parsons mfa: the first eighteen
Edited by: Stacey CunninghamOn Monday Night Parsons the New School for Design celebrated its first graduates of their fashion MFA program at an event and exhibition dubbed ‘The First Eighteen.’ (Anyone making associations to the Antwerp Six?) Of the graduates, there were thirteen different nationalities represented and backgrounds ranging from architects to social workers. “As a designer, I am blown away,” said Donna Karan. Karan, a Parsons alum, is a major funder and supporting of the new program.
Guests sipped mixed drinks of vodka with cilantro and lemongrass, on the 19th floor of a gorgeous space in Garment District. Fashion crowd guests, like Nina Garcia, mingled in the gallery space where each graduates full collection was on display. Kyle Farmer, one of the program’s teachers, also curated the event. “After two years of teaching this amazing group it was like giving birth, I am very proud of the students. I don’t teach them the tools of how to be a good fashion assistant; I break them down and build them up. I let them get to know themselves from the inside and apply that to fashion on the outside.”
