Interview with MFA student Isabelle Yuan Xing
Isabelle Yuan Xing spoke to us about her experience in the new MFA Fashion Design and the Arts program.
Where do you come from and what are your past academic experiences ?
I am originally from Shanghai, but have mainly lived in Toronto, Canada until now. I completed my BFA in Apparel Design at the Rhode Island School of Design in 2020.
Did you join this Master with a particular objective in mind?
My BFA experience was where I had expanded my technical knowledge, and it had opened a door for me to explore endless possibilities in womenswear, menswear, and knitwear. After achieving these much needed technical skills, I believed it was the perfect time for me to enter this MFA program to explore more conceptually to find my sentiments and values as a more experienced design student. I found myself intrigued by the industry and wanted to use the time I have within this program to further investigate more of what my contributions could be in regards to the current fashion climates/politics. With the guidance of experienced faculty of this program who are very active in the professional industry, I find myself very motivated in anticipating new experiences and knowledge. Especially now that with some years of experience and knowing that the instructors are always there to provide insight, my objective within this program is to tread past my safe zone and push my design boundaries to a new territory.
Can you tell us about one specific project you have worked on since the beginning of the year that you have particularly enjoyed?
One project we have worked on in the first semester was the “Brand Revamp” project in the course Fashion Image & Message taught by Professor Chris Vidal Tenomaa. The goal of this project is to select an existing fashion house and propose a hypothetical revamp for it to be reintroduced to the public. Although it was not a construction-based fashion project, I had thoroughly enjoyed myself in researching about the industry and its work-patterns; learning about brand DNAs, fashion styling, photography, runways, and advertising, and the countless ideas we can propose for the revamp. A lot of times, we are so engrossed in our own works that we forget to research and learn from those around us. Learning about the ways in which fashion houses approach their branding allowed me to gain a much better perspective on how the current fashion industry operates.
What challenges do you face as a student in Fashion Design and the Arts?
A challenge that I believe students in the Fashion Design and the Arts program face is that we have so many opportunities to work on one-of-a-kind projects that sometimes it can become a little overwhelming. Of course, in no way are these bad things – though, like everything, there is a time limit to what we do. For instance, in this semester, we had the amazing opportunity to work with Palais Galliera to research archive pieces from various fashion houses, and artisans from Ecole Lesage to create embroidery pieces. There are so many ideas and different heights that we can take these projects to that one semester barely seemed to be enough time to thoroughly explore the countless options. So in these cases, we need to learn to manage our time very wisely and focus on our objectives.
Which favorite course or elective would you like to share?
One course that I find particularly valuable is Research Practices taught by Professor Marco Pecorari. In this course, we learn about the different ways in which a designer could draw inspiration from and translate into designs and concepts. Through research on books, images, films, and written works, we learned to expand our research techniques beyond the superficial. In this course, we also had various guest lecturers with different backgrounds that shared their working experiences with us. They talked about the methods they use to research their works, and it was very eye-opening to hear about both their success and struggles, and the learning experiences they went through to get to where they are now.
Is this your first time living in Paris? If so, how do you like it? Does Paris inspire you or help in any way your design process?
Yes, this is my first time visiting and living in Paris. I am not going to lie, the first few weeks were quite overwhelming because the lifestyle here is quite different from what I was used to in Toronto and in the US, but as time went on it became more and more natural to me. Paris is filled with art histories and cultures that almost everywhere you look, there is something that could inspire you. There are so many museums, galleries, and fashion exhibitions that you can visit almost every week and they are so uniquely diverse that you will never get bored. My photo album is already filled with so many things that I can look back on and can include in my design processes.
Do you have any advice for incoming MFA students?
My advice to incoming MFA students is to not be wary about studying in a foreign city. Parsons Paris is an institute with such diverse student bodies, and each one of us have a unique background that we can share with each other and bond over. Also, the faculty in this program are incredibly helpful in providing insight on projects, as well as giving you advice on places/shops to visit if there is a specific kind of project you are working on. So never be afraid to ask!
