Parsons MFA 2025: Between Heritage and Experiment

Kimberly Ortega

What are the key inspirations behind this collection?

This collection began with memories of my childhood in Ecuador, where my parents ran an auto-parts junkyard. Surrounded by discarded materials, I grew up with the phrase “I make money from the trash,” which shaped how I view waste and value. After moving to New York, I began connecting those early experiences to fashion. Seeing other working-class Ecuadorian immigrants made me reflect on our shared heritage and identity, reimagining overlooked traditions such as the Ecuadorian toquilla-straw hat (misnamed the “Panama hat”). The collection is about reclaiming culture, reworking materials, and retelling stories often left behind.

What materials, colours and techniques did you utilise in the creation of this collection?

I worked mostly with recycled and donated materials – secondhand white button-downs, fabric scraps, and deadstock cotton, wool, and silk. Earthy tones reflect the natural grounding of the textiles. Clay paint added ghostly outlines of past garment lines, suggesting their afterlives. I collaborated with Ecuadorian artisans – Sumakmaki for embroidery and Maria Sanchez for toquilla-straw weaving – to embed traditional craft. The process honoured imperfections, letting material and technique guide the work while blending cultural heritage with experimental construction.

What’s next?

I want to continue working with unwanted materials, telling cultural stories through my brand @soakartstudioo, and building stronger bridges between Ecuadorian artisans and the New York fashion world. My goal is to give their work more visibility while evolving my own practice with freedom and honesty. For me, beauty and creativity don’t come from perfection, but from history, process, and mistakes – values I hope to carry into everything I make.

@kim_baila / @soakartstudioo

Abel Martirosyan

What are the key inspirations behind this collection?

The heart of “Valley of the Mythic” lies in my research into the rarely studied ritual costume of the Armenian female archbishop – a powerful and overlooked symbol of cultural heritage. I also drew from traditional Armenian bridal attire, reinterpreting its elements through a contemporary lens. As a tailoring-focused designer, I had never previously incorporated my Armenian roots into my practice, so this process felt both deeply personal and creatively refreshing. It became a way to bridge tradition and modernity in a manner that felt authentic and new.

What materials, colours and techniques did you utilise in the creation of this collection?

I explored two contrasting directions in material and colour before merging them into a cohesive whole. Sustainability guided the work, using deadstock guipure lace from Coach, along with silk chiffon and jersey. Artisanal techniques included lace patchwork, fabric stiffening, rope cording on jersey, and handmade rope fringes. The colour palette was understated: yellow lace bleached into soft golden tones, paired with off-white chiffon and grey jersey. The focus throughout was on texture, craftsmanship, and repurposing materials in thoughtful, unexpected ways.

What’s next?

All things bigger, better, brighter!

@notyourcouture / @studiodarmure

Camila Bustamante

What are the key inspirations behind this collection?

This six-look collection is a tableau of teenage girlhood through the lens of my adolescence. Growing up in conservative Lima during the mid-2010s, I turned to Tumblr, YouTube, and Instagram as spaces to explore identity. John Waters’ kitsch and Pippa Garner’s humor-driven “bad taste” shaped the work, alongside Sofia Coppola’s and Petra Collins’ romantic lens on coming of age. Silhouettes are exaggerated and flattened, like a digital collage, reflecting how I experienced girlhood online: awkward, ironic, rebellious, and rooted in community.

What materials, colours and techniques did you utilise in the creation of this collection?

I mixed structured textiles like neoprene and Japanese denim with everyday fabrics – cotton jersey, shirting, and dress materials – creating tension between the ordinary and the exaggerated. Colours and prints nod to 2010s internet aesthetics: clashing, ironic, nostalgic. I also used a felting machine to turn waste from the collection and vintage garments into new yardage. Construction is purposefully off: skirts too short, layers collaged, proportions distorted to capture the humour and discomfort of adolescence.

What’s next?

I plan to keep designing, styling, working on editorial shoots, and experimenting with zines and accessories. More than anything, I want to keep building a fun, soft creative world – and enjoy the process along the way.

@camibusta

Dina Mahrouz

What are the key inspirations behind this collection?

“From Framework to Freedom” is a personal exploration of restriction and release, inspired by the ill-fitting garments of my teenage years. Worn out of necessity, they left me feeling physically and emotionally constrained, shaping how I moved and experienced the world. Reclaiming those memories, I transformed constricting secondhand clothing into sculptural silhouettes, blending voluminous forms with sharp geometric motifs drawn from Iranian art. These shapes, deeply embedded in my memory, became a language of liberation. The collection begins in quiet tension and fragility, before evolving into bold, liberated energy.

What materials, colours and techniques did you utilise in the creation of this collection?

The collection is composed of 50% upcycled secondhand garments, primarily cotton and denim, with the rest made from 100% cotton. Techniques centred on transforming 2D geometric patterns into 3D sculptural forms, navigating the challenges of pattern-making to achieve bold, architectural silhouettes. A monochrome palette was deliberately chosen to emphasise structure and form, allowing geometry and volume to take centre stage.

What’s next?

I want to keep gaining hands-on experience within the fashion industry, especially in New York and other global hubs. My next step is to join brands that share my aesthetic and values, while continuing to refine my practice. Long term, I aspire to establish my own brand – not by adding to overproduction, but by upcycling existing garments and collaborating with artisans from Iran and the Middle East. My goal is to preserve and celebrate craftsmanship while creating a sustainable cycle that connects cultural heritage with contemporary design.

@dina.mahrouz

Chi-An Yu

What are the key inspirations behind this collection?

“About Time” is inspired by the letters exchanged with my grandfather and father, where love, conflict, and silence intertwine. Paper becomes a metaphor for memory and fragility, while uniforms and tailoring embody authority and tradition. The collection reflects on how time leaves its mark through what remains unsaid, exploring the tension between permanence and loss, structure and vulnerability.

What materials, colours and techniques did you utilise in the creation of this collection?

I fused calico with tracing paper, creating a material that records wear like paper yet does not obscure the fabric. The collection is rendered entirely in white, echoing both the purity of paper and the solemnity of uniforms. The technique emphasises the union of fabric and paper, balancing structure with fragility.

What’s next?

I aim to further develop my brand Shangli Dunde, named after my father and grandfather, to carry their presence at its core. This project continues my exploration of silence, memory, and dialogue – much like the letters that replaced spoken words in my family. I am drawn to the idea that silence holds wisdom: “Shallow rivers are noisy. Deep lakes are silent.” My next step is to create garments that carry this quiet intensity, bridging heritage and individuality while giving form to unspoken emotions.

@shanglidunde

Alejandra Parra Parodi

What are the key inspirations behind this collection?

“Skins for Undomesticated Thoughts” is inspired by women writers marginalised within the male-dominated Latin American literary Boom of the 1970s and ’80s. Their work revealed the tension between intellect and vulnerability, eroticism and freedom – dualities I translated into silhouette and texture. Leather and iraca palm, materials from contrasting geographies, embody this push and pull. The collection shifts between sharp lines and soft curves, at times clinging to the body and at others drifting away. Created in collaboration with master weaver Marelys Escalante, it reflects a dialogue of heritage and experimentation, tradition and contemporary presence.

What materials, colours and techniques did you utilise in the creation of this collection?

The palette draws from the chromatic atmosphere of the 1970s–80s, coloured by vegetal dyes and handwoven palm. Working with iraca palm meant developing structural, body-centred weaves in spirals and voids, shaped directly over the body. Techniques included braiding, wicker-like interlacing, macramé closures, crochet, and leather moulding, often combined into hybrid constructions. Shoulders were exaggerated, echoing 1980s tailoring, while palm and leather were joined with hand-knotted macramé rather than stitching. This blending of craft and experimentation allowed Colombian techniques to take on new forms in dialogue with contemporary fashion.

What’s next?

My mission is to contextualise Colombian craftsmanship on a global stage, showcasing the savoir-faire, resources, and techniques that define our culture. I aim to build bridges across Latin America, working collaboratively to bring forward fashion objects that represent the richness of our histories and narratives. In the future, I hope to shape my own independent practice, acting as both ambassador and activist for Latin American artistry – ensuring that its craft, nuance, and voices are documented, celebrated, and transformed into meaningful design.

@parraparodi

(Effe) Qi He

What are the key inspirations behind this collection?

“31: Offside Identity” draws from my upbringing in China’s collective school culture, where unisex uniforms shaped daily life, and my fascination with the hyper-feminine aesthetics of Jean Paul Gaultier and Mugler. I wanted to explore the clash between conformity and individuality by reconstructing vintage sportswear into bold silhouettes infused with lingerie and sculptural details. Sportswear, often coded as masculine and collective, is reimagined through a feminine lens, creating tension between restraint and liberation. Over 90% of materials were sourced from New York thrift stores, transforming waste into poetic, powerful self-expression.

What materials, colours and techniques did you utilise in the creation of this collection?

I built the collection from recycled and vintage materials: football jerseys, sports scarves, and second-hand track pants, combined with lace and fabric scraps. Techniques included deconstruction, hand-stitching, rhinestone patterning, and spray-painted lace for a romantic yet subversive effect. Structurally, I fused sportswear with corsetry and lingerie-inspired details, sculpting hyper-feminine silhouettes from unisex uniforms. The colour palette emerged from the jerseys themselves, contrasted with delicate whites and blacks, symbolising the tension between collective conformity and individual desire.

What’s next?

On the same day as our Parsons MFA NYFW show, I launched my independent brand, Effe Waldorf. This marks the transition of “31: Offside Identity” into a long-term practice, merging fashion design with community workshops and sustainable methods. Moving forward, I aim to grow the brand’s community and expand its international presence, while continuing to explore identity, resilience, and poetic self-expression through fashion.

@effewaldorf / @effewaldorfofficial

Francesca Salis

What are the key inspirations behind this collection?

“Beneath the Layers” is inspired by traditional Sardinian dress and my grandfather’s roots on the island. Family stories and archival research guided me in reimagining this heritage for a contemporary context. I was also deeply influenced by 17th-century painter Artemisia Gentileschi, whose portrayals of women embody both rage and tenderness. Her work shaped the collection’s emotional tension – garments balancing intimacy and protection, delicacy and structure. Using silk, leather, chiffon, and reclaimed textiles, I designed primarily through draping and fabric manipulation. Fit on a male body, the pieces challenge conventional gender codes, letting softness and ornament coexist with strength and presence.

What materials, colours and techniques did you utilise in the creation of this collection?

I combined deadstock silk, leather, canvas, chiffon, fine jersey, knit, and reclaimed lace to explore the relationship between rugged and delicate. Earth tones, hand-dyed to reflect Sardinia’s landscape, ground the palette. Raw edges meet closures linked to lingerie – hook-and-eye fastenings, lace accents, decorative topstitching – highlighting a masculine form dressed in feminine notes. Techniques include draping, knitting, screen-printing, and corsetry. One garment was developed on a Shima-Seiki machine through collaboration with Glory Apparel and the mills M.oro Cashmere and Shi.kuan, following my selection as a finalist in the 2025 Young Designer Project, where advanced knit complemented traditional craftsmanship.

What’s next?

I plan to keep creating and having fun with the process while deepening my practice. Central to my work is the representation and celebration of craftsmanship and traditional garments, which I want to reinterpret in a contemporary context. For me, honouring history also means opening space for new ideas and forms of expression. Equally important is collaboration – exchanging knowledge and building something meaningful together feels essential in this moment.

@francesca.salis_

Jianghao Mo (Mikaeru)

What are the key inspirations behind this collection?

“What would happen if traditional suits were made with the fabrics and trims of sports gear?” This question shaped my collection, born from two aspects of my life: bespoke tailoring and sports. The first is my family heritage – my father passed down his craft of bespoke tailoring, which has become the core of my practice. The second is my pursuit of mountains and outdoor performance, a spirit that keeps pushing me toward new summits. Together, they inspired an exploration of functional suits that merge precision and endurance.

What materials, colours and techniques did you utilise in the creation of this collection?

I fused suiting with Gorpcore textiles and trims. Transparent, waterproof, and tear-resistant membranes were laminated onto suiting and nylon, giving fabrics a leather-like finish. Modular pieces are segmented with waterproof zippers. The palette riffs on the bold, high-saturation colour blocking of 1980s sneakers, delivering vibrancy and enhanced visibility in snowy environments.

What’s next?

I’m learning how to run a ready-to-wear brand and will return to Shanghai for internships and real market experience. At the same time, I’m applying for a PhD focused on bio-leather and human kinetics, before piloting a small line of bio-leather garments – an alternate direction I once considered for this collection. Rooted in my heritage, I’m moving forward with no limits, through wind and snow.

@jianghao_mo_mikaeru

Karina Nasywa Bakri

What are the key inspirations behind this collection?

The heart of “Over and Out” is my family and memories of growing up in early 2000s Indonesia, especially my father. An architect, he taught me how to draw – his lines were imperfect and wobbly, shaping how I saw form. My childhood dream was to be a 2000s Indonesian pop star, while his was to be a mountaineer, so this collection fuses both worlds. Ultimately, it’s about bringing my childhood sketches to life, translating imagination and memory into wearable form.

What materials, colours and techniques did you utilise in the creation of this collection?

I collaborated with Takihyo Co., who provided deadstock outdoor materials that make up 75% of the collection, and Solstiss, who supplied lace reworked into swirling motifs inspired by my childhood sketches. Almost all seam lines are curved to mirror the flow of these lace structures, blending utility with playful, sketch-like movement.

What’s next?

I’m currently working as a Technical Designer in New York. While the idea of starting a brand is still in early development, I’m exploring ways to carry my personal stories and playful approach forward, balancing professional experience with independent creative work.

@karinasywa

Lillian Tuttle

What are the key inspirations behind this collection?

I believe life needs clowning up. Clowning is a methodology of emotional transparency, resilience, and throwing away the script. This collection imagines a wardrobe of pieces for each clown to pluck from as they see fit. It also asks: what if the White House had mandatory clown classes? I encourage political representatives to get in touch with their clowns. A political class willing to admit failure, laugh at themselves, and embrace emotion and individuality could change the way we relate to power.

What materials, colours and techniques did you utilise in the creation of this collection?

Natural fibres are central, both for the wearer’s health and the garment’s life cycle. This collection uses cotton, wool, and silk, alongside donated synthetics for stretch and unexpected textures. A base of creams and browns is punctuated with electric blue, carnival orange, and the chaos of repurposed tie silks. Machine felting and waxing make the internal visible, pulling interior fabrics to the surface and rendering outerwear transparent and vulnerable – not unlike a clown on stage, revealing what’s inside with a wink.

What’s next?

What’s next for any of us in 2025? Figuring out how to insist on dignity for every person in this gorgeous, messed-up world. Closing the gap between the uber-rich and the rest of us. Clowning more. I’m slowly, intentionally building my brand while working on jewellery designs. I’m also looking for a job – particularly within healthy production chains, fibre reuse and recycling, and traditional craft networks.

@arbeau_web

Sustilé Blank

What are the key inspirations behind this collection?

“Softening the Edges” is rooted in the loneliness of gender transition, societal “otherness,” and the creation of otherworldly identities. I drew inspiration from early 2000s supernatural characters like Buffy and Blade, as well as the aesthetics of nightlife, armour, and underground performance. The work explores the space between strength and vulnerability, queerness and survival, myth and reality — proposing garments as both protection and transformation.

What materials, colours and techniques did you utilise in the creation of this collection?

I experimented with chains, hardware, and reconstructed textiles, balancing industrial weight with delicate drape. The palette centres on iridescent blacks, metallic silvers, and oil-slick tones. Techniques included hand-linking chains, experimental crochet, sculptural draping, and patterning that transforms garments into protective exoskeletons. Each piece was adjusted on multiple identities throughout the process to ensure adaptability across a wide range of bodies.

What’s next?

I plan to expand SKNDLSS into a larger world of wearable characters that merge fashion and performance, while continuing to create visibility for my community. I’m excited to collaborate with a wide range of creators, find sustainable ways to grow the label, and build our webstore to offer both accessible and exclusive pieces. In my personal practice, I’m also returning to music — it’s an essential part of my creative flow.

@skndlss / @skndlss_world

Maryam Yazdanpanah

What are the key inspirations behind this collection?

“Warrior of the Bare Mountain” is a six-look collection embodying inner transformation through named warriors such as Blood Runner and Shadow Walker, each a manifestation of personal evolution. Research took me from the samurai armour archive at The Met to Japan, exploring how identity is forged through heritage and discovery. Each warrior can stand alone or as one of six interwoven aspects of a single self. Drawing from samurai armour, my parents’ collar-filled wardrobe, and the nomads of Iran, the collection features blade-like collars, sculptural pleats, and layered metal zippers that evoke both protection and memory.

What materials, colours and techniques did you utilise in the creation of this collection?

Crafted entirely from natural deadstock, the collection embraces what is discarded and transforms it into strength. I worked with double-faced cotton, fine wools, silk blend linings, and shibori-inspired hand-sprayed techniques. Over 40 collars appear throughout, while layered custom metal zippers – sponsored and produced by YKK Japan in the U.S. – echo the odoshi lacing of samurai armour. The palette spans Innocent White, Japanese Ink Black, Nomadic Red, and Eternal Gold, each carrying symbolic weight.

What’s next?

I am eager to collaborate as a freelance designer with brands whose aesthetics and philosophies resonate with mine, while gradually rebuilding my label @saaku_studio, paused during my MFA. My practice centres on creating narrative-driven, contemporary warrior attire rooted in Persian heritage and enriched by Japanese art and culture. My background in medical science continues to shape my design perspective, offering an unexpected but vital source of inspiration.

@m_ypi_ / @saaku_studio

Yingdi Xiong

What are the key inspirations behind this collection?

This knitwear collection reimagines the Chinese wedding dress as sculptural form, examining how ritual clothing embodies memory and continuity. Inspired by the Yunjian shoulder piece and the festive vocabulary of unruly brightness, I fused monumental structure with intimate storytelling. The work reflects on generational fractures shaped by migration and modern life, where traditions risk slipping into absence. Here, the wedding becomes more than ceremony: it is intimacy, tension, and dialogue. Rather than nostalgic revival, the garments suggest a contemporary encounter with heritage – a negotiation of what is carried forward between mothers and daughters, families and futures.

What materials, colours and techniques did you utilise in the creation of this collection?

Each piece is built from fragments – recycled knits, discarded textiles, and regenerated yarns – stitched and crocheted into new compositions. Surfaces are layered with hand-beading, sugar-water stiffening, and sculptural patchwork that echoes the radial logic of traditional dress. The palette moves between grounding blues and neutrals and the celebratory intensity of reds and golds, amplifying contrast and tension. Crochet handwork became central, affirming craft as both a sustainable practice and a conceptual language for reproducibility. The result is radical tenderness: garments that honour waste as resource while sustaining continuity in the present.

What’s next?

I’m collaborating with Consinee Cashmere Group to bring three looks from my graduate collection into production, to be shown in Shanghai. At the same time, I’m moving to Los Angeles to co-found an AI companion project, exploring how fashion can shape and decorate future characters. Across both fields, I remain driven by the same question: how can design respond to social change and create genuine benefit for the world?

@yingdi_xiong