Students from the class of 2022 are, in many ways, a product of their larger environment. These young designers completed more than half of their schooling during the pandemic, while the world around them endured upheaval and long-overdue social change.
While business interests have since softened some of the fashion industry’s urgency around sustainability, social equity and inclusion, these fashion graduates are firm in their convictions. Themes of nature, sustainability, building cultural bridges and inclusion were paramount in the collections of the five recent graduates surveyed by WWD, who were highlighted by their respective schools for exemplary design work. Many incorporated high-performance knits and upcycled textiles into their collections, imbuing designs with a sense of craftsmanship and longevity.
Here, students from five globally recognized, US-based fashion design schools offer a window into their thesis collections and design ethos as they look toward a bright future:
SCAD student Beckham Lin.
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Savannah College of Art and Design
Name: Beckham Lynn
Birthplace: Changhua City, Taiwan
Age: 22
WWD: Talk a little about the models and concept of your thesis.
Beckham Lin: This collection represents when a person leaves the comfort of home, like a bird leaving the nest to fly out into the world. Every journey that people experience is towards a dream for themselves, like the bird that soars to new great heights. The bird represents my journey to find and build my home and environment where I can be my true authentic self. Much inspiration comes from Eastern and Western cultural perspectives of home and family dynamics. My collection explores the idea of [xiào or filial piety] and each look represents the different steps of growing up and embracing freedom.
WWD: What is important to you as a young designer? Where do you think the industry can improve?
BL: For me personally, authenticity and embracing my individuality is of utmost importance to shine through in my art and collections. Fashion gives me a platform to communicate my feelings, desires, beliefs and connect with others. Sustainability and inclusivity are topics that are incredibly important to me and my generation of peers. It’s inspiring that the wider fashion industry is prioritizing sustainability, body positivity, gender identity and overall inclusion, and that there’s also an openness to embrace new talent, especially a multicultural designer like myself.
WWD: Anything you’d like to say to the designers who have inspired you along the way?
BL: Three designers have had a profound impact on me as an artist and designer and have allowed me to see fashion as a true art form. To Iris Van Herpen, thank you for creating such incredible and thought provoking outfits. Alexander McQueen, thank you for your genius and sharing your art of storytelling through design. To Guo Pei, thank you for always embracing your culture and traditional Chinese influences in your creations.
WWD: Do you have a set job? If so, where?
BL: Next month, I’m excited to be moving to New York City. I have been overwhelmed with the amazing and positive feedback I have received on my latest SCAD collection and hope to spend my time developing my collection and making meaningful connections with the industry.
FIT student Monica Palucci.
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Fashion Institute of Technology
Name: Monica Palucci
Hometown: Pound Ridge, NY
Age: 25
WWD: Talk a little about the models and concept of your thesis.
Monica Palucci: Entitled “Close to Home”, my thesis work references memories of the nature reserve where I grew up. It is a reflection of my relationship with the natural world. My work aims to explore a reciprocity with nature – facilitating experiences in nature while taking a critical look at culture in nature. Multifunctional and low-waste practices were implemented to expand the use of clothing. Single fiber materials, reusable hand-stitched hardware and biodegradable wax treatment were used to ensure circulation. My juxtaposition of found artefacts, traditional techniques, refurbished hiking gear and technical design is a nod to the disconnect between nature and how we sometimes engage with it.
WWD: What is important to you as a young designer? Where do you think the industry can improve?
Member of Parliament: After my first year at FIT, I took some time to reflect on what it would look like to approach fashion in a way that I can feel good about. I immersed myself in studies of sustainability, ethics, and size inclusion—looking for opportunities and experiences that would help me answer this question.
At this point, it is widely understood that the industry needs to improve its sustainability practices, but this can sometimes be confusing. Commitment to long-term solutions is essential. I think starting with fashion education is a great way to start.
WWD: Do you have a set job? If so, where?
Member of Parliament: I am currently interning for Danielle Elsener at Decode MFG and doing some freelance upcycling designs on the side.
Parsons student Briah Taubman.
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Parsons School of Design
Name: Briah Taubman
Hometown: Los Angeles
Age: 22
WWD: Talk a little about the models and concept of your thesis.
Briah Taubman: My collection of knitwear “Broken/Open” is inspired by a beautiful and suffocating relationship that eventually ended. This collection was born out of my affinity for yarn knits and vibrant colors.
The “Anxiety Shirt” best embodies this collection. The black and red, cutout/spiral top pays homage to the visceral anguish I felt when deciding whether to let go or cling to my relationship for fear of never finding love like that again. Like my shirt, I was bursting at the seams.
WWD: What is important to you as a young designer? Where do you think the industry can improve?
BT: It’s unfortunate to me that the industry has lost its nuance as the collective continues to shift towards mass production, fast fashion and the rise of digital clothing.
I fell in love with fashion because as a special someone, I finally found an art form in which I could express myself. I wish fashion consumers would appreciate the ateliers and the process of handmade clothing, which requires months of meticulous design and craftsmanship. I wish design houses would release only two seasons a year, thus giving the designer time to muse and gather inspiration for their collections without the pressures of unbearable consumerism.
WWD: What is your dream job? Anything you’d like to say to the designers who have inspired you along the way?
BT: My dream job is to have my own brand, Artemis. I want my brand to give a voice to women who feel shy or unable to express themselves in words, as I struggled with as a child. I want my clothes to bring out the personality of my customers.
My other dream jobs would be working for designers like Glenn Martens, Kiko Kostadinov and Jonathon Anderson; these designers make me fall in love with fashion all over again with every collection.
WWD: Do you have a set job? If so, where?
BT: I am currently working as a freelance knitwear designer for a knitwear consultancy called Studium. In addition, I am a freelance stylist assistant for freelance designers and magazines, currently W magazine and Mastermind.
Pratt student Trung-Tin Pham.
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Pratt Institute
Name: Trung-Tin Pham
Hometown: San Diego
Age: 21
WWD: Talk a little about the models and concept of your thesis:
Trung-Tin Pham: This collection, titled Synonym, is a fictional world I created, stemming from fake IDs. [When non-white communities have] a submitted ID has a photo showing someone who looks similar, and because of microaggressions and racism, forgery is accepted. Growing up as an Asian American, there are many times when I experienced the casual grouping of Asian boys as an archetype. Synonym is my satirical answer to it all, playing 12 similar-looking models, all posing as “Trung-Tin”.
My designs incorporate elements that can be found in various places throughout the collection, creating a sense of cloning.
WWD: What is important to you as a young designer? Where do you think the industry can improve?
TT.P.: I think representation is very important to the industry. Growing up Vietnamese American, I never saw people like me in any form of media, but I never questioned it. Moving from my hometown made me realize the importance of representation in all art forms. The fashion industry needs to improve by humanizing people and work[ing] on diversity until it is reflected at all levels of the industry.
WWD: What is your dream job? Anything you’d like to say to the designers who have inspired you along the way?
TT.P.: My dream job is to be a knitting programmer working on Stoll or Shima machines. During my undergraduate studies I fell in love with knitting after taking a Shima Seiki class. My collection relied heavily on some complex programmed stitches, which I am very proud of. I have always tried to incorporate technology into my craft.
WWD: Do you have a set job? If so, where?
TT.P.: I don’t have a solid job lined up, but I’m planning to move from NYC back to California to be closer to all the knitting programming jobs on the West Coast.
RISD student Jackie Oh.
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Rhode Island School of Design
Name: Jackie Oh
Hometown: Seattle
Age: 25
WWD: Talk a little about the models and concept of your thesis.
Jackie Oh: The overall aesthetic was inspired by music artists adorning themselves with diamond-encrusted gold Jesus pieces and oversized clothing; as well as extravagant paintings of Christ, his followers and enemies from the past. Bordering on kitsch, camp, and cathartic, I’ve mixed in casual but high-end pieces with a more-is-more mentality.
WWD: What is important to you as a young designer? Where do you think the industry can improve?
NO: I never focused too much on just clothing – I majored in FAV first [film, animation, video] before you even get the clothing design. Even then, I spent most of my time in the makeshift jewelry studio I set up among the sewing machines.
WWD: Do you have a set job? If so, where?
NO: In fact, once September rolls around, I’ll be back in the classroom as a post-Bacc student here in Seattle. Hopefully I can complete all my science prerequisites in the next two years and then apply like crazy to dental school. In the meantime, I’m working on a second children’s book with my brother, as well as spending some time at a few jewelry studios around the area.
