Parsons MFA Generation 8 2019 Fashion Design & Society exhibit

The opening reception of the 2019 Parsons MFA Fashion Design and Society exhibition might have heralded the beginning of NYFW but more importantly it gives us a glimpse behind the polish and public relations usually associated with runway shows. Although the MFA program held their own annual runway show earlier that day, for many the opportunity to peer inside the students’ process books, handle the inventive fabric developments, and speak with the designers themselves is a more engaging and satisfying event. This year’s exhibition had boundless creativity to spotlight.

Hosted by Chargeurs, the international fashion technology company founded in France, in its new Future of Fashion Gallery in the Chelsea Arts Tower, the exhibit will be on view for the duration of fashion week. Other sponsors included IMG, Nars, Cutler, and a collaboration with fragrance manufacturer the Robertet Group.

The 12 members of the program’s Generation 8 who had spent the days beforehand assembling their individual thesis installations to best represent 2 years of creativity and dedication are Bugs Garson, Evian Li, Hualei Yu, ji Min Lee, Jue Liu, Meg Calloway, Meredith Bullen, Natalie Vladimiroff, Sho Konishi, Tara Babylon, Yong Guo, and Zille-e-Huma.

Parsons MFA Generation 8 represents forward-looking fashion

A closer look at Sho Konishi’s collection entitled “Garden of Eden: A wearable archive of life and nature as material,” which closed the runway show reveals his thinking behind mixing garbage with elements from nature to create a celebration of beauty for our confused time. Meg Calloway’s intentionally imperfect handcrafting techniques explores dense knotting and knit with delicate beading separated by a mere center front seam, or gentle swirling floral prints aggressively outlined in black next to tracts of bare skin.

Tara Babylon’s micro and macro weaving, coat hanger sculptures and knit heads that resemble deep sea divers who’ve resurfaced with half the sea bed attached are crowdpleasers. Zillie-e-Huma navigates her experience of assimilation through themes of freedom, sexuality and desire as a Pakistani women who arrived in NYC at aged 30, liberally juxtaposing the culture of the big city with her small village through her use of naif gingham, clusters of crystals and bunny rabbits.

The exhibit continues until September 11.

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 Parsons MFA