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DR. WILLIAM K. FUNG AND VERA WANG HONORED
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| Honorees William K. Fung and Vera Wang with Parsons Dean Joel Towers |
NEW YORK, April 27, 2010 – At its annual benefit to raise funds for scholarships and academic programs, Parsons The New School for Design honored Dr. William K. Fung, Group Managing Director of Li & Fung Limited, and designer Vera Wang last evening at Pier Sixty, Chelsea Piers. The event raised $1.2 million for the school, 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.
At the benefit, New School President Bob Kerrey announced that LF USA, a member of Li & Fung Limited, had donated $250,000 to Parsons to establish two critical scholarships: the LF USA Kathy Van Zeeland Scholarship to support fashion students with a focus on accessories; and the LF USA Parsons Scholars to provide support to low-income students from local public schools to attend Parsons three-year college preparation program.
"Dr. 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."
The annual event honors visionaries who have significantly contributed to the design 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, presented Dr. Fung with his honorary award, while Candy Pratts Price awarded Ms. Wang with her honor. Among this year's guests were Parsons alumni designers Chris Benz, Tracy Reese, Jason Wu, Lisa Mayock of Vena Cava, and Behnaz Sarafpour. Other guests included Julie Gilhart, Joanna Coles, Vivienne Tam, Patricia Field, Beth DeWoody, Lorenzo Martone, Italo Zucchelli, Steven Kolb, Robert Tagliapietra and Jeffrey Costello.
A highlight of the event is a fashion show to showcase 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.
The 2010 Designers of the Year, announced by Parsons Board of Governors member and alumna Kay Unger, are: Womenswear Designer of the Year Niloufar Mozafari, 22, of Houston, whose collection explores the concepts of memory and origin; Menswear Designer of the Year Dylan Taverner, 22, of Bridgeport, CT, whose collection is inspired by "the futility of nostalgia"; and Childrenswear Designer of the Year Susan Kay, 21, of Piedmont, CA, whose collection was inspired by the John Hughes film Weird Science.
“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."
The Fashion Benefit is the first of a number of events that will celebrate our new fashion graduates. From May 12-29, Saks Fifth Avenue will feature pieces from the collections in the windows of their flagship store, and starting June 15, the Nolita boutique Debut will be featuring collections in the store.
EDITOR'S NOTE: PLEASE JOIN US FOR PRIVATE RECEPTIONS AT THE IRIS SHOE BOUTIQUE ON APRIL 29, AND AT DEBUT BOUTIQUE ON JUNE 15 TO CELEBRATE THE GRADUATING DESIGNERS. FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO RSVP CONTACT KATE MCCORMICK, 212.229.5667 x3794 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 has expanded her collections to include ready-to-wear, eveningwear, intimate apparel, fur, footwear, eyewear, fragrance, china and crystal, silver and 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.
Parsons would like to thank the following companies for their generous contributions: AirDye, House, MAC and Ric Pipino.
About Parsons The New School for Design
Parsons The New School for Design is a pioneer in art and design education, which 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 the support of Parsons alumna Donna Karan. Parsons has educated a who’s who list of the fashion industry, including 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.edu/parsons.
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