The development of the MFA Fashion Design and Society program has been a creative exercise in itself. As a directional and conceptual designer, I have always found that the "personal" is so important in defining identity. If there was ever a time to stake
out a personal vision, defy market conventions, and rev up the creative engines, it is now. Innovation and thoughtfulness may be the only route for students, and I can’t think of a more critical time than now for all thinking to become international.
There is something unique about New York, and I came here specifically to launch a new MFA program, with the intention of facilitating an exchange of ideas between the School of Fashion and the traditional academic disciplines. Design education is in
need of reform. If we are to maintain the spotlight on New York as a bright center and a resource for innovative design, we must reprogram that next generation of talent right here. At the end of the day, I am trying to create "idea people" — better
thinkers who are aware of the bigger picture.
I must first thank Parsons alumna Donna Karan, whose foresight and generosity were instrumental in the creation of this program, the first of its kind in the United States. I think the program reflects her innovative design sensibility, her business acumen,
her adventurous spirit, and, perhaps most important, her deep interest in humanity.
Since its founding in 1896, Parsons has been a leading innovator in design education. That’s the reason Parsons is the perfect place for the MFA in Fashion Design and Society to live and to develop and advance the study of fashion. It is also important
that Parsons is part of The New School, a university founded on the principles of intellectual freedom and civic engagement. Students in this program will find a studio-based learning environment within a larger
social and critical context.
-- Shelley Fox
Donna Karan Professor of Fashion
MFA Fashion Design and Society
School of Fashion
Parsons School of Design