The Experience

The recent visit to New York has made what seemed impossible, possible. I am now even more excited about the forthcoming Sex and the City movie. Why? Because now I’m prepared to scream “I’ve been there” at every other scene.

My addiction to a certain four ladies aside, I found New York to be a rare city because it is so like its representations on TV. Furthermore, I found New York fashion to live up to its stereotypes. Students that I encountered at Parsons are impressively aware of their competition, their potential place in the industry, and what it takes to get where they want to go. The fact that when questioned, any student could price their garment and describe its potential position in Barney’s, was all I needed to know that New York’s reputation as the commercial fashion capital is well-grounded. What I did not expect however, was for this commercial awareness to be accompanied by such an exceptional design process that entwined broad creative inspirations with refreshingly intelligent design.

The most striking examples of this included inspiration being taken from such diverse sources as the two tragedies of Frida Kahlo, or footage from surveillance cameras, and immaculately cut designs that had multifunctional capacities. The latter of these appeared as a theme amongst the few collections I was fortunate enough to see and brought a welcome element of sustainable design philosophy, demonstrating that fashion can be commercially driven and eco-friendly.

I always believe that experiencing a different culture is a great learning experience, and although I have visited New York before, this time I feel like I really understand it. Furthermore, the opportunity I’ve had to become acquainted with New York means that if such a dream-like occurrence of having the chance to work there arises, I am so ready for it.