Erin Beatty entered fashion after earning a bachelor’s degree in English and Spanish at the University of California. Beatty began at GAP, Inc., working as a buyer and then as a product manager. Encouraged by GAP’s creative director to study design, Beatty entered Parsons’ AAS program.

Beatty and her friend Max Osterweis then established SUNO, launching a collection in 2009. The inaugural line was produced in Kenya from vintage fabrics. Their business included sustainably produced pieces made in India, Italy, Kenya, New York, and Peru and known for high-end tailoring and dynamic prints. In 2013, SUNO won the CFDA Swarovski Award for Womenswear; Beatty was also named creative director of Tory Burch’s ready-to-wear line while continuing to serve as creative director at SUNO. Beatty has recently been profiled in T Magazine and the Wall Street Journal. “Parsons grads are my best employees,” she says. “They’re motivated and skillful at translating ideas into the visual realm.”