Parsons School of Design
Parsons is the art and design college of The New School, in New York’s Greenwich Village. Founded in 1896, it was the first school to offer programmes in fashion design.
About the school
Parsons began in 1896 as the Chase School, founded by the painter William Merritt Chase. After several name changes it became Parsons School of Design in 1941, in honour of Frank Alvah Parsons, who had set up the school’s first fashion design programme (then called costume design) in 1904.
In 1921 Parsons opened a school in Paris, the first American school to found a satellite abroad. It joined The New School in 1970, and that year awarded what Parsons describes as the first US university degrees in fashion design, interior design and lighting design. By the mid-1960s it had become known as the training ground for New York’s Seventh Avenue.
Fashion today
Fashion is taught in the School of Fashion, one of five schools within Parsons. Parsons Paris, in the 1st arrondissement, opened in 2013 and offers degrees in design, fashion, curatorial studies and business.
Notable fashion alumni
- Marc Jacobs
- Tom Ford
- Donna Karan
- Anna Sui
- Alexander Wang
- Jason Wu
Recognition
In the Business of Fashion Global Fashion School Rankings 2017, Parsons ranked second for undergraduate fashion courses. It was also named among the top performers in the 2019 edition.
At a glance
Founded
1896
Location
Greenwich Village, New York City
Type
Private art and design college, part of The New School
Sources: Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org); Official site (newschool.edu); Times Higher Education, best fashion schools 2017 (timeshighereducation.com); Times Higher Education, best fashion schools 2019 (timeshighereducation.com). Details can change, so check with the school before applying.
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