Life Style

Young Koh

Parsons sophomore
Korea/Pennsylvania
20 years old

“Fashion is a problem full of questions that need to be answered, which I can come up with formulas.”

Young’s collection: My collection is a Spring Collection that was inspired by ancient Korean Jewelries. This inspiration reflects diversity in my view of design. The overall choice of neutral colors reflects both sides equally in my cultural collision. All silhouettes also reveal my study of two different cultures that I am constantly dealing with: Korea, my original home, and America, where I currently reside.

What excites you most about Fusion? I expect a life experience from Fusion. No ordinary experience allows people to learn greatly. What I am most excited about in Fusion is a pure learning experience towards a new field.

Ying Chian

Parsons freshman
Diamond Bar, California
19 years old

“To me, fashion is a representation of a person’s taste, style and personality before any prior communication. Fashion can speak the unspoken words about a person. It is like poetry where you think you found the one correct answer but from a different angle, there is a completely different interpretation because like poetry, fashion is a descriptive form of life. Fashion brings life and a metaphorical beauty to every person.

Ying’s collection: My collection is going to be based on one of my favorite books, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Each fashion sketch will be a stage of emotion that Elizabeth Bennet portrays in the novel from the beginning, before she met Darcy, until the end where Darcy and Lizzie live happily ever after. Although each stage has different style, I will be incorporating chiffon in all five outfits. Why chiffon? Chiffon is like a cover. It represents an ambiguous beauty and mystery between humans. Chiffon doesn’t allow people to pretend or hide their personality but it is a form of respect and etiquette, hiding their prejudices softly within their minds.

What excites you most about Fusion? I am excited about the whole process, from choosing our models to the runway show in March. I’m excited to see everyone else’s different designs and the experience I learn from the whole competition. It is also exciting to have famous judges on the panel.

Mel Sangsomsap

Parsons A.A.S. Bangkok, Thailand 26 years old “Fashion is an ice cream, there are good taste and bad taste but always keeps you happy.

Mel’s collection: “The Stolen Youth-When Hope Dies and the Crane Flies Away.” It’s the story of world war’s children whose dreams are taken away by the coming of outsiders.

What excites you most about Fusion? The Show!

Sam Donovan

Parsons freshman
Newton/Ashland, Massachusetts
19 years old

“Fashion is clothing to me. When I think fashion, I think cut, volume, fit, color, line, and texture; I do not find it to be an art to experiment with the human form--I prefer to stylize rather than idealize. I am interested in how to clothe the human form (particularly the female form) in a way that adds visual interest, but not so much that it detracts from flattering the wearer. I believe the greatest accomplishment a designer can achieve is that some want to, and then be able to wear his or her designs with as few flaws as possible.

Samuel’s collection: My collection is beautiful, classic clothes that any woman should feel good about wearing anywhere. I tried to make each garment fresh and new, while still remembering that most women want clothes that don't look like craft projects. I designed a lot of casual but glamorous day-wear looks for a multitude of situations so that the clothes can be worn over and over again, without looking like repeats. Again, this collection is much more about the idea of style, than how to style an idea.

What excites you most about Fusion? I am most excited to be making clothes my freshman year at Parsons! Having taught myself the basics of draping, pattern making, and sewing, it was a bit frustrating to learn that I would not actually be doing anything specifically focused on clothing until my sophomore year. So I mostly just excited for the opportunity to have the chance to start this early, doing what I came to Parsons to do: be a fashion designer.

Nathan Green

Parsons A.A.S.
Chicago, Illinois
31 years old

“Fashion to me is about making beautiful, well constructed clothes, putting someone's identity into a garment for them to wear, expressing my urge for design and craft in a single piece of work. Fashion is about making someone look good, but feel even better!”

Nathan’s collection: Cirque de Fusion is a commentary on prominent characters of a circus and their contemporary counterparts in our society as a whole. The Ringmaster is seen as put together and presentable at any moment as the front man. The Magician, either a miracle worker or a con artist, takes his cues from religious figures, as religion is either the biggest con or the greatest miracle. The Clown represents a relief from the serious with a vagabond interpretation. Feminine clothes are exploited with a masculine edge for the Bearded Lady, and the Strong Man is delivered with a suspender-vest reminiscent of a lifter's squat suit, capable of showing off the body that creates this character.

What excites you most about Fusion? I'm most excited about the process. Every garment is a learning experience and Fusion will be a class in its self for me. I am looking forward to the entire experience of creating these looks and following them through to their runway presentations.

Meghan Spielman

Parsons freshman
Billings, Montana
18 years old

“Fashion is an ever-changing industry and aesthetic, bound by the organic human form. However, fashion thrives upon this limitation, and exploits our natural and inherent beauty to its full potential.”

Meghan’s collection: My collection consists of five characters: the princess, prince, cuddly bear, friendly beast, and misfit monster. Each character conveys an individual charm and spirit while the collection maintains a unified theme of playful, pajamaesque, and child-like, everyday sportswear.

What excites you most about Fusion? I am incredibly excited to witness each designer's vision materialize. The show is going to be amazing!

Maya Blevins

Parsons sophomore
Rochester, Minnesota
19 years old

“Fashion is the mediator between me and the world.”

Maya’s collection: It began with a discomfort with menswear inspired lines. Through exploring this discomfort, it evolved into a playful curiosity with the social connotations of the suit. I wanted to explore how the suit, and the facade of “The Man” could be reinterpreted in a playful light. The collection is an artifact of my exploration of how the social hierarchy embedded in the suit relates to everyone but the man. I drew from past memories I have of playing with my father's wardrobe as a child, and that sort of innocence when trying them on.

What excites you most about Fusion? Being around great people that share a mutual enthusiasm for their craft. Fusion has been a great chance to dedicate myself to something that school cannot offer, the chance to focus on something that is purely my own.

Logan Samuelson

Parsons sophomore
Lincoln, Nebraska
19 years old

“Fashion is the relationship between construction and concept. When the construction reflects the intention of the concept-fashion has been created.”

Logan’s collection: My collection, in retrospect, is a combination of things that I've always found exciting and inspirational-Paris, New York, and the sensibilities of fashion and lifestyle that those places embody. Juxtaposition is also a common thread in my work; I find trying to balance two opposing forces can make for a more exciting and well-rounded collection.

What excites you most about Fusion? I am most excited to finally have the forum to present a body of work. I feel like I've been waiting forever for a chance to show people who I am as a designer and what I find beautiful.

Josh Tafoya

Parsons freshman
Taos, New Mexico
18 years old

“Fashion is my life and is not just pretty clothes, but is a beautiful art form.”

Josh’s collection: My collection is called black, white, and a little bit of gold. My collection is a combination of high fashion and trashy punk combined with a modern futuristic feel.

What excites you most about Fusion? I'm excited for the day of the show and seeing the models work the clothes.

E'lan Byrd

Parsons freshman
Miami, Florida
18 years old

“ To me, Fashion is! It is a way of documenting history. It's a way of living. It's a language. It's an art, an expression, an energy, a culture, a love, a comfort. It's something that exists and lives everywhere. Fashion is a life we all indulge in whether we want to or not, Fashion is!”

E’lan’s collection: My collection is called Exposed. My concept addresses the idea of women being stripped of their rights, being left bare, and exposed. I decided to use a nude color palette in order to represent the suffering of women, in every culture and race; also, to play on the words exposed and stripped. The chains in my collection represent the hold society and government have on women. Throughout my collection, I've used the chains to represent the progression of women's rights and freedom. The first garment has an abundance of chains representing when women had absolutely no freedom, up to the last garment, which only has chains in the back. This represents the present day. Even though we have come a long way, there are still remnants of injustice that are not as obvious, but are still present.

What excites you most about Fusion? I am excited to just be in Fusion, this is such a great opportunity to be able meet 29 other creative designers and share this experience with them. But of course, I am most excited for all the shows and exposure, because in the end everyone wants to be famous and remembered for the work they created.

Eduarda Salmi

Parsons freshman
Miami Beach, Florida
19 years old

“Fashion is everything. It is a form of expressing yourself, a mood or a feeling. It is a form of story telling; for each garment, each accessory you put on, works together as a whole to convey a story. It can define who you are as a person and showcase your own style. Fashion goes hand in hand with impeccable attention. That is to say, it isn't there just for its pre-conceived function. Rather, a work of art. Each and every silhouette, seam, cut and color calculated by the most absolute attention and accuracy in its details. For me, being a fashion designer is being able to design and create a garment or item that instantaneously makes another person feel special, confident, and exhilarated all at once. That can be one of the most gratifying things about fashion.”

Eduarda’s collection: The collection I have designed is a womenswear prêt-à-porter, Fall/Winter 2010 collection. I was heavily influenced and inspired by the structures and formations of icicles, the hard pristine edges of icebergs and of shattered glass. I intend for the color palette to be a muted one, utilizing snow and bone whites, as well as some dull pastels, and grays. The garments will have a strong sense of structure and will consist of strong, clean lines. Cut-outs will also be evident, along with a futuristic perspective towards this collection.

What excites you most about Fusion? It is great working in a team of complete strangers and seeing what everyone has to offer. You can just feel the current of energy flowing just about everywhere. It is also a self-experience and a test all the same, because you really do challenge yourself by committing to this collection which you have so passionately worked on, and it is just great to see it come through. Fusion will be my way of contributing to the fashion world, and representing myself as the designer I know I am.

Cid Leif

Parsons sophomore
Miami, Florida
19 years old

“ Fashion is my forever evolving cell of self-expression. It has allowed for all sorts of experimentation with the body by being able to work with different prints, style lines and silhouettes. For me, fashion has also become a gravitational pull towards the study of art. In my perspective, the translation of different fine art disciplines has been extremely influential to the creation of everything in fashion and its production. It has given me the ability to envision works of art transformed into garments and accessories. For me it is essential to have a harmonious balance of the visual and emotional part in producing fashion.”

Cid’s collection: In envisioning my collection, Brisees Portails (broken portals), I made reference to Anish Kapoor’s experimentation with reflective surfaces. While he works with expanding spaces, sometimes it is hard to make out if what you see in the reflection. I find it interesting that he produces these organic shapes and places them in the most structured and well calculated environments, mainly cityscapes. With that idea in mind, I considered producing harshly structured garments for the exterior and contrasting them with soft shapeless silhouettes beneath. Working with such polar aesthetics that have characterized Kapoor’s work inspired a whirlpool of possibilities and immense energy to realize a ready to wear for Fall/Winter 2010.

What excites you most about Fusion? As a previous Fusion participant, I have one of the most genuine and memorable experiences with me and it has brought me back for more. Fusion allows personal ideas or design energy to reveal themselves through garments. The experience I had alone in creating my own collection and the time spent with other designers from Parsons and F.I.T. served as fuel to being as emotionally and visually in tune with myself. I would hope that participating a second time around for Fusion I could introduce a more well-shaped vision all the while enjoying the influence of company of others by my side once more. Fusion is definitely my road to self discovery as a designer.