Fashion designer Donna Ricco returns to Milwaukee to join Mount Mary faculty

When Donna Ricco first went to college, she wasn't sure what profession she should pursue.

She was studying fine arts at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. But everything changed when she discovered a fashion program at another university in her hometown, the Catholic school nearby, Mount Mary University.

"When I came to Mount Mary, I realized there was something within me — I had a talent," Ricco recalled.

Once she graduated in 1981, Ricco traded her native Milwaukee for the world of fashion in New York City and launched her own brand. Soon, she became a nationally acclaimed fashion designer with dresses sold at major department and other chain stores across the country.

In 2008, Ricco's career further catapulted when Michelle Obama wore one of her dresses during a campaign appearance on the television show "The View." 

Now, 30-some years since she left Milwaukee, Ricco wishes to give back to the university and the community that sparked her love for fashion. Mount Mary officials announced this week Ricco would be returning to her alma mater in a newly created teaching position in the fashion program.

"I feel as if I'm coming full circle by returning to Mount Mary, in a way I never expected," Ricco said. "I want to help inspire students the way I was inspired while I was a student here." 

Mount Mary University President Christine Pharr said she is ecstatic that Ricco will be returning to help expand their fashion department, the university's largest program.

Graduates in the two fashion majors, fashion design and merchandise management, accounted for 18% of Mount Mary graduates in the 2016-'17 school year, according to university data.

"I can't tell you how happy I am that we have an alum who has received this kind of national prominence and wants to come back and give back to her alma mater," Pharr said. "I just don't think it gets much better than that."      

'Hey Donna, you want a job?'

But how did the partnership with Ricco start? That's a funny story, Pharr said.

Mount Mary had been searching for a new chair of the department for nearly two years. Pharr said the university began reaching out to some of their most prominent alumni.

"Someone joked 'Hey Donna, you want a job?'" Pharr recalled through chuckles. "Then she said, 'Well, maybe.'" 

Over the course of the conversation, Ricco found she was interested in helping, although she'd never taught. 

She had retired from the day-to-day designing for her brand about four years ago and felt she had a lot to give, especially since she no longer held the hectic schedule of a fashion designer. 

"Stepping away (from the company) gave me the opportunity to think about how I wanted to give back to the industry, to students and the 'up and comers' in fashion," Ricco said. "I feel like I have so much to offer." 

The new position

Although the fashion industry was "very different' when she was attending school at Mount Mary, Ricco said her decades of experience and connections to experts and big players in the industry will open doors for students.

During monthly visits, Ricco said she hopes to help critique design students' work, as well as connect them with experts who she may bring along with her to speak in classes. Ricco will work remotely from her home in New York between visits.

"I'm so proud to carry on this (Mount Mary's) tradition, to help keep the fashion program current and engaged with the industry today," Ricco said, noting social media and technology have played huge roles in changing the industry over the years.

In addition, Ricco said she's thrilled to return to the community as a whole, and to hopefully help spark more life in the fashion industry locally.

"I can't wait for my initiation back to Milwaukee, too," Ricco said. "As an entreprenuer, I'm anxious to meet fashion visionaries in Milwaukee and hear their stories of startups and competition in this rapidly evolving industry."

Pharr said Ricco will be the perfect fit for the school's fashion program and can't wait to see how students, and the community, benefit from her presence.

"It'll help our students have a much more expansive experience with fashion," Pharr said. "I think not only will this help our university and our students, but also the community of Milwaukee as a fashion hub."

Reporter Samantha West can be reached at SJWest@gannett.com or on Twitter @SamanthaWest196.