As the school semester comes to an end, fashion design students grapple with an uncertain future. With Parsons located in New York City — the city most severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic — online education and social distancing procedures may stay in effect for the fall semester.
Parsons will have to contend with a possible drop in enrollment, as some matriculated students consider alternative plans for the fall semester. “I’ve already made the decision that if they do have another semester online, I’m going to take a gap semester,” said Kristina Michelle Ang, a second-year fashion design student.
According to a national survey of college students conducted by the higher education marketing and research firm SimpsonScarborough in April, 26% of students were unlikely to return to their current college or university in the fall—a 12% increase in four weeks. Former President David Van Zandt acknowledged the toll a drop in international student retention would have on university expenses. “Even a 5% decline in international students next year would be a multi, multi-million dollar hit to the budget,” President Zandt told the New School Free Press back in March.
For some undergraduate fashion students, it is difficult to justify the more than $50,000 annual tuition rate for a learning experience that does not include equitable access to quality fabrics, sewing machines, mannequins, and other studio equipment essential to sewing finished garments. Third-year fashion design student Marie Mannix felt a better option would have been to put the semester on hold.
“I think it could have made a lot of sense to end the semester and then extend the school year next academic year.” Unlike liberal arts classes, which can more easily be taught online, Mannix noted the intermediate skills developed sophomore year in fashion design are crucial to “create your own looks and design your own collection” in junior year.
Fashion students who relocated to New York City to immerse themselves in the fashion scene may find it difficult to make connections and get the exposure needed to get their work noticed. “A lot of times there are kids who are here in New York and they are from these small towns and being here, your art gets noticed more, people are more attracted to that, but if you’re going back, you’re not gonna have that same thing,” said Frances Cooney, a first-year fashion student.
The stakes are even higher for international students like second-year Katherine Saje. “My goal is probably different from American students because I need a reason to stay” in the United States, said Saje, who recognizes her desire to finish her education and start a career in the U.S. limits her tendency to complain.
In March, when Mannix learned on-campus classes were canceled for the rest of the semester, she had just landed back in New York. Within four hours, she packed her bags and was headed back home to Chicago for the rest of the academic year. “I was so panicked from rushing that I got back to Illinois and crashed,” said Mannix, who found it challenging to adjust to working from home.
“It was taking me double the time to complete tasks and homework as usual. Being in a home environment, it’s hard to get work done fast.”
Other students said they have thrived in a remote learning environment.
“Honestly, I love it. I can just wake up and go to class. I don’t need to get ready,” said Saje. But the workload of fashion design students can be even more difficult to manage at home. Keeping track of homework, assignments, and class schedules present a challenge when disconnected from the support system and infrastructure that on-campus instruction provides.
Staying motivated has also been a challenge for some students. Garment projects follow a process that includes inspiration, sketches, and eventually the final product. “I can’t even get myself to go on Pinterest and look at inspiration because I’m not feeling inspired at the current moment,” said Ang.
Beyond difficulties accessing materials and equipment, fashion students faced other unique issues presenting work, printing patterns, understanding instructions, and receiving feedback remotely. It is challenging to comprehend the intricate steps involved in sewing and construction without seeing an instructor demonstrate a technique in person or provide feedback in real-time. Details about how a pair of pants work or how a certain fabric functions get missed.
Joya Ma, a second-year at Parsons, suggests a more visual approach, “I think they should provide video instructions of the specific steps of sewing instead of just words on a manual.”
Dr. Rachel Lifter, a professor who works with senior students on their portfolios and two-dimensional work such as videos and photoshoots, understands the importance of ingenuity and resolve in the competitive and unpredictable world of fashion design.
”I’ve been so impressed with how the students built impromptu sets in their homes, asked family members and friends to serve as photographers, and used digital tools to come up with some exceptionally exciting ways of representing clothes.”
For some students, being quarantined has shifted their priorities. “The biggest thing for me during this quarantine has been focusing on myself. I’m doing a lot of work now because I want to do it. I have had time to sit down,” said Ang.
“Even in the best of times, how we engage in independent research and design is shaped by what we have access to,” said Dr. Lifter. “We get what we get and we make something with it. And then we take that work in new directions when we have access to other materials and resources.”
Even as new cases of coronavirus continue to decrease, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo prepares for a second wave in the fall. Regardless of this semester’s test of individual strength and resolve, one thing many students agree on is the need for tuition adjustment for a modified semester. “It wouldn’t affect my decision, but if school can just reduce tuition… It’s crazy to pay $50,000 for online classes,” said Saje.
Although The New School, which houses Parsons School of Design, has taken measures to reduce financial burden through an enhanced student emergency fund and refunds of meal plans and housing costs, students have little justification to pay full tuition for online education.
“To pay all this money just to be sent YouTube videos and learn it on YouTube, it’s not that helpful, but I mean, I know they are in a position where they really can’t do anything,” said Ang. She appreciates the support of her professors, but still questions the quality of remote instruction she has received.
Students from all over the world attend Parsons for the chance to learn from leading experts, collaborate with talented students, and break into a competitive industry—a goal that when finally realized, is priceless.