The New School News

Forbes 30 Under 30 Bursting With TNS Alums (Again)

Photos courtesy of Forbes.

When Forbes Magazine set out to find the highest-achieving young talents in the creative economy for their annual 30 Under 30 list, they naturally turned to The New School.

Featured prominently this year is Carly Cushnie and Michelle Ochs of fashion label Cushnie et Ochs.  This pair of Parsons BFA Fashion Design graduates, and 2007 Designer of the Year (Ochs) and DOY finalist (Cushnie), has a bevy of famous fans – including Michelle Obama, Kristen Stewart, and Reese Witherspoon – and strong critical support from publications like Vogue and W. Also highlighted is Alexander Wang, who studied in the BFA Fashion Design program and went on to make headlines this year when he was named creative director of Balenciaga, the first Asian and one of the youngest designer to head a Paris fashion house. In addition, the list features another rising BFA Fashion Design graduate, milliner Gigi Burris, who has designed hats for Rihanna, Angelina Jolie, and Lady Gaga, earning accolades from Elle, Harpers Bazaar, W, Interview, Town and Country, and Vogue Italia.  

Two rising stars from Eugene Lang College The New School for Liberal Arts also made the list. Valentine Uhovski, a 2006 alum, was born in Russia, but moved to New York in the mid-1990s. Since arriving, he’s edited the Russian and German editions of Interview magazine, as well as freelanced for The Wall Street Journal. Now, he is the fashion evangelist (“real title,” Forbes assures its readers) for Tumblr. Leandra Medine’s style blog Man Repeller, which focuses on Avant Garde fashions that men find totally befuddling, earned her a spot on the list, as well. She started it in 2010 while at Lang, and it now gets between 2 and 3 million visitors a month.

And not to leave our esteemed faculty, there’s Graham Douglas. At just 28, he not only has taught courses at Parsons, but has overseen the dramatic rise of advertising agency Droga5, where he is creative director, working on campaigns for the UNICEF Tap Project and also the re-branding of Prudential, which was named one of the 10 Ads Worth Spreading at TED.

This is the second year Forbes has produced a 30 Under 30 list, and the second time The New School was amply represented. Last year, Jonah Hill, Nina Arianda, Chris Benz, and others from across the university.

To see the full list, visit Forbes’ website.