Fashion Campus NYC is a new City initiative that provides next-generation fashion and retail management talent with exposure to opportunities on the business side of the industry. Parsons The New School for Design will host an intensive weekend workshop on July 15-16, 2011, at its campus in Greenwich Village for students interning this summer in the City's renowned fashion industry. Parsons alumnus Derek Lam will give a keynote address at the event.
Fashion Campus NYC provides professional education and networking opportunities to some of the most promising and ambitious industry interns. Its aim is to educate these young professionals about the variety of career paths available to them and introduce them to some of the most influential figures in the City's fashion industry. In so doing, the program seeks to inspire talented students to pursue post-college careers in New York, thereby maintaining and enhancing the City's position as a global leader in fashion.
"Fashion has long been one of New York City's most prominent industries, with the potential for continued growth over the next decade," said Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert K. Steel. "By educating fashion's future stars, and providing them with the opportunity to network with today's industry leaders, Fashion Campus NYC is certain to strengthen New York City's place as a global center for fashion."
Fashion Campus NYC is an initiative that resulted from Mayor Bloomberg's FashionNYC2020, a year-long examination of the challenges facing the fashion industry designed to help the City build on its competitive advantages to maintain its status as a global fashion capital.
"Parsons has a long history of collaborating with industry and civic organizations in New York," said Joel Towers, Executive Dean of Parsons. "This partnership will benefit students around the world, and will support the Mayor's goal of growing the fashion industry over the next ten years. New York City is a global center for fashion, and Parsons is a global center for art and design education. It's a perfect match."
New York City's fashion industry employs 165,000 people, accounting for 5.5 percent of the City's workforce, and generates nearly $2 billion in tax revenue annually. In addition, the City is home to one of the world's largest wholesale fashion markets, which attracts more than 500,000 visitors a year to its trade shows, showrooms and retail stores. Fashion Campus NYC is one of six initiatives resulting from FashionNYC2020. These initiatives address the industry's challenges in two ways: by further positioning the City as a hub of innovation for emerging designers as well as specialty and multi-channel retail, and by attracting the next generation of design, management and merchant talent.
Fashion Campus NYC events will include "Backstage Pass," a panel discussion moderated by Simon Collins, Dean of the School of Fashion at Parsons, with business professionals who have recently launched successful careers in the fashion industry; "Ready-to-Work," a networking brunch that will provide students with unparalleled access to industry leaders and hiring managers; and "A Tailored Approach," breakout sessions with Career Services professionals allowing interns to gain insight into how best to pursue their particular areas of interest. The weekend will conclude with a keynote address by Derek Lam. Students interested in attending this free program are encouraged to register online.