For Immediate Release
Contact:
Gloria Gottschalk
212-229-5667 x 239

PARSONS SCHOOL OF DESIGN'S FASHION CRITICS AWARD BENEFIT BREAKS FUNDRAISING RECORD!
EVENT: TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2001

(New York, NY—April 10, 2001) Defying a skittish U.S. economy, Parsons School of Design's 53rd annual Fashion Critics Awards Benefit has broken a fund raising record, thanks to The May Department Stores Company and Gene Kahn, President and CEO, honoree of this year's event. With a week to go, table and ticket sales have reached more than $3 million, exceeding all previous benchmarks. Proceeds will support scholarships and program needs.

Parsons and its parent institution, New School University, will honor The May Company and Mr. Kahn for a dynamic commitment to the industry and education. The black tie affair will take place on Tuesday, April 17, 2001 at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square. The cocktail reception begins at 6:00. The dinner and fashion show begin at 7:00. The Broadway Ballroom will be filled to capacity with top fashion designers and industry leaders. Press preview at 2:00pm.

In 1998, Gene Kahn was named president and chief executive officer of May. He has led the company for three years, building on the legacy, which he inherited, and leading the company into the business environment of the new millenium. His stellar retailing career spans thirty years.

The evening will include an impressive professional runway show of student designs. The designer critics who guided the development of these garments include: Adri, Mark Badgley & James Mischka, Jeffrey Banks, June Beckstead, Donald Brooks, Albert Capraro, Martin Cooper, Louis Dell'Olio, Stan Herman, Donna Karan, Jerry Kwiatkowski, Dominick

Leuci, Charlotte Neuville, Mary Ann Restivo, Peter Speliopoulos, Steven Slowik, Cynthia Steffe, Michael Vollbracht, Mark Waldrop, and Kohle Yohannan. This roster of leading designers will be making the coveted Gold Thimble Awards to selected students.

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The May Department Stores Company is one of the largest department store retailers in the United States, with revenues of $14.5 billion in fiscal 2000. May operates 427 quality department stores under eight divisions and 12 trade names nationwide, including Lord & Taylor, Hecht's, Strawbridge's, Foley's, Robinsons-May, Filene's, Kaufmann's, Famous-Barr, L.S. Ayres, The Jones Store, Meier & Frank, and ZCMI. The company also operates 125 David's Bridal, the nation's largest retailer of bridal apparel. May is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri.

Parsons School of Design, a division of New School University, is one of the nation's oldest and largest colleges of art and design. Nearly 2,800 degree-seeking students majoring in a dozen fields come from 45 states and 60 countries around the world. Parsons has campuses in Greenwich Village and Midtown Manhattan, as well as affiliate schools in France, Japan, Korea, and the Dominican Republic.