College students around the globe have the opportunity to kick off the summer in the artistic capital of the world: Paris, France! Parsons Paris Summer Art and Design Program is the chance for students interested in deepening their knowledge of fashion, photography, art, and design to study at one of the world’s most prestigious institutions. Today’s blog takes a look at the offerings in this program’s summer 1 session.
Parsons Paris serves as the European campus of New York City’s The New School, a first-of-its-kind design, liberal arts, and performing arts university. Parsons invites students from all over the world to take classes in their modern atelier, with intimate class sizes and multidisciplinary studies that prepare you for careers in the arts industries. Take your artistic knowledge to the next level: immerse yourself in Parisian culture, learn from some of the most celebrated professors in the industry, and expand your design skill set through their comprehensive courses.
In the first summer session, you get to select one of these three exciting and educational courses: The Business of Fashion, Fashion Styling, and Fashion Design Process. The Business of Fashion and Fashion Styling are half-day seminar courses, while Fashion Design Process is a full-day studio course. If you’re looking for a deeper dive into art education, you may choose a second course to enroll in during the summer 1 session, for an additional fee. Each course is worth 3 credits.
The Business of Fashion
This half-day seminar course introduces you to the fashion industry and its management strategies. Lessons focus on the relationship between innovation, design, production, and marketing, and gives an overview of the high-end fashion market in France. From designers to retailers, you will explore the key factors of the Parisian fashion industry. As part of this course, you will get out of the classroom to visit luxury stores and showrooms for an all-encompassing understanding of the business. Think: Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Le Bon Marche, all of which were founded in Paris and still host luxurious outposts there today. Field trip locations may vary, but you’ll have ample time to explore the many high end shops of Paris in your own time.
Fashion Styling
In this course, you’ll become familiar with contemporary fashion imagery and various fashion media. Styling involves many elements; a strong editorial concept, the creation of a narrative, and its visual translation. You’ll learn to select models, choose and assemble garments and accessories, and prepare professional shoots. Become familiar with the most cutting-edge fashion stylists, photographers and editors in the Parisian fashion scene, and you’ll leave Paris with the tools to be successful in your next photoshoot.
Fashion Design Process
You’ll spend a full day in this course working on projects individually and in groups, developing fashion concepts, drawing from inspiration found throughout Paris. Various approaches and techniques will be explored in this course, from how fabrication methods and color affect collections, to branding and merchandising, to creating work for specific markets and consumers.
As always, included in API programs are several opportunities to explore Paris through the inclusive cultural events and day trips. During this session, your group will visit museums, famous landmarks, local markets, theatres, and enjoy a picnic with French pastries, cheeses, and crepes. Your resident directors will take you on local tours to fabulous French sites, the locations of which vary each year. In previous years, students have visited Château de Versailles, one of the most famous and luxurious chateaux in France; the Quartier Latin, home to the Sorbonne University and the Pantheon building; and the Pere Lachaise Cemetery, the largest cemetery in Paris and the most visited in the world, home to the famous burial sites of Jim Morrison, Oscar WIlde, Frédéric Chopin, and more. Exciting things are happening all over the city in June that you won’t want to miss; in fact, just at the conclusion of summer 1 is La Fête de la Musique, a popular street music festival where Parisians are encouraged to play their original sounds throughout the city.
You still have time to apply for the summer 1 session, but don’t wait! Applications close March 15. Parsons Summer programs are open to undergraduates, graduates, and adult learners. With the invaluable opportunities a Parsons summer program provides, who wouldn’t want to start the season off in Paris?
