New York Fashion Week became a stage for the future of design, as Parsons MFA Fashion Runway Showcase highlighted Generation 14, a bold presentation of the program’s graduate students’ work.

**ABEL MARTIROSYAN**
**ALEJANDRA PARRA PARODI**

Working in collaboration with partnering professionals, the students managed to put on an impactful show in which 15 designers shared their unique collections. Despite the collections being individual, the show was engaging and cohesive, and reflected the students’ shared vision.

The different collections really spoke to each other on the runway, they all seemed like different parts of a puzzle that came together in a fresh way. The collections, which had their own individual details, all had their own bit of whimsy and playfulness. Collaged patterns, bold silhouettes, and abstract knitwear take the stage as the designers tell their own personal stories through the garments.

Some collections really made use of colors and shapes while others focused more on textures, and rigid structured edges, like in the case of Yingdi Xiong, who through a Chinese technique used sugar-water to stiffen collars and edges to create sculptural pieces for her collection.

The event’s casting was done by Anita Bitten, founder and director of New York agency Establishment Casting, who has worked with various notorious brands. For the show, Bitten worked closely with each designer as she helped them find models that aligned with their creative visions.

Among the collections, "From Framework to Freedom" is an award-winning MFA Fashion Design and Society thesis by Dina Mahrouz that received Parsons’ Student Research Award. With the collection, Mahrouz reclaims old memories of restriction, as she transforms the discomfort of ill-fitting clothing into sculptural silhouettes that blend sharp Iranian geometry with volume.

Generation 14 was a show built on collaboration from start to finish. Student biographies and show notes were shaped under the guidance of Fashion journalist, critic, and lecturer Katharine K. Zarrella. Leadership from the Parsons MFA program including Tuomas Laitinen, Director of Parsons MFA Fashion, Design, and Art, Paris, and Liliana Sanguino Co-Director of MFA Fashion Design and Society, NY played a key role in guiding and shaping the showcase’s creative direction. The minimalist white runway, paired with the carefully chosen soundtrack curated by the students, further helped set the event’s tone.

If the MFA Fashion Runway Showcase shows us anything, it's that new designers aren’t holding back with their visions. Blending different cultures, identities, and ideas, these Parsons graduates have no creative barriers looking forward.

Interview by Sabine Obermoller, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Daniel López, Art Director, PhotoBook Magazine
Follow along on Instagram: @parsons_mfafds
All Images Courtesy of Parsons

Runway Showcase Creative Directors: Liliana Sanguino and Tuomas Laitinen

MFA Fashion Design Leadership:
Liliana Sanguino, Donna Karan Co-Director, MFA Fashion Design and Society
Lucia Cuba, Donna Karan Co-Director, MFA Fashion Design and Society

School of Fashion Leadership
Fiona Dieffenbacher, Interim Dean Co-Dean, School of Fashion
Geoffry Gertz, Interim Dean Co-Dean, School of Fashion

Anne Gaines, Executive Dean of Parsons School of Design
Catherine Cacho-Leary, Associate Director, Operations

Runway Show Credits

Casting: Establishment Casting
Makeup: Marcello Costa
Hair: Hair by Chrystoph Marten @beautick_official @beppedeliaofficial
Production: Trew Productions
PR: PURPLE PR

Parsons Generation 14, Bold and Whimsical