President's Charge to Joseph Altuzarra '05

Joseph Altuzarra — born and raised in the very epicenter of fashion, Paris, you came to Swarthmore with an established interest in the field, but no formal design training. So while here, you majored in art and art history and — through a costume workshop in the Theater Department — also learned to sew.

Three years after graduating in 2005, you launched his own fashion line in New York to great acclaim. In 2010, you received an international fashion organization’s rising star award — and the sky’s been the limit ever since. Today, your luxury women’s ready-to-wear and accessories collections grace runways, red carpets, and retail locations around the globe.  

Four years ago, as a way to reduce fashion’s environmental footprint, you launched a sustainable collection created from up-cycled fabric. You also launched a new line, ALTU, that is intentionally genderless, though you prefer the term “genderful.”

Joseph Altuzarra, you have shown how beautifully designed and constructed clothing can inspire a sense of belonging, confidence, and freedom — for yourself and for others. Now, upon the recommendation of the faculty, and by the power vested in me by the Board of Managers of Swarthmore College and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, I have the honor to bestow upon you the degree of Doctor of Arts.