Emily Adams Bode
BFA Fashion Design, BA Philosophy ’13
Alfonso Javier Cobo Albusac
MS Strategic Design and Management ’18,
Alex Levin
BBA Strategic Design and Management ’11
Fabian Raphael Rastorfer
BFA Design and Technology ’14
Kim Shui
AAS Fashion Design ’13,
Cecile McLorin Salvant
Salvant attended the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music
Sarah Staudinger
New School Alumni Figure Prominently on Forbes 2019 ’30 Under 30′
Winning a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list is a coveted distinction and one that is extremely difficult to achieve. In 2018, seven of The New School’s most gifted young alums and former students, were recognized for a wide range of successful businesses and exciting careers. This is the seventh time Forbes has published the 30 Under 30 list, and former New School students have been selected every year. This year’s group is an especially compelling one.
Emily Adams Bode, BFA Fashion Design, BA Philosophy ’13, is a fashion designer and the founder of Bode, a menswear brand noted for its “one-of-a-kind shirts, pants and outerwear,” according to Forbes. Bode was a runner-up for the 2018 Vogue/CFDA Fashion Fund Award.
Alfonso Javier Cobo Albusac, MS Strategic Design and Management ’18, is a founder of Unfold, an app that allows its 9 million users to create polished design-driven Instagram stories with minimal templates. In 2018, he was selected as a fellow at Parson’s ELab, a design-driven incubator and business lab dedicated to entrepreneurship, practice, and research.
“Making it in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list obviously feels like a great achievement, as it’s always great to see your hard work being recognized, especially by such a large organization,” said Cobo Albusac. “As a student at Parsons, I felt I had the freedom to explore my passions and interests in ways I hadn’t been able to do before. I was challenged not only by the excellent professors at the school but by the other students. We were all from different places around the world, and this diversity really helped us share different points of view and perspectives, which always leads to bigger and better ideas.”
Alex Levin, BBA Strategic Design and Management ’11, is a founder and the director of strategy at L+R, an international design and technology agency with clients including Amazon and Louis Vuitton. Through the years, Levin has hired several Parsons graduates to work for his agency.
“It’s an honor to make this list, and I am thankful for all those I have collaborated with since I began pursuing my passion,” said Levin. “My time at Parsons was formative, teaching me the fundamentals of the design process and aesthetics — and how they are essential tools in the business world.”
Cecile McLorin Salvant is a former student who has already made her mark as a singer, composer, and visual artist. Her 2018 album Dreams and Daggers won a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album, and in 2017, she was profiled by the New Yorker, which called her music “timeless jazz.”
Fabian Raphael Rastorfer, BFA Design and Technology ’14, is the founder of Fabraz, a game studio that in 2017 released a platformer called Slime-san to widespread acclaim. Rastorfer has hired several Parsons BFA and MFA Design and Technology alumni to work for his organization.
Kim Shui, AAS Fashion Design ’13, is a womenswear designer whose clients include Kylie Jenner, Solange Knowles, and Cardi B. One publication called her the “Coolest Designer for It Girls.”
“Making the list has been a dream and a goal of mine for a while, so it has been unreal to achieve it!” said Shui. “Happy that the skills I learned at Parsons helped me.
Sarah Staudinger, is a former Eugene Lang student and fashion designer who several years ago launched a prominent women’s wear brand called STAUD. Her dresses and bags have proved popular with celebrities like Claire Danes and Zoe Saldana.