Colbey Emmerson Reid and Justin Dougan-LeBlanc Named to Newcity's 2026 Design 50

Colbey Emmerson Reid, PhD, director of 's School of Fashion (left), and Justin Dougan-LeBlanc, professor of fashion studies, were named to “Newcity's” 2026 Design 50 list recognizing leaders shaping Chicago's design community. Photos by Joseph A. MietusColbey Emmerson Reid, PhD, director of 's School of Fashion (left), and Justin Dougan-LeBlanc, professor of fashion studies, were named to “Newcity's” 2026 Design 50 list recognizing leaders shaping Chicago's design community. Photos by Joseph A. Mietus
"Newcity" recognized School of Fashion director Colbey Emmerson Reid, PhD, and fashion studies professor Justin Dougan-LeBlanc on their annual list of people who shape Chicago's design landscape.

Colbey Emmerson Reid, PhD and  have been named to “, an annual list recognizing the people shaping Chicago's design landscape through innovation, leadership, and creative influence. 

The recognition places both faculty members among a diverse group of designers, artists, educators, and creative leaders whose work is helping define the future of design in Chicago. 

They were joined on this year's list by alum , a graphic artist and creative director whose clients include Britney Spears, Fall Out Boy, and "RuPaul's Drag Race" winner Shea Couleé '11. Known for work spanning branding, merchandise, murals, custom typography, and activism, Polyak's recognition further reflects Columbia's impact on Chicago's creative community. 

Research, Innovation, and Industry Impact 

For Reid, director of Columbia's School of Fashion, the honor reflects not only her own work but also the broader impact of Columbia's creative community. 

"I think any time a Columbia faculty member, staff or student is recognized by a prominent cultural institution in the city or beyond, it is an acknowledgment of the sometimes undersung quality of what we all are doing at Columbia every day," says Reid. 

She sees the recognition as another example of the influence Columbia faculty, students, and alumni—including fellow Design 50 honoree Dan Polyak '11—continue to have on the creative industries. 

"We are leaders in the fashion and design communities in the city," says Reid. "But we're a teaching institution and sometimes people think that means we aren't also design leaders." 

In addition to leading the School of Fashion during a period of growing visibility and recognition, Reid's scholarship explores the intersections of style, technology, consumer culture, and innovation. Her current projects include a forthcoming book examining style from an evolutionary perspective, a research initiative exploring value and process in fashion design, and an international collaboration using speculative design to examine immigration, craft traditions, and cultural exchange. 

Reid is also the founder of Columbia's Fashion Lab, which connects students with industry partners to address real-world challenges through design research. 

Over the years, those collaborations have helped students develop solutions for major companies while demonstrating the value of academic expertise beyond the classroom. 

"The industry partners I collaborate with aren't working with me or with my students to teach us," says Reid. "They are working with us to learn from us." 

For Reid, some of the most rewarding moments come when students recognize the value of their own knowledge and research. 

"I love that moment in a final presentation when an executive starts asking my students questions about their own business and my students realize: I know the answers to these questions," says Reid. "My expertise is desired by these fancy people. It is so, so cool." 

Working Across Disciplines 

Dougan-LeBlanc's work similarly challenges traditional boundaries, moving between fashion, sculpture, installation, technology, and spatial design. 

"I've always been interested in the spaces between disciplines," says Dougan-LeBlanc. "That's truly where the magic happens." 

Throughout his career, Dougan-LeBlanc has embraced an interdisciplinary approach, using different mediums depending on what an idea requires. His Deaf experience and relationship to sign language have become increasingly central to his practice, shaping how he thinks about movement, interaction, communication, and the ways people navigate environments. 

Rather than viewing fashion, architecture, and technology as separate fields, Dougan-LeBlanc sees them as tools that can be combined to create new forms of engagement and understanding. 

Being named to the Design 50 is particularly meaningful, he says, because it reflects the collaborative nature of Chicago's creative community. 

"Creative careers are built not only through individual effort, but also through communities that create space for experimentation, visibility, and growth," says Dougan-LeBlanc. 

As an educator, he encourages students to balance emerging technologies with hands-on exploration and material understanding. 

"I often remind students that technology should support ideas, not drive them," says Dougan-LeBlanc. "Some of the most interesting work happens when technology and hands-on exploration inform one another rather than compete with one another." 

Although their work takes different forms, both Reid and Dougan-LeBlanc share a commitment to expanding how design is understood, practiced, and taught. Through scholarship, industry partnerships, creative research, and interdisciplinary experimentation, they continue to shape conversations within Chicago's design community while preparing the next generation of creative leaders. 

Their inclusion in “Newcity's” 2026 Design 50 reflects both their individual contributions and 's ever-present influence on the city's creative future. 

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