2016 | Parsons Projects For Social Good

Category: Academic research.

Industry: Fashion & apparel.

Location: New York.

Related to: High impact / Fashion / Social justice / Exhibitions.

Reviewer: Sebastian Caballero – MS. SD&M.

Company: Parsons School of Design.

Website: The New School News

About:

Fashion students presented their line at the opening reception of “Impact!”, an exhibition of projects by Parsons students exploring the ways in which designers, artists, scholars, technologists, and strategists from different disciplines come together—often in unexpected or complex ways—to push the limits of their practice and create new possibilities for social change. Many projects were created in collaboration with industry partners, including Intel, Mastercard, Tide, and Swarovski.

The reception coincided with a gala opening night block party for South Street Seaport’s Culture District—a celebration of independent art, music, fashion and culinary offerings—on the cobblestone pavements of historic Fulton Street. Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal and footwear designer Sarah Flint were among the high profile guests who came out to a VIP reception that featured Parsons Potion, the leading art and design school’s unique take on a cosmopolitan.

The window-fronted exhibition space for “Impact!”, located adjacent to Titanic Memorial Park, was packed with projects that focus on sustainability, shortening the supply chain, and consumer needs, among other design concerns. Projects include Design for Care, a collection of garments designed in collaboration with Tide that explore the way we launder, repair, alter and wear clothes; MasterCard x Parsons, a series of prototypes and design concepts that embed payment functionality in products and garments; Intel in Tech and Fashion, a collection of wearable tech prototypes incorporating the Intel Curie module that address user needs in areas such as health and self-expression; and Local Studio, Made in New York, products designed for New York City, made in New York City, and sold in New York City.