NEW YORK, USA // Dennis Freedman is the award-winning Creative Director behind luxury specialty retailer Barneys New York. In his role, Mr. Freedman is responsible for the overall creative direction of Barneys New York, providing leadership in the areas of all photographic and video images, graphic design, store design and image, and visual merchandising. Mr. Freedman also serves as creative curator of the Barneys New York windows, engaging various artists, designers, and creative partners for a constantly evolving mix of style influencers.
During his time at Barneys New York, Mr. Freedman has collaborated with legendary editor Carine Roitfeld, performer Lady Gaga, world-renowned art collector Dakis Joannou, and the Walt Disney Company, among many others. The results have been vibrant and unexpected window displays, advertising campaigns, and limited-edition merchandise collections that capture popular culture, high fashion, and contemporary art through the luxury lens of Barneys New York.
Before joining Barneys New York in early 2011, Mr. Freedman spent nearly 20 years as the founding Creative Director of W, transforming it into the benchmark for fashion magazines around the world. As a leader in the fields of fashion, design, and art, Mr. Freedman is celebrated for marrying the three mediums and revolutionizing how fashion is presented-a unique viewpoint he continues to apply at Barneys. During his time at W, the magazine was awarded two dozen Society of Publication Designer Awards, three National Magazine Awards for Photography (more than any other fashion magazine), and three Alfred Eisenstadt Awards for Photography from the Columbia School of Journalism. Celebrated photographers Richard Avedon, Bruce Weber, Steven Meisel, Mario Testino, Steven Klein, Mario Sorrenti, Craig McDean, David Sims, and Juergen Teller have all collaborated with him. Photographs commissioned and directed by Mr.
Freedman have been shown at museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art, London's National Portrait Gallery, The International Center for Photography, and The Los Angeles County Museum of Art. In addition, he has commissioned original work from contemporary artists such as John Baldessari, Maurizio Cattelan, Richard Tuttle, Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Richard Prince, Roni Horn, and Matthew Barney.
Mr. Freedman's influence extends into the world of design and interiors; his own collection of 20th century furniture has been featured in prominent international publications. Mr. Freedman received his BA in Fine Arts, summa cum laude, from Penn State, where he was named Evan Pugh Scholar. Later, he earned his BFA in Environmental Design, with honors, from Parsons School of Design.