Parsons, PPR, and Thefancy.com partner for "Empowering Imagination"
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PARSONS, PPR, AND THEFANCY.COM PARTNER FOR “EMPOWERING IMAGINATION”
Design competition will enable select students to earn internships within leading PPR brands and exposure on innovative social media platform, The Fancy
NEW YORK, May 10, 2012 – Parsons The New School for Design, PPR, and The Fancy have announced the launch of a new partnership giving Parsons students the opportunity to win an internship within one of PPR’s 16 luxury and sport & lifestyle brands. The students’ work will be featured on The Fancy, an innovative online platform at the intersection of blog, magazine, and image-based social media. The two winners of the competition will also be showcased at Barneys New York’s Madison Avenue store. The competition will be based on PPR’s defining theme, “Empowering Imagination.”
“PPR seeks to build bridges between the education, business, and digital communities within the fashion industry and highlight its brands as drivers of creativity,” said Laurent Claquin, head of PPR Americas. “The Fancy and PPR’s partnership with the School of Fashion at Parsons will help to inspire and foster the world’s future design generations by “empowering imagination.”
Open to 2012 seniors of Parsons BFA Fashion Design program, students in the areas of women’s and men’s ready-to-wear and accessories design will compete for internships in a three phase selection process based on the quality and conceptual vision of their thesis collections, from the garments themselves to their portfolio and visual collateral.
“The opportunity for our students to work with such an esteemed roster of premier brands in both the luxury and sport & lifestyle sectors will provide these students with the additional experience that will all but guarantee them a strong start to their careers,” said Simon Collins, Dean of the School of Fashion at Parsons. “Partnering with PPR and The Fancy will provide our students with an international perspective, thus positioning them as design thinkers poised to lead fashion globally.”
The top twenty candidates selected by the School of Fashion at Parsons will present their work to a panel of fashion industry insiders, including Simon Collins (Parsons), Laurent Claquin (PPR), Joseph Einhorn (The Fancy), Dennis Freedman (Barneys New York), Candy Pratts Price (Vogue.com), Dree Hemingway, and Vanessa Friedman (Financial Times.) In May, the panelists will review the students’ work and select five finalists who best exemplify the theme. In mid-June, the finalists will have their collections featured on The Fancy where its one million users will democratically decide which two designers will win. The one ready-to-wear look and one accessory “Fancy’d” the most will be awarded an expense-paid internship with a PPR brand. During September New York Fashion Week, the contest winners’ work will be showcased in a display at the iconic Barneys New York on Madison Avenue. The partnership will be celebrated at a private event hosted by The Fancy during Fashion’s Night Out.
"We are looking forward to seeing what the brightest young designers in the world are dreaming up at Parsons. It is an honor to launch these great talents on The Fancy. We are grateful to our colleagues at PPR for providing the opportunity for the students to hone their skills and to Barney's for showcasing the winners in their flagship store. May the best designers win!" said Joseph Einhorn, founder of The Fancy.com.
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.
Contacts
PPR Worldwide:Paul Michon+33 (0) 1 45 64 63 48pmichon@ppr.com
PPR US:Ruder Finn:
Maryam Ayromlou 212-715-1545 ayromloum@ruderfinn.com
Parsons:Deborah Kirschner 212-229-5667kirschnd@newschool.edu
The Fancy:Joseph Einhornjoe@thefancy.com