New Schoolers Make Forbes’ “30 Under 30”
The book cover from Leandra Medine’s book Man Repeller: Seeking love. Finding Overalls. The Eugene Lang College alumna made the 2013 Forbes “30 Under 30” list for the second year in a row.
The New School’s alumni and faculty are extraordinary. This month, Forbes Magazine gave further proof of this fact by naming not one, not two, but four New Schoolers to its annual “30 Under 30” list of the most important people under 30 in art, design, technology, and more. New School for Social Research faculty member Rachel Rosenfeld, Leandra Medine (BA Liberal Arts ’12), Tanya Taylor (AAS Fashion Design ’09), and Aimee Kestenberg (BFA Integrated Design Curriculum ’10) were all saluted as accomplished young industry leaders by the magazine. Read on for more details.
NSSR faculty member Rachel Rosenfelt makes the “30 Under 30” list in the Media category for her work cofounding and editing The New Inquiry, a nonprofit cultural and literary criticism publication produced exclusively online. The intellectual journal seeks to reimagine the publishing industry from a 21st century perspective. In addition to her work for TNI, Rosenfelt consults for small publishers and digital media nonprofits. Most recently, she has collaborated with organizations like Google NYC, Tumblr, and BOMB Magazine in designing public programing. She currently teaches a course titled “Contemporary Approaches to 21st C. Publishing” at NSSR.
Leandra Medine launched her sensationally popular “Man Repeller” blog in 2010 while studying journalism at Eugene Lang College, and has since become a fashion industry prodigy. This is Medine’s second year in a row appearing in the “30 Under 30” list in the Art category. Last September, the style icon published her first book, Man Repeller: Seeking Love. Finding Overalls to enthusiastic reviews. Read our feature story on Medine here.
Fashion designer Tanya Taylor also appears in this year’s Art category for her “quirky” ready-to-wear designs for tops, skirts, pantsuits and jackets (the fabrics of which she hand-paints herself.) After obtaining a degree in finance from McGill University, Taylor realized her passion for artistic and cultural expression through fashion, and went on to study at Parsons The New School for Design before launching her own label in 2011.
Aimee Kestenberg first launched her line of vividly-colored leather handbags and backpacks in 2012, and has since twice won the Independent Handbag Designer Award. She has also collaborated with brands like Alexander McQueen and Jill Stuart. According to Forbes, her company earned $10 million in its first year alone, with Kesterberg’s designs being sold at Macy’s, Shopbop.com, and Nordstrom in addition to her own site. The 27-year-old designer graduated from Parsons in 2010, and appears in the Art category for this year’s “30 Under 30.”