Originally named the Chase School of Art, Parsons School of Design was founded in 1896 by American Impressionist painter William Merritt Chase with a focus on the fine arts. Two years after its founding, the school changed its name to the New York School of Art. The school offered courses in fashion design, then called "costume design," as early as 1904. In 1907, Frank Alvah Parsons became an administrator at the school and made design an important part of the educational mission. The same year, he introduced the first full professional department in fashion design, under the name “costume design,” though the department changed its name several times in the coming decades. In 1954, the department was divided to form the Fashion Design Department and the Fashion Illustration Department.

The School of Fashion was created by consolidating the different fashion programs into one school in 2008. The deans of the school since its founding have been Simon Collins (2008-2014), Burak Cakmak (2015-2020) and as of 2022 Ben Barry (2021-). The School of Fashion places an emphasis on understanding the entirety of the design process, from the initial concept to the final product and its marketing. The curriculum seeks to educate students on the fundamentals of good design, as well as to develop essential skills specific to fashion design, such as model drawing and pattern drafting, which are applied to real-life design problems. Students also research the historical purposes and implementations of fashion design, study business practices, and investigate the commercial impact on the profession. As of 2022, Parsons School of Design's School of Fashion offers the following degrees: AAS in Fashion Design, and in Fashion Marketing and Communication, BFA in Fashion Design, MFA in Fashion Design and Society, and in Textiles, and MPS in Fashion Management, and in Fashion Management Online. The Fashion Management Online MPS program appears to be the first fully online program at Parsons School of Design as of 2022.

The Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in fashion design has been offered at Parsons School of Design since the 1975/76 academic year. Today it is typically a two-year degree for people who are changing careers, and are interested in practical training in the fashion industry. The core curriculum focuses on research, fashion history, design thinking, and construction techniques, but students learn to use industry software and can specialize in different areas of fashion design. During the years covered by the collection, the chair of the AAS program was Pamela Trought Klein (1999-2009), and it appears that Tamara Albu was the program director for Fashion Studies (Fashion Design and Fashion Marketing) within the AAS program from approximately 2004 until at least 2012. As of 2022 James Butler is the program director.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree has been available to all Parsons students through a cooperative arrangement with New York University as early as the 1954/55 academic year. Parsons School of Design started to offer its own BFA degrees in the 1969/70 academic year. Today, the foundational year that introduces students to design concepts, various skills and critical research and writing practices is followed by specialization in one of the four pathways--Collection, Materiality, Fashion Product, or Systems and Society--to help them create their own approach to fashion. In recent decades students have been participating in collaborations with partners such as LVMH, Kering, Saks Fifth Avenue, Louis Vuitton, Swarovski, COACH, Luxottica, Gap, and Banana Republic. During the years covered in this collection Timothy M. Gunn was the first chair (2003-2007), followed by Steven Faerm as director (2007-2011). Fiona Dieffenbacher was the director 2012-2017, and in the 2017/18 academic year was co-director with Brendan McCarthy. As of 2022 Marie Genevieve Cyr is the program director. During the years covered by the collection, especially the 2000s, most BFA and AAS classes were held at 560 Seventh Avenue in New York City.

The Fashion Department, and later the School of Fashion has organized an annual fashion show since the mid-1920s. The earliest fashion show invitation held by the archives, from 1948, indicates that it was the 24th annual fashion show. However, Parsons School of Design announced the 70th fashion benefit and show in 2018, which suggests that the first fashion show was in 1948. The discrepancy may be due to the annual fashion show not initially having a fundraising aspect to it; 1948 may have been the first year that the annual fashion show was a benefit, as well. The name of the event changed several times throughout the years, from Annual Fashion Show (1948-1971), to Student and Alumni Fashion Show (1973), Annual Fashion Critics Awards Show (1973-1981), Fashion Critics Awards Show (1982-1993), Fashion Critics Awards Benefit (1994-2001), Benefit and Fashion Show (2002-2007), Fashion Benefit Show (2008-2014/2015?), to Parsons Benefit as of 2021.

The MFA Fashion Design and Society program was initiated in 2010 by Parsons alumna Donna Karan. The interdisciplinary, studio-based program prepares emerging fashion designers to meet the challenges of the international design industry, to become innovative entrepreneurs, and educators. A unique program at its founding, it helps students “develop an understanding of the global, ecological, and business contexts of their work.” Shelley Fox was the founder and director of the program, with Assistant Program Director Joffrey Moolhuizen until about 2020. As of 2022 Soojin Kang and John Bauernfeind are the interim co-directors. Shelley Fox is also the editor of Phase 2 magazine, and both Phase 2 and Phase III are connected to the senior show.

References

The New School Marketing and Communication. “Simon Collins Announces Plans to Step Down As Dean of Parsons School of Fashion in December, 2014.” Accessed August 24, 2022. https://www.newschool.edu/pressroom/pressreleases/2014/CollinsAnnouncement.htm.

“Parsons School of Design, 1975-1976.” Parsons School of Design Course Catalog Collection. 1960-2002. The New School Archives Digital Collections, New York, New York. https://digital.archives.newschool.edu/index.php/Detail/objects/PC050101_pg1975ye.

Parsons School of Design. “Fashion Design (AAS).” Accessed August 24, 2022. https://www.newschool.edu/parsons/aas-fashion-design/.

“Parsons School of Design Undergraduate Course Descriptions Fall 2000: BFA, BBA, AAS.” New School course description collection. Accessed August 24, 2022. https://digital.archives.newschool.edu/index.php/Detail/objects/NS050201_000055.

Parsons School of Design. “Fashion Design BFA.” Acessed August 24, 2022. https://www.newschool.edu/parsons/bfa-fashion-design/.

Parsons School of Design. “Fashion Design and Society.” Accessed August 24, 2022. https://www.newschool.edu/parsons/mfa-fashion-design-society/.

New School News. “Parsons MFA Fashion Design and Society Showcases Innovation at NYFW Show.” Accessed August 24, 2022. https://blogs.newschool.edu/news/2018/09/parsons-mfa-fashion-design-and-society-kicks-off-nyfw-with-generation-7-show/.