At an April 7 town hall meeting, New School administrators announced that Burak Cakmak would be replacing Simon Collins as Parsons dean of fashion starting in August. Before accepting the position, Cakmak was the vice-president of corporate responsibility for the Swarovski Group where he focused on sustainability initiatives. Here is the Free Press interview with the London-based industry veteran.
When did you first hear about Parsons?
Since I joined the fashion industry 15 years ago, I have been closely following the top design schools in the US and abroad. Parsons has always been an institution that I felt was capable of delivering outstanding graduates and one always pushing the boundaries. I would not have imagined back then I would be part of the Parsons community.
What was your reaction when you found out you were the new Dean of Fashion?
Although I knew there was a chance after such a vigorous interview process, I still didn’t fully comprehend what it would feel like. I was so excited to find out that I was given the chance to be the new Dean of Fashion. I thought, what a great opportunity to bring all this excitement and energy into a creative environment where we can work on shaping the future of fashion.
What is the first change you plan to implement as Parson’s new Dean of Fashion?
I would say I will first focus on identifying what needs change and what is working well. For sure we will first work on evolving our vision to prepare the school for the coming years. This will ultimately help us determine what we need to focus on to get us there.
How do you plan to promote and further integrate fashion sustainability at Parsons?
Sustainability is clearly an area I am both passionate and knowledgeable about. I am also aware of the challenges and limitations businesses face in implementing it. As an education institution, we should understand this key societal challenge and its relevance to our studies and the future roles designers will be taking in businesses. I will be keen to explore how we can further embed this knowledge across all aspects of our program even if it is in a subtle way.
Where did your interest in incorporating sustainability with fashion stem from?
Having lived and worked in many countries and experienced different cultures and lifestyles, I had a chance to see the beauty and challenges that we face in the world around us up close and personal. When I had a chance to be part of the fashion industry that is about a visual demonstration of who we are and how we want to perceived, I was very keen to explore ways to integrate positive values to the product that are emotionally charged and can help tell a better story of our identity and values.
Do you plan to use your connections with other institutions and brands to collaborate with your students?
Absolutely. I’m already thinking about a range of possibilities that we can explore from brands to designers, researchers, academics and artists that can help us create a new narrative. Looking forward to discussing with the team this fall.
If you could take only one class at Parsons, what would it be?
I would consider taking Visual communication studio. Images are a powerful communication tool and there are times visual expression can be a great alternative to words.
If you weren’t in fashion, what other career do you believe you would be pursuing?
I enjoy working with people and being a catalyst for change. I did consider becoming a diplomatic official with the aspiration to become an Ambassador once.
Sydney is a current Junior studying Journalism & Design at Eugene Lang and the Co-Editor-In-Chief of The New School Free Press. She spends a questionable amount of time responding to emails, remembering coffee orders for her various internships, producing films & frolicking around the Lower East Side where she’s living her New York dream of occupying a bedroom with a brick wall.
