Parsons Paris’ College and Adult Summer Session
Throughout the month of July, Parsons Paris will house college and adult students in a summer semester. The session works to allow for students to enroll in the program in order to acquire the skills they need to reach academic and professional goals, to complement their full-time degree programs, or to build a competitive portfolio for graduate program applications, thus preparing for advanced study.
Our summer July session is comprised of several classes: Portfolio Preparation, led by Professsor Monica Fraile Morisson, Explorations in Drawing, led by Professor Jason Glasser, Fashion Communication led by Professor Katharina Sand, Fashion Design Process led by Professor Damian Yee, Introduction to Design and Management led by Professor Maurits Montañez, Fashion Photography: Theory and Practice led by Professor Lila Neutre, and Luxury Design Management a course under the direction of several professors, guest lecturers and members within the fields of Design in both Paris and Florence.
Portfolio Preparation enables students to develop a high quality portfolio of work for further and higher
education while developing the skills and understandings to produce high standard artwork for a portfolio. Students will research, construct, and enhance appropriate work with a range of digital tools, and design a consistent portfolio. This course will develop the editing and typographic skills, to frame and present the artwork with relevance and clarity, in an articulate manner, both online and PDF format, with a range
of digital tools and platforms, and prepare for admissions. Students will familiarize themselves with life in Paris, participating in studio workshops and research trips to museums and galleries.
Explorations in Drawing is an intensive drawing course in Paris with the goal of developing e-drawing skills, plus an understanding and enjoyment of methods and materials. Students will learn to observe the world in a new way and communicate their impressions on it by drawing. Drawing is taught as an essential language for all forms of design and visual arts. Students will explore drawing from observation, and also drawing as a tool for invention, composition, and improvisation. There will be short lessons, discussions on classical and contemporary artists, still life drawing, figure drawing and composition exercises in the studio. Numerous visits to museums, exhibitions and public places around Paris will support the learning process and allow students to work outside the studio. There will be critiques and exchange of ideas where students will be encouraged to talk about their work and the work of their fellow students. Outside class time, students will be collecting observations and drawings in a sketchbook on a daily basis.
Fashion Communication is an immersive introduction to communication strategies in fashion and luxury companies. Students learn how to create and foster dialogue between a fashion brand and consumers. The seminars and workshops cover a range of topics such as semiotic resources for brand identity, advertising and event management, experiential marketing, digital and interactive marketing, fashion journalism, and fashion public relations in the digital age. In addition, the course offers a Parisian perspective of luxury company strategies and investigates heritage management strategies from a communication perspective.
Fashion Design Process introduces students to various approaches and techniques involved in the design process for fashion products. Students are encouraged to experiment as they research and find inspiration for a fashion collection and devise innovative 2D and 3D production methods for their fashion pieces. Working on projects individually and in groups, students develop fashion concepts for which they draw on the unique resources of Paris and explore how fabrication methods and colour affect collections.
Introduction to Design and Management teaches students to approach management as a strategic process that combines design innovation and business knowledge. In collaborative projects, students develop problem-solving skills and familiarity with design strategies through the application of research methods, prototyping, and quantitative analysis.Emphasis is placed on understanding a European setting and perspective and the way entrepreneurs, business innovators, and designers operate at the intersection of design and management. Students engage in design thinking and business strategy exercises, applying these approaches in a broad range of enterprises and real-world business contexts.
Fashion Photography: Theory and Practice explores theoretical and practical approaches to let students acquire basic knowledge in understanding fashion images and creating them. Students will learn how to analyze fashion photography using interdisciplinary tools, from history to sociology and semiotics. In parallel, students will experiment practical photography techniques at a professional level in order to produce a fashion shoot, from the preliminary research to the final realization in collaboration with a model. The course will explore photographic methods that enable students to see and interpret the meaning of style. In addition to their personal photography project, students will learn how to defend their aesthetic choices and communicate on the genealogy of their work. While engaging in readings, research, and writings such as interviews, caption information, artist statement, students will be encouraged to anchor their project into both social and artistic perspectives and become familiar with research practices.
Luxury Design Management is a specialized summer course on the essence, the heritage and the organization of high-end industries. It focuses on the strategic development of French and Italian leading luxury sectors and provides an interdisciplinary understanding of their processes and specificities at the crossroads of design innovation, business and culture. The course is run by resident professors and guest lecturers from the industry in Paris and Florence, two of the main historical capitals of luxury. It combines lectures, seminars, workshops and field trips to luxury fashion companies and production sites in Florence and Paris areas. During the course, participants receive instructions and tutorship to work on a research project, keeping written and visual track of their work process. The first two weeks are held at Parsons Paris, the only European campus of Parsons School of Design, located in the First district of Paris. The following two weeks take place at Polimoda, in the exceptional site of Villa Favard in the heart of Florence. In Paris, special focus is put on Haute Couture and the relation between French fashion heritage, local crafts, creativity and strategic management. These topics are examined more closely in Italy through the exploration of the strong tradition of Florentine craftsmanship, the production of high-end leather accessories and the Made in Italy.
Each of the above courses expose students to learning factors specific to Paris, or Italy, while encouraging creativity. Over the span of their duration, we will continue to document the progression of student led projects, individual growth and overall interpretations and inspirations of the culture around Paris and Florence.