Parsons The New School for Design
New York, New York and Paris, France
Parsons focuses on creating engaged citizens and outstanding artists, designers, scholars and business leaders through a design-based professional and liberal education.
Parsons students learn to rise to the challenges of living, working and creative decision making in a world where human experience is increasingly designed. The school embraces curricular innovation, pioneering uses of technology, collaborative methods and global perspectives on the future of design.
Parsons effectively gave birth to Seventh Avenue, the epicenter of the industry, being the first to offer a program in fashion design.
Five generations of alumni are now center state in this rich and challenging field. Their clothes are glamorous, provocative, and timeless.
But fashion design is about more than beautiful clothes. It is a barometric gauge of our society and culture. Fashion designers must synthesize the world around them to create clothing that responds to aesthetic and functional needs.
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Fashion Design
Problem solving and visual communication are the focus of the fashion desing curriculum at Parsons. From research and conceptual drawing, through the selection of colors and fabrics, to the construction and presentation of finished garments, the process emulates the workings of a professional design studio. Diversity of interests is encouraged: students can study menswear, childrenswear, sportswear, accessories, and costume design.
Sophomores and juniors study the design of clothing with an emphasis on ready-to-wear. Core courses in design, design illustration, model drawing, draping, and pattern drafting include the study of diverse markets from moderate to designer, and private labels. The Fashion Selectives program, open to juniors and seniors, offers options in Shoe Desing, Hand and Machine Knitting, CAD, Electronic Retailling, and Internships.
The senior year culminates with Parsons Fashion Critics Awards Show, a presentation of the students best work, created under the guidance of New York's top fashion industry professionals.
Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) - Fashion Design
Since its launch in 1906, our Department of Fashion Design has been on the leading edge of American fashion. From Claire McCardell to Donna Karan, Tom Ford, and Narciso Rodriguez, our alumni have been responsible for the highest level of clothing design in the last century. Along the way, they've revolutionized societal traditions and the industry itself. Today our graduates are joining the ranks of 21st-century fashion leaders. At Parsons, students confront the challenges of the real world of the fashion industry while cultivating their own personal vision. Through courses in concept development, studio methods, fashion drawing, and fashion digital studio, students take part in each stage of the design process. They learn to solve problems for a range of markets. And through the Designer Critic Program and the annual Fashion Show, they interact with a diverse cross-section of industry professionals.
Fashion Studies
Associate of Applied Science (AAS) - Fashion Studies
Students in the AAS Fashion Studies program are the next generation of fashion talent. From concept to production to market introduction, they learn the process, skills, and language of fashion design. With a general college education and strong work experience already behind them, AAS students are ready to focus on design. Their visions are unique, springing from influences as far as Tibet and as near as Times Square. Courses in fashion drawing and construction design teach students to make their dreams come to life. Courses in the fashion industry, history, and portfolio round out the curriculum and position students to get a jump on the marketplace.
The fashion industry is an amalgam of multi-disciplinary and complex fields. The AAS fashion concentration prepares students for the more technical aspects of the apparel design industry. Basic studies in drawing, color, digital design, and fashion history provide a foundation for more advanced work in fashion sketching, draping, sewing, and pattern drafting. Graduates may work in the broad range of ready-to-wear markets: sportswear, evening wear, menswear, and children's wear.
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Certificate - Fashion Studies
Designed to provide foundation in construction and graphic skills needed to begin a career in fashion. The basic core class plus five electives include topics on form, color, the purpose of sewing, pattern drafting, fabric selection, model drawing, design sketching, history and trends. The standard completion time is one year. The certificate requires the completion of between 8 - 10 courses.
Fashion Marketing
Students in the fashion marketing concentraion master the principles of marketing and the relationship between design and sales. Students learn to analyze the marketplace and to understand consumer needs, desires, and expectations. Projects take students through the process of managing and marketing products, from development to promotion, advertising and retailing. This two-year degree program prepares graduates for business careers in marketing, merchandising, sales promotion, and management in the fashion industry.
Fashion marketing is an exciting career that requires an understanding of advertising, design and business administration. Nothing in the fashion world moves without the quickening skill and judgment of the fashion marketing professional. Students study merchandising and buying and can even be placed in Hollywood-related careers like stylist.
BBA - Fashion Marketing
Our students have the unique opportunity to explore design fields and industries while completing a business program. They learn the principles of business that will support their careers as both design managers and entrepreneurs, giving them a secure footing to succeed in today's highly competitive world. Unlike other BBA programs however, ours offers training and internships to manage business problems that are unique to design industries. Students learn the design lifecycle, how to manage creative projects and teams, and the analytical skills necessary to identify opportunities for innovation. For their Senior Thesis they perform a rigorous cultural and/or economic analysis of a topic related to the management of design, examining a design artifact, environment, interaction, organization or industry case study. Our graduates leap into an integrated world of business and design, ready to manage design that is useful, useable, beautiful-and sustainable.
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Associate of Applied Science (AAS) - Fashion Marketing
Fashion Marketing investigates the relationship between fashion design and marketing. Students learn the development, promotion, advertising, and retailing skills needed to enter the marketplace and succeed. Whether they follow the two-year plan or jump on the Fast Track, students are immersed in an intense course of study. The curriculum provides a foundation in marketing, merchandising, and retailing knowledge. Courses like Digital Fashion and professional internships make sure that AAS students receive the same opportunities as our Bachelor's and Master's candidates. With an understanding of both traditional marketing venues and new technologies, our graduates make their mark in the fashion industry as innovative design entrepreneurs.
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Fashion in Paris: Summer Program
Summer Intensive Studies is open to all students who wish to deepen their knowledge of art and design in a rigorous academic environment. This is an open enrollment program with no prerequisites required for attendance. Class sizes are limited. Courses fill quickly and early registration is advised. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis beginning on December 15.
This investigation of the Paris-based fashion industry will expose students to contemporary trends in French fashion. Students will explore the history of European costume through slide lectures and visits to ateliers and museums throughout Paris. Fashion students will learn illustration methods, while exploring movement, proportion, clothing silhouettes, drawing from the model in a studio setting, as well as on-site visits to explore fashion in a real-world context. Examining both the historical and contemporary issues in fashion, students will create a collection of fashion illustrations. Class discussions and critiques will foster a broader understanding of social, cultural and historical contexts.
Admissions
Parsons offers degree and study options ranging from individual coursework to degrees in every area of design today.
Students are selected based upon the individual assessment of each application.
Now is the time to fulfill your dreams for the future and to get on track to a rewarding career with a degree. Let Parsons give you the tools you need to compete and excel in the ever-changing global and technical marketplace. In today's workplace, a degree is vital to getting ahead.
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Financial Aid
Every student needs a plan for paying for their education. While some pay by cash, many students use financial aid to help with their college costs. The friendly Financial Aid staff is available to assist you through the financial aid application process.
Financial aid is available for those students who qualify.
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Continuing Education
Courses are offered in Construction, Fashion Design, Fashion Style and History, Digital Fashion, and Fashion Sketching.
Certificate Programs:
