Harvard's Dapper Dean

The Boston Globe counts Graduate School of Design dean Mohsen Mostafavi among the city’s most stylish denizens.

Harvard may not have a reputation as the most fashionable place, but this morning, one of our own landed on the list of the 25 most stylish Bostonians compiled by the Boston Globe: Graduate School of Design dean Mohsen Mostafavi.

In the accompanying interview, Mostafavi muses about similarities and differences between fashion and architecture:

I think one thing that’s very interesting about fashion is its immediacy and the fact that you can see things and you can test things very quickly. Architecture, unfortunately, is very slow. In fashion they create a prototype, and you see it and you touch it and you can make a decision. In architecture, if we could emulate that process, it would make some things easier.

For those who aren’t up for flipping through the entire slideshow, here’s the direct link to the Mostafavi interview.

Harvard Magazine profiled Mostafavi last year; read that article here.

You might also like

At Harvard’s IOP, Two Views of Diversity Get a Hearing

Professor Cornell William Brooks and Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts hold a lively debate on DEI and Project 2025.

Harvard Graduate Students Union Begins Strike Authorization Vote

Amid contract negotations, two unions are discussing a joint walkout this fall.

The Harvard AI Debate Heats Up

The University has pushed the adoption of AI into teaching and operations, but faculty resistance is growing louder.

Most popular

Three Harvard Alumni and a Former Postdoc Named MacArthur Fellows

A labor economist, an organic chemist, a physicist, and a memory researcher were honored with 2026 “genius” grants.

Harvard Couple Aim to Cure Prion Diseases

The stakes are high for this husband and wife: one of them will die if they don’t find a cure.

As Federal Funding Slows, Harvard Invests $150 Million in Faculty Research

A new University fund is intended to bolster basic research and attract more industry partnerships.

Explore More From Current Issue

Runners compete on a track, with a Harvard athlete in the foreground and others behind.

After a historic 2025-26 season, athletes eye NCAA championships.

A man in a suit speaks at a podium.

David Battat promotes alumni engagement.

Three young women posed side by side against red background.

The 2026-2027 Ledecky and Summer Undergraduate Fellows