Here Are the Top Looks From Parsons' Class of 2023 BFA Fashion Show
The runway showcased designs from 156 students graduating from the school’s fashion design program.
On Saturday, May 20, The New School’s Parsons School of Design held its Class of 2023 BFA Fashion Show, titled “A.NEW.” Ushering in the next generation of talent, the showcase featured the work of 156 graduating fashion design students — each of whom was asked to submit just one design to walk the runway.
Students in the BFA program are asked to select one of four pathways — Systems & Society, Materiality, Fashion Production or Collection — to shape the ways in which they approach fashion and ultimately present their final thesis through their courses. Seeking to “disrupt expected norms,” the school’s fashion design program prioritizes criticality in fashion, emphasizing examinations of advanced social theoretical and contextual applications of design through each pathway.
With that in mind, designers across the school put their respective expertise on display at this year’s showcase, offering a promising glimpse into the future of fashion. Among them, Yingying Chen looked beyond today with a sharp, medusa-like construction draped over the female form, and Xingyi Tao similarly centered disruption with a shiny, silver breastplate and a structured, iridescent skirt. Eva Zhao, meanwhile, crafted a fold-over zip-up coat and matching shorts that, at first glance, provoke memories of a tentacle-clad sea animal.
Further, Francis Cooney served up a high-shouldered fur coat and a matching, dramatic top hat — both like something out of Harry Styles’ wardrobe. Jiyeong Hwang toyed with deconstruction, planting parts of a blazer in nontraditional locales and tying the look together with an asymmetrical collar, while Jingyi Vivian Hong experimented with proportion, offering a puffed-up pink dress and similarly-hued, larger-than-life shoes.
Other standouts include Xuan Cui, whose knitwear ensemble showed just how fun fashion be; Jade To, whose oversized sweater and skirt combo put a darker twist on cottage-inspired fashion, and Steven Cote, whose green coat was covered in all sorts of graphics inspired by his blue-collar upbringing.
Overall, the showcase proved that a new wave of eager designers is well-prepared to step into fashion’s limelight — with a legion of fresh perspectives. See the top looks from Parson’s Class of 2023 BFA Fashion Show above.
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