IN-PERSON MADRID FOCUS ON PEDAGOGY. SECTION A

Abstract

Shortly after the COVID-19 lockdown, and under the leadership of incoming dean Ben Barry, the School of Fashion (SoF) within Parsons School of Design at The New School articulated a renewed vision that reoriented its pedagogy toward access, inclusion, equity, sustainability, and justice. Now embedded in all SoF syllabi, this vision frames the School’s purpose as cultivating creative and caring multidisciplinary learning environments that affirm the values of community, decolonization, belonging, equity, and accountability. As a full-time faculty member with extensive experience as a New York Fashion Week producer, I have overseen the School’s post-lockdown fashion shows for its undergraduate and graduate programs—events that function both as culminating pedagogical experiences and as significant institutional platforms. These showcases celebrate student learning while also serving as visibility-generating marketing tools that can support fundraising, recruitment, and Parsons’ brand positioning as a global leader in design education. This paper examines the intersection of SoF’s vision and its praxis by investigating how issues of accessibility, inclusivity, representation, and scale shape the possibilities for aligning production practices with values-driven education. Drawing on recent SoF shows as case studies, it analyzes the pedagogical opportunities and logistical challenges involved in activating institutional values within large-scale, public-facing presentations of graduate work. The paper also situates these efforts within broader global fashion systems, raising questions about how academic institutions can responsibly launch emerging talent into the industry and foster more equitable and sustainable futures for the next generation of fashion practitioners.