SCAD Brings Fragrance Pro Austin to Classrooms
Savannah creative businesses gain a practitioner-led talent channel as the residency runs through the 2026-2027 academic year.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in People
The Savannah College of Art and Design has named Paul Austin its Executive in Residence for the 2026-2027 academic year. Austin, founder of New York-based Austin Advisory Group, will engage students and faculty on scent and sensory creativity.
Why it matters
SCAD is recognizing Austin for connecting students to real-world stakes in fragrance creation, a sector where creative direction and commercial launch strategy are tightly linked. For businesses in Savannah, the residency signals how specialty creative talent is being brought into the local education pipeline.
The residency runs for the 2026-2027 academic year and spans three SCAD schools: Fashion, De Sole School of Business Innovation, and Building Arts. No participation counts or budget figures were disclosed.
The players
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)
A private art and design university based in Savannah, Georgia, with schools spanning fashion, business innovation, and building arts.
Paul Austin
Founder of Austin Advisory Group and cocreator of the luxury fragrance house LilaNur Parfums.
Austin Advisory Group
A New York-based strategic and creative firm advising brands on positioning and creative direction.
The details
Austin will work with students and faculty across the three schools to explore how scent and sensory thinking can inform the creative process. His background includes cocreating LilaNur Parfums, an India-inspired luxury fragrance house that launched internationally through retailers including Bergdorf Goodman and Harrods, and sold through Good Earth in India. SCAD framed the appointment around its 2026-2027 theme, 'Real Work. Real World.'
Timeline
Paul Austin serves as SCAD Executive in Residence during the 2026-2027 academic year.
Market Landscape
Independent luxury fragrance houses like LilaNur Parfums have reached major department stores and specialty retailers, a route that depends on strong creative identity and carefully managed distribution. Academic residencies that bring this kind of commercial experience into design schools reflect a growing demand for practitioners who can connect creative work to market launch.
Operators in creative and design-driven businesses should note that SCAD's residency model connects students with working industry practitioners, which may shape local hiring pipelines in the coming years. Fragrance and specialty consumer brands considering academic partnerships can treat programs like this as a channel for early-career talent development.
The takeaway
Academic residencies that place working brand builders inside design schools can become a practical talent channel for local creative businesses. Operators in Savannah's creative economy may want to track how SCAD's 'Real Work. Real World.' programming develops graduates who are ready for commercial roles.
Further reading
For more on the careers and leadership profiles shaping design and business, explore the People section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by WWD.
