Two Schools of Fashion, One Creative Class

Article

Two Schools of Fashion, One Creative Class

October 24, 2018

Sara Kozlowski

01 / 49

Shie Lyu’s collection evoked technophilia as an exercise in precision. Digital textiles in plaids and gingham combined with three dimensional embellishment were topped with sculptured pastel armor.

With fashion month behind us, we take a moment to look back at the future of fashion, so to speak, through the creativity showcased at New York Fashion Week by MFA fashion graduates from Academy of Art University in San Francisco and Parsons School of Design here in New York.

The respective program leaders Simon Ungless and Shelley Fox spotlight selected designers’ collections at NYFW annually—a move that also amplifies the visibility of these globally renowned programs.

For these graduates, NYFW is the kingpin, a multi-vehicle exposure platform. In addition to the runway shows, AAU hosted the talents in a New York Pop- up showroom for industry while Parsons curated an exhibition to focus on each designers’ concentrated vision.

The AAU and Parsons MFA programs identify more as talent incubators than as traditional schools, and Ungless and Fox consistently turn out some of the most exciting fashion talents, including Parsons alums JAHNKOY, LANDLORD, and Matthew Adams Dolan. The graduates often land in top jobs from DVF to McQueen, Nike to Patagonia, or start their labels such as AAU alums Kenneth Ning and Eden Slezin.

The 29 selected NYFW designers represent global ambassadors with roots from around the world and are connected by methodologies, and most importantly, their potential to impact our futures.

What is the next generation’s answer to today’s conflicting demands of immediacy and a desire to slow down? According to Fox, mastery of craft and creativity are core to the teaching of this generation: “The course asks students to think about why they are doing what they do. What do they care about? What’s their point of view? Research is key and is embedded within each course throughout the curriculum and simultaneously challenges the students to think about social engagement, their place within society, the language of their craft, materiality, the communication of fashion. Overall as a group, their fabrications are incredibly strong and distinctive – which helps them stand apart from an already congested arena. There is an emphasis on the pursuit of making the best of your craft as a designer – in whatever form that may take.”

Of this year’s class, Ungless said, “With this particular group of designers, they were all focused on mastering their specific crafts, such as diving deep into hard tailoring or more 3D with sculpting and modeling with fabric. Each designer had their thing and they were all quite different in the message they wanted to voice through material and technique such as oversize embroidery or weaving with hand-knits…Harnessing technical skills to support their creativity.”

Click here to hear more from Shelley Fox and Simon Ungless.

We highlight 10 designers showcased by AAU and Parsons – each with crafted creativity, originality, color, ideas, and an integrity blended with technical acumen.

PARSONS SCHOOL OF DESIGN Annaliese Griffith-Jones | Rui Zhou | Kota Okuda | Irina Wang | Shie Lyu

ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY Longwen Li | Lusha Wang | Nicholle Jones | Zhihan Liu | Zibo Wang

COURTESY PHOTOS

Academy of Art University

Parsons School of Design

shelley fox

Simon Ungless

In the Studio with Jonathan Cohen

#HMOSCHINO's Empire State of Mind

Two Schools of Fashion, One Creative Class

Previous

Next

Subscribe