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PARSONS TO HONOR
WILLIAM K. FUNG AND VERA WANG
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NEW YORK, April 13, 2010 – Parsons The New School for Design will honor Dr. William K. Fung, Group Managing Director of Li & Fung Limited, and celebrated designer Vera Wang at its 2010 Fashion Benefit, taking place on Monday, April 26, at Pier Sixty, Chelsea Piers.
Proceeds will support scholarships and academic programs at Parsons, a leader in design education in disciplines ranging from fashion design to communication design and technology, product design, interior design, architecture, photography, fine art and more.
The annual event honors visionaries who have significantly contributed to the industry. Previous honorees include Francisco Costa and Tom Murry of Calvin Klein, Diane von Furstenberg, Howard Socol, and Marc Jacobs. At the event, Rick Darling, President of LF USA, will present Dr. Fung with his honorary award, while Candy Pratts Price will award Ms. Wang with her honor.
"William Fung and Vera Wang have both positioned themselves at the vanguard of the fashion industry," said Joel Towers, the Dean of Parsons. "Dr. Fung has played an instrumental role in supporting global economic development, supply chain innovation, trade promotion and educational advancement. And he has substantial influence within the American apparel industry. Ms. Wang’s career is living proof that designers can successfully cross boundaries from fashion to interior and product design, creating a lifestyle aesthetic."
A highlight of the event is a fashion show that features the most notable collections designed by graduating students. The show culminates with the naming of the highly coveted Designers of the Year in womenswear, menswear and childrenswear. The fashion show has helped launch the careers of some of Parsons’ most talented alumni, including 2004 honoree Marc Jacobs '84; Jack McCollough ’02 and Lazaro Hernandez ’02 of Proenza Schouler, winner of the CFDA 2009 Accessory Designer of the Year, and the 2007 Womenswear Designer of the Year; and Doo-Ri Chung ’95, winner of the 2006 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund and the CFDA 2006 Swarovski’s Perry Ellis Award for Emerging Talent.
Editor's Note: At noon on April 26 at Pier Sixty, Parsons will host a fashion show of the top collections for the media. For more information, please contact Deborah Kirschner at 212.229.5667 x4310 or [email protected].
“The benefit is a celebration of the work of our talented students. We give them the training and tools, but it is always astonishing to experience their points of view through their designs,” said Simon Collins, Dean of the School of Fashion at Parsons. "Not only are the collections on view for a prestigious audience of fashion industry leaders, but the event itself reflects a collaboration between students in other programs such as architecture, lighting design and interior design, who create the set for the evening's festivities."
Tickets for the Parsons Fashion Benefit are available for $1,500 and above. For information, please visit www.newschool.edu/parsonsbenefit or contact 212-229-5662 x3735/3568 or [email protected].
About the Honorees
Dr. William K. Fung joined Li & Fung Limited in 1972 and was appointed Group Managing Director in 1986. Dr Fung is a non-executive director of HSBC Holdings PLC and the Chairman of its Corporate Sustainability Committee; a former member of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council; and past Chairman of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, the Hong Kong Exporters’ Association and the Pacific Economic Cooperation Committee. He is the co-author of the book “Competing in a Flat World”; and in 2008 was awarded the Silver Bauhinia Star by the Government of the Hong Kong for his significant contribution to its development as a leading international trading hub and his outstanding public service in the areas of trade promotion and economic development.
Vera Wang, a native New Yorker, understands women who embrace fashion. At age 23, she was the youngest fashion editor and stylist to be hired by Vogue, where she remained for 16 years before moving to Ralph Lauren as a design director. In 1990, Wang opened her flagship store on Manhattan’s famed Madison Avenue, introducing fashion to the bridal industry with revolutionary designs and refined detailing. Since then she hasexpanded her collections to include ready-to-wear, eveningwear, intimate apparel, fur, footwear, eyewear, fragrance,china and crystal, silverand gifts,fine papers, fine jewelry and her first book, Vera Wang On Weddings.The Council of Fashion Designers of America named Wang Womenswear Designer of the Year in 2005.
About Parsons The New School for Design
Parsons The New School for Design is a pioneer in art and design education for more than a century. Based in New York but active around the world, the school offers undergraduate and graduate programs in the full spectrum of design disciplines. With the launch of the first fashion design program in America in 1906, Parsons is credited with giving birth to Seventh Avenue, the epicenter of American fashion. Parsons offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and Associate Degrees in Fashion Studies and Fashion Marketing, and in 2010 will launch a Master of Fine Arts Program in Fashion Design and Society that was initiated through an endowed professorship by Parsons alumna Donna Karan. Parsons has educated a who’s who list of the fashion industry, including design legends Adrian, Claire McCardell and Norman Norell; industry leaders Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs, Isaac Mizrahi, Narciso Rodriguez and Anna Sui; and rising talents Chris Benz, Doo-Ri Chung, Derek Lam, Thakoon Paniguchal, Proenza Schouler, Behnaz Sarafpour, Peter Som, Vena Cava, Alexander Wang, and Jason Wu. For more information, visit www.newschool/parsons.
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