Studying Fashion at Parsons the New School for Design (Fashion Design AAS)

So a lot of people are curious about what it is actually like to study Fashion Design at Parsons the New School for Design. I know I was searching high and low for any information regarding the school and the programs it offered, but was not too successful in my endeavors.

Thus here is the lowdown from a second semester AAS Fashion Design student. Fashion is NOT all glamour and partying. I learnt that the hard way. I came here not knowing what to expect, but I had an image of snooty rich kids who would party hard, dress in the latest designer fashions and not work too hard. That image could not be further from the truth.

Yes Parsons is a private fashion school, possibly the best one in North America. And yes, the students here tend to have wealthy backgrounds. But that is it. The Fashion Design students at Parsons are quite possible the most dedicated, passionate and hardworking ones I have ever come across. I thought the students at McGill worked hard. I was wrong. The work ethic here is unparalleled to anything I have ever seen or heard of. And the program is just as demanding and vigorous.

The AAS Fashion Design program promises to make even the most inexperienced pupil into a talented designer, at the forefront of their career stage. This does not happen by accident, it happens by a curriculum that requires you to forgo sleep, food and rest to learn, experiment and create designs that are of the utmost quality and highly inspiring.

Being only 4 semesters long, Parsons AAS Fashion Design consists of a rigourous set of classes, professors and policies which push you to your limits. Each student carries a courseload between 6 to 9 classes,often with a professional internship. Each class assigns a project every week, which can take anywhere between 3 to 24+ hours to complete. Miss more than 2 classes and you fail the course. Yup, thats right, you fail regardless of how well you may be doing in that course.

The curriculum consists of a unique mix of construction, design, art and marketing courses which are catered to teach even the most oblivious of pupils (like myself) the art and profession of Fashion Design. Work hard and the results are infront of you. You learn more than you ever thought was imaginable. By the end of your first semester, you are able to transform a concept into a completely finished garment all by yourself.

The atmosphere is highly cut-throat and competitive, as is the industry in which you aim to enter. Students work hard day and night, without sleeping for days to create projects that are awe-inspiring. You get inspired by your colleagues and the feats they accomplish. Doing well in this program is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. but the results are spectacular. Internships are yours for the choosing. You are the employers' first choice because they know the caliber of hardwork and dedication that is required to be a Parsons student. And its very likely they themselves were one not very long ago.

The program is tough, and tears are frequent. But there is very little guesswork involved in what is required of you and what you need to do. Unlike my previous university, there is a constant flow of information from the Fashion School regarding the next step. Events are frequent and usually include industry leaders.

All in all, I wouldn't have chosen anything else. This place is incredible and inspiring and I get to do what I love. Hard work, as you will learn at Parsons, is the key to your success. For all of you considering the program, be sure it is for the right reasons: to learn and grow and nothing else. You will not get to sleep, dress up, party or explore the city; that will have to be set aside for life after Parsons.

Construction 2 @ Parsons The New School for Design

The immense pool of talent that exists at Parsons the New School for Design is undeniably intimidating. People from all over the world have worked hard to gain a position at this selective and prestigious institute.

The Fashion Design AAS program is probably home to some of the most determined, creative and hardworking design students in the world. These pupils have already completed degrees in various disciples ranging from Law and Medicine to Textile Design and Art History from some of the best unversities in the world. These young professionals left their jobs and careers to pursue their passion for Design and dreams of becoming a successful Fashion Designer. As a result of their experiences and sacrifices to be here, the stakes are considerably higher. These students have a sense of discipline and determination that is unparalleled as they know exactly what they want to do and what they need to do to achieve it. They do not party, they do not socialize, they simply strive to make their dreams a reality and make their time at Parsons worthwhile.

And in this highly competitive and challenging program, no course is a greater test of the students' worth than the mandatory Construction 2 class. This notorious 6-hour class is where you truly get to see what your colleagues are made of. Taken in the 2nd semester, everyone has finally gotten down the basics of Construction and these aspiring designers are itching to show off their talent and skills in their highly unique and awe-inspiring designs.

Every professor teaches Contruction 2 in their own unique way. Our teacher, Valentina Kova was young, fresh and full of ideas. Being an alumni of the program herself, she taught the course in a manner which constantly kept us on our toes. Every single week, we were taught a new garment or technique and then we were sent to go and create our own interpretation of it, complete with fabric and trims, for the following week. She asked us to choose our inspiration at the beginning of the semester and encouraged us to create every assignment keeping this inspiration in mind, so that by the end of the course, we had an entire collection of original designs.

For our final, we were asked to present our inspiration and final garment in class, and I was so awestruck by the caliber of work that was presented that there was no way I could not share it with you all here. I am presenting to you what I feel is quite possibly of the most inspiring, dedicated and motivating group of people I have ever had the pleasure of working with - and I look forward to seeing them in my classes again next semester. See the slideshow above for the final projects created by the students in Valentina's Fall 2011 Construction 2 class.