distinction created by the late designer to “expand opportunities in the fashion industry [for] students who identify as Black or African American and those who reflect the creativity, curiosity, and progressive spirit that drive this work forward.” Howard is the Eskenazi School’s seventh Abloh Scholar since 2022. 

Bearing the tagline “where luxury meets responsibility,” “Reform” is Howard’s response to the FSF’s prompt to forge a collaboration between a fashion brand and a nonfashion brand. The goal of combining Miu Miu and WWF is “to inspire change within the luxury sector in how brands approach sustainability and animal welfare,” Howard said. The collection comprises a wide range of upcycled and faux materials, says Howard, emphasizing the importance of sustainability in luxury fashion. The case study also includes a program proposal for Miu Miu, called “Miu Miu Circular.” The program aims to promote garment longevity and encourage recycled fashion by having customers return their old Miu Miu apparel in exchange for store credit. (Learn more about Howard’s case study project “Reform,” at her page on the FSF website.)   

Howard credited her time in the Eskenazi School course “Case Studies in Merchandising” with helping her create her project. The eight-week course is designed specifically to prepare students applying for the FSF Case Study Scholarship. Howard used a variety of resources to create her case study, such as using ChatGPT to help her create a product assortment of the types of clothes featured in the collaboration. Preparing her case study also helped her develop skills in project management, creative problem-solving, and innovative thinking, she said. She encouraged other merchandising and fashion design students to apply for the scholarship next year because of the valuable skills to be gained in the process.  

Howard said that she became a merchandising major because it fulfills her creative side. “I have always been passionate about the intersection of creativity, business, and fashion,” Howard said. “I wanted a career that feels different every day, where I can apply creative thinking and skills in a practical and operational way.” 

The nonprofit FSF supports students interested in the fashion industry through their yearly case study competition, which provides college funding, mentorships, internships, full-time jobs, and a complimentary trip to New York to attend the FSF Awards Gala. The Abloh Scholarship Fund, which also extends funding and career opportunities, is one of 32 named scholarships the FSF awards on the basis of the case study, among other factors.  

Howard plans to attend this year’s gala on March 23, where she looks forward to networking with retail industry professionals and meeting other students with similar interests and passions.