
Parsons’ MFA in Fashion Design and Society draws hyper-talented designers from all over the world. Students came to New York City from as close as Petaluma, California, and as far as Jakarta, Indonesia and Tehran, Iran. The school’s “Generation 14” show during New York Fashion Week felt, in many ways, like a trip around the world — but it also showcased the young designers’ shared experience of growing up online and in a world that tries its best to define them.
On Sunday afternoon, 15 graduating designers displayed the carefully crafted collections they’d toiled over for the past two years. While student shows are often seen as a platform to showcase high art, designers like Camila Bustamante, Karina Nasywa Bakri and Francesca Salis each emphasized the importance of wearability in their collections, referencing the use of zippers throughout, occasionally in place of lace-up corsets.
The show opened with Jontay Kahm’s “Beyond Vessels,” a vibrant exploration of the Plains Cree designer’s Indigenous roots, with billowing ribbon skirts and striking fringe. It closed with Alejandra Parra Parodi’s “Skins for Undomesticated Thoughts,” a lush ode to her Colombian background, with intricate mixtures of leather and iraca palm created in collaboration with master weaver Marelys Escalante.
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The process of coming to terms with one’s cultural identity was a common theme across the collections. Along the way, there were also designs that drew inspiration from teenage girlhood and time spent on Tumblr (Camila Bustamante), the “gritty elegance” of Detroit’s after-hours scene (Sustilé Blank), the sports jerseys that line the racks of New York vintage stores (Effe Qi He) and the unlikely amalgam of clown costumes with outfits worn by White House press secretaries (Lillian Tuttle).
Luxe fabrics, exaggerated silhouettes, mismatched patterns and lace patchwork stole the show. While no two collections were alike, each felt perfectly in and of the moment.
See the standout looks from Parsons’ 2025 MFA runway show below.
Jontay Kahm for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Jontay Kahm for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Jontay Kahm for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Jontay Kahm for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Jontay Kahm for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Karina Nasywa Bakri for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Karina Nasywa Bakri for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Karina Nasywa Bakri for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Karina Nasywa Bakri for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Jianghao Mo for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Jianghao Mo for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Jianghao Mo for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Jianghao Mo for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Yingdi Xiong for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Yingdi Xiong for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Yingdi Xiong for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Yingdi Xiong for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Lillian Tuttle for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Lillian Tuttle for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Lillian Tuttle for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Lillian Tuttle for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Maryam Yazdanpanah for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Maryam Yazdanpanah for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Maryam Yazdanpanah for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Maryam Yazdanpanah for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Camila Bustamante for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Camila Bustamante for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Camila Bustamante for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Camila Bustamante for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Francesca Salis for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Francesca Salis for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Francesca Salis for Parsons MFA 2025.Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Sustilé Blank for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Sustilé Blank for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Sustilé Blank for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Sustilé Blank for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Abel Martirosyan for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Abel Martirosyan for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Abel Martirosyan for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Abel Martirosyan for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kimberly Ortega for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kimberly Ortega for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kimberly Ortega for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kimberly Ortega for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Dina Mahrouz for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Dina Mahrouz for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Dina Mahrouz for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Dina Mahrouz for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Chi-An Yu for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Chi-An Yu for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Chi-An Yu for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Chi-An Yu for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Effe Qi He for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Effe Qi He for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Effe Qi He for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Effe Qi He for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Alejandra Parra Parodi for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Alejandra Parra Parodi for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Alejandra Parra Parodi for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Alejandra Parra Parodi for Parsons MFA 2025. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
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