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LOUIS VUITTON AND PARSONS PRESENT “RECONSTRUCTION”Live Competition United Music and Fashion in Innovative Ways
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| Min Sun Kim and Lydia (Yeo Chung) Kim |
NEW YORK, September 18, 2009 - The School of Fashion at Parsons The New School for Design collaborated with Louis Vuitton, a worldwide leader in luxury, for a live competition on September 17 that united music and fashion in innovative ways. Working in real time in the Parsons storefront gallery on Fifth Avenue, 10 teams of two students remixed pieces from the Parsons archive and signature Louis Vuitton pieces designed by LV Artistic Director and Parsons alumnus Marc Jacobs to create conceptual looks based on historic silhouettes.
The winning team of Min Sun Kim and Lydia (Yeo Chung) Kim created a dramatic evening gown that incorporated menswear elements such as blazer lapels, trench coats, and a hand-painted hemline, each won $2,500 and an invitation to visit the Louis Vuitton headquarters in Paris. All of the looks will be on view through September 25 at the Sheila C. Johnson Design Center at Parsons The New School for Design, 66 Fifth Avenue, New York.
"Since the founding of the company, Louis Vuitton has been a great supporter of creativity and innovation in the worlds of both fashion and art," said Daniel Lalonde, President and Chief Executive Officer, Louis Vuitton North America. "It is a thrill for us to work with these talented fashion design students from Parsons, one of the premier schools of art and design in the world.”
A panel of fashion experts, including Harold Koda, Curator in Charge of The Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Esquire Fashion Director Nick Sullivan, celebrity stylist Robert Verdi, Sugar Vendil, Founder and Artistic Director of the Nouveau Classical Project, and Daniel Lalonde, selected the winning looks. The looks will be worn by musicians of the Nouveau Classical Project in an October 2 performance at The New School's Tishman Auditorium. The Nouveau Classical project is an ensemble where musicians model fashion created by young designers inspired by the music. For additional concert information, please visit www.nouveauclassical.org.
"Bringing together music, fashion, history, and one of the world’s great design houses is a wonderful example of the Parsons philosophy," said Parsons Dean of Fashion Simon Collins. "Thanks to the generosity of our friends at Louis Vuitton, these one-of-a-kind creations will demonstrate our students’ conceptual design skills, their craftsmanship, and their awareness of the human form, in this case the Nouveau Classical Project musicians.”
The students were inspired by select historic looks, including the Yves Saint Laurent Russian look from 1976; a scarlet red satin evening gown with a New Look silhouette circa 1940's; a 1890's dressing gown with leg-o-mutton sleeves; a floral Yves Saint Laurent suit from Spring/Summer 1989; a Claire McCardell dress with a Pauine Trigere capelet, both from the mid-1950's. The Louis Vuitton inspiration looks included a Fall/Winter 2008 Silk Twill Spiral Bustier Dress; a Spring/Summer 2008 Sleeveless Feather Top and Feather Skirt; a Fall/Winter 2007 Silk Radzimir Degrade Dress; a Fall/Winter 2003 Patchwork Fur Double Face Dress; and a Spring/Summer 2006 Chain Dress.
In addition to Min Sun Kim and Yeo Chung Kim, the participating students, who are all in their senior year at Parsons, included the teams of Gabrielle Arruda and Erin Barr; Gabrielle D'Amico and Angela Brugioni; Nicole Mobasser and Tiffany Ma; Katharine Leaver and Victoria Choi; Anna (Jayoon) Choi and Angela Lee; Han-Ching (Paula) Cheng and Shi Hui Mei S. Lim; Stacey Cunningham and Jacqueline Carrillo; Sarah Jung and Ivy Yen-Chu Chen; and Laura Siegel and Niloufar Mozafari.
Reconstruction is sponsored by Louis Vuitton and the Singer Sewing Company.
Parsons The New School for Design is one of the most prestigious and comprehensive institutions of art and design in the world. Critical thinking, collaboration, and reflective practice are at the heart of a Parsons education. With the establishment of the first fashion design program in America in 1906, Parsons is credited with giving birth to Seventh Avenue, the epicenter of American fashion. Notable Parsons-trained designers include legends Adrian, Claire McCardell and Norman Norell; industry leaders Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs, Donna Karan, Isaac Mizrahi, Narciso Rodriguez and Anna Sui; and rising talents Doo-Ri Chung, Derek Lam, Thakoon Panichgul, Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough of Proenza Schouler, Tracy Reese, Peter Som, Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai of Vena Cava, Alexander Wang, and Jason Wu. For more information, visit www.newschool.edu/parsons.
A worldwide leader in luxury since 1854, Louis Vuitton has become synonymous with the art of elegant travel. Its leather goods are renowned throughout the world for ultimate quality, craftsmanship, innovation and stylish luxury. From 1997, with the arrival of Marc Jacobs as artistic director, it has extended its range to women and men prêt-à-porter, shoes, watches and jewelry. Louis Vuitton has an exclusive network of 433 wholly owned stores around the world. It has been a member of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the greatest and most successful luxury goods group worldwide, since 1987. For more information, please visit www.louisvuitton.com.
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Editor's Note:
For images of the competition or cocktail reception please contact Kate McCormick at 212.229.5667x3794 or [email protected], or Deborah Kirschner at 212.229.5667x4310 or [email protected]
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