PARSONS, PPR, AND THEFANCY.COM ANNOUNCE FINALISTS FOR EMPOWERING IMAGINATION

Public to Vote on The Fancy to Select Favorite Parsons Designers
Winning Students to Earn Internships with Leading PPR Brands

NEW YORK, July 10, 2012—Parsons The New School for Design, PPR, and The Fancy have announced the finalists of a competition that provides Parsons students the opportunity to win an internship within one of PPR’s 16 luxury and sport & lifestyle brands. Starting July 10, the students’ work will be featured, one student per day, on The Fancy, an innovative online platform at the intersection of blog, magazine, and image-based social media. By “Fancying” these looks, the public will help to select the winners—one ready-to-wear and one accessories. In addition to earning an internship, the winning collections will be showcased during New York Fashion Week this September in a display on the 8th Floor Co-op at the iconic Barneys New York on Madison Avenue.

“We believe the cutting edge designs of these 5 finalists truly embody PPR’s theme of “Empowering Imagination.” We are pleased to be nurturing creative talent and inspiring the young designers from Parsons to showcase their work on theFancy.com. All of these 5 finalists have demonstrated the talent to have an opportunity to intern at one of our brands.” said Laurent Claquin, head of PPR Americas.

The competition, based on PPR’s defining theme, “Empowering Imagination,” engaged 2012 graduates of the Parsons BFA Fashion Design program. Parsons selected twenty candidates, who last month presented their work to a panel of fashion industry insiders. The five finalists selected by the panel include Jin Kay; Amy Layton; Christy Jeehyun Lee; Yingshi June Lin; and Melanie Seligman. The two winners will be announced at the end of July.

“We are delighted with the choices made by the panelists. These students truly represent some of the most creative and engaging work coming out of the Parsons BFA program,” said Simon Collins, dean of the School of Fashion at Parsons. “For these students, the opportunity to have their work presented to such a wide audience of fashion influencers, and also gain experience working with one of PPR’s illustrious brands, is one few fashion designers are afforded.”

Jin Kay’s women’s wear collection is an exploration of the definition of beauty in Eastern and Western cultures, explored through contrasts of light and shadow; Christy Jeehyun Lee’s accessory designs are part of a menswear collection that celebrates the Rooster, and its significance in cultures around the world; Amy Layton’s women’s wear collection is inspired by surf and skate culture in Southern California, where she was raised; Yingshi June Lin’s women’s wear collection explores the role of mass production in improving the quality of life in her native China; and Melanie Seligman’s shoe and accessory collection is inspired by prosthetics used to rebuild damaged bone and cartilage.

"We, like PPR, love to support new design talent at Fancy and these 5 Parsons finalists are the cream of the crop. Their incredible work is exactly what our Fancy users gravitate towards,” said Joseph Einhorn, founder of The Fancy.com. “With over one million Fancy users, the exposure is monumental for these students and we are thrilled to offer up their talent for all to admire and ‘fancy’."

About Parsons The New School for Design
Parsons The New School for Design is a global leader in design education, with programs that span the disciplines of design and the fine arts. With the launch of the first fashion design program in America in 1906, Parsons is credited with the rise of Seventh Avenue, the epicenter of American fashion. Parsons offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fashion Design, Associate Degrees in Fashion Design and Fashion Marketing, and 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 generations of leading American fashion designers, including Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs, Donna Karan, Isaac Mizrahi, Tracy Reese, Narciso Rodriguez and Anna Sui; and rising talents Prabal Gurung, Derek Lam, Ohne Titel, Thakoon Panichgul, Proenza Schouler, Vena Cava, Alexander Wang, and Jason Wu. For more information, visit www.newschool.edu/parsons.

About PPR
The PPR Group empowers a coherent ensemble of Luxury and Sport & Lifestyle premium brands, specializing in apparel and accessories, to reach their full growth potential. Distributed in more than 120 countries, PPR generated revenues of €12.2 billion in 2011 and had over 47,000 employees at year end. The PPR share is listed on Euronext Paris (FR 0000121485, PRTP.PA, PPFP). Find out more on Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Brioni, Stella McCartney, Sergio Rossi, Boucheron, Girard-Perregaux, JeanRichard, Puma, Volcom, Cobra, Electric, Tretorn and Fnac at www.ppr.com.

About The Fancy
Fancy is the preeminent online destination for those who appreciate beautiful things. Style icons, entertainers and business leaders congregate on Fancy to curate collections of their favorite objects and places. With one click you can buy a new dress or book a trip to an exotic locale. Part magazine, part shopping-guide, and part social network, Fancy is an exclusive oasis of impeccable taste and brilliant design within the vast sea of the internet. Visit www.TheFancy.com today and create a collection that expresses your vision.

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Deborah Kirschner
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