Parsons Festival Showcases Fashion Graduates 2018
Parsons Festival 2018 is a 3-day exhibition unveiling nearly 500 student
designers and occupying 3 floors of the school. The work has been curated
by theme through 20 rooms and provides a preview of some of the collections
which will be shown at the annual star-studded benefit next Monday with
honorees in attendance, Solange Knowles, Marci Bizzarri, CEO of Gucci, and
José Neves, CEO of Farfetch.
These young designers are hyper-aware of the ever-evolving nature of the
industry they’re about to enter, and many are addressing the tumult head on
as they develop not only their individual aesthetics but unique responses
to societal demands. One floor is dedicated to work which showcases
collections around themes of Gender, Social Innovation, and Activism. A
significant number of students are reworking denim, that loyal indigo
friend in everyone’s closet which also happens to be the cause of so much
previous unchecked damage to our environment.
Standouts
Doyeon Yoni Yu named her collection “Fatopia” and it is designed for the
larger-sized consumer who has had enough of the euphemistic labels employed
to describe her, but who just wants to play with fashion and dress without
apology. Annabelle Tok’s striking pieces constructed of resin tiles make a
satisfying clink as they hang together on the rail, one dress traps
bleached leaves inside the clear resin. A photography minor, Tok also
prints her images of nature onto silk dresses and has woven an otherworldly
overcoat of dried moss. Kee Hyun Kim’s collection was subtly rebellious not
only for its palette of all black but for the successful update of a
décolleté from a dress worn by Grace Kelly into a sophisticated menswear
jacket.
A particularly noteworthy collaboration from Claudia Poh and Amy Yu
Chen of Cair Collective seeks to aid their friend Caroline who experiences
paralysis in her arms to dress herself through a system of inflatable
clothing and innovative drawstrings that essentially removes the need to
use hands. As their collection developed they realized that the highly
engineered designs would be equally suitable for the elderly as well as
differently abled consumers. Their motto is “designing for an unaddressed
community.”
Award Winners
The inaugural reception on Wednesday centers around the presentation of
this year’s student awards. YOOXYGEN presented by Yoox, an award for the
student with the most exciting environmentally responsible collection, goes
to Marissa Petteruti. The Hugo Boss Menswear Tailoring award focusing on
sustainable circular design goes to Jose Luis Cabrera, Gwen Ong, and
Annabella Waszkiewicz. The H&M Social Impact award is won by Doyeon Yoni
Yu, and the AARP prize for Inclusive Design is won by Katrina Simon, with
runners up, Dominique Flaksberg, Claudia Poh, Amy Yu Chen, and Chaewon Kim.
Bandier, which rewards the student with the best activewear collection
selects Kayla Conklin as winner, with runners up, Colene Yap & Marissa
Petteruti. The Solstiss award goes to Christina Rizzo.
Fashion editor Jackie Mallon is also an educator and author of Silk
for the Feed Dogs, a novel set in the international fashion
industry.
Photos by FashionUnited