the 69th annual parsons benefit raises $2.3 Million for scholarships at the new schoolRihanna and 2016 Honoree Donna Karan Announced Recipient of the Parsons Fellowship, Creating an Opportunity to Design a Collection with Haitian Artisans and Karan’s Urban Zen, Benefiting Haiti and The Clara Lionel Foundation |
NEW YORK, May 23, 2017— The New School honored innovative musician, fashion icon, and philanthropist Rihanna, trailblazing designer Eileen Fisher, and luxury retailer Neiman Marcus Group, accepted by CEO and President Karen Katz, at the 69th Annual Parsons Benefit for their exceptional commitment to educational and charitable initiatives. The annual event was held at Pier Sixty in New York. Now in its 69th year, the perennial event is a New York fashion calendar highlight and introduces the next generation of fashion design leaders, honors icons in the field, and raises instrumental funds for student scholarships. The 2017 Benefit raised $2.3 million in scholarship funds. "It was an honor to celebrate such extraordinary women as Rihanna and Eileen Fisher, along with the exemplary Neiman Marcus Group, who all have empowered young women across the globe through their commitment to self-expression, leadership and educational opportunities," said Joel Towers, executive dean of Parsons School of Design. Following a runway show presenting select collections by graduating students, Burak Cakmak, Dean of the School of Fashion, announced the 2017 Designer of the Year awards in new categories. This year’s recipients are: • Olivia LeBlanc for Creative Systems Award The evening’s program was hosted by CNBC’s Worldwide Exchange Anchor, Wilfred Frost, and included a tribute performance to Rihanna by CHOP & QUENCH, a musical group comprised of members of the cast and band of ‘FELA!’ the musical. Designer and 2017 Creative Systems Award Winner, Olivia LeBlanc, presented Rihanna with her award, surrounded by fellow winning Parsons designers. Rihanna and Donna Karan, a 2016 Honoree, united on stage to announce the recipient of the Parsons Design Fellowship, a competitive program launched by Karan’s Urban Zen Foundation, which gives students the opportunity to travel and work in Haiti. Students collaborate with local artisans at Urban Zen’s Design, Organization, Training (D.O.T) Center, this year to develop a merchandise line benefitting Haiti and Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation. This year’s winners are: • Helena Bajaj Larsen Maybelline New York returned as The Presenting Sponsor, and FedEx and Calik Denim joined as this year’s Silver Sponsors. Maybelline New York provided make-up and Redken sponsored professional hair care products for the BFA fashion show, which took place during the Parsons Benefit. Past honorees include Beth Rudin DeWoody, Donna Karan, Arianna Huffington and Sarah Jessica Parker (2016) Marc Jacobs and LVMH (2015), and Jason Wu and Hugo Boss (2014).
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Imagine a university where scholars, artists, and designers find the support they need to challenge convention and fearlessly create positive change in the world. Imagine a community where walls between disciplines are dissolved, so journalists collaborate with designers, architects with social researchers, media specialists with activists, poets with musicians. Imagine an intellectual and creative haven that never has and never will settle for status quo. In 1919, a few great minds imagined a school that would rethink the purpose of higher learning. The New School was the result. Today, it is the only comprehensive university housing a world-famous design school, a premier liberal arts college, a renowned performing arts college, a legendary social research school, and many more schools and programs designed for students of every age and stage of life. No other university offers a more creatively inspired, rigorously relevant education. Their academic centers in New York City, Paris, Shanghai, and Mumbai offer more than 10,000 students more than 135 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The New School's Parsons School of Design is one of the leading institutions for art and design education in the world. Based in New York but active around the world, the school offers undergraduate and graduate programs in the full spectrum of art and design disciplines, as well as online courses, degree and certificate programs. Critical thinking and collaboration are at the heart of a Parsons education. Parsons graduates are leaders in their respective fields, with a shared commitment to creatively and critically addressing the complexities of life in the 21st century. The New School’s College of Performing Arts (CoPA), formed in the fall of 2015, brings together Mannes School of Music, the iconic 100-year-old conservatory; the legendary New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, and the innovative and ground-breaking School of Drama. With each school contributing its unique culture of excellence, the College of Performing Arts creates opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration, innovative education, and world-class performances. As part of the formation of The College, Mannes has moved into the newly renovated Arnhold Hall in Greenwich Village, a state-of-the-art facility designed especially for the performing arts. Also housed in Arnhold Hall are The School of Jazz and the School of Drama’s BFA program. As a part of The New School, students and faculty across the College of Performing Arts experience a supportive and rigorous environment with enhanced opportunities to collaborate with colleagues in a wide array of disciplines, from the visual arts and fashion design, to the social sciences, to public policy and advocacy, and more. CoPA has over 900 degree and diploma seeking students, including a variety of programs at the undergraduate and graduate level, as well as an additional 400 pre-college students at Mannes Prep. |
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