Evren Nelson studies in New York at the most famous fashion academy in the USA. In addition to craftsmanship, the German-American also learns a lot about the clothing of the future.
New York – Evren Nelson did it. Although there is still a long way to go before the 22-year-old has his own, ideally successful, fashion label, the young man from Wiesbaden has already passed the entrance exam at the most famous fashion academy in the USA. He is now one of 5,800 students from all over the world studying at the New Parsons School of Design in the departments of fashion, architecture or industrial design.
The fashion college – number one in the USA and number 3 worldwide according to the World University Rankings – focuses on creativity and sustainability, on linen and cotton instead of synthetics. This idea is at the heart of the training and also has top priority for Evren Nelson in his self-image as a budding designer: “We have to create a better world for tomorrow.”
Young fashionistas also pay attention to sustainability in the industry
To achieve this goal, the New Parsons School works with various fashion brands. The label “The Kooples”, for example, provided the students with leftovers from which they had to design a recycling collection. “Parsons challenges us to design sustainable fashion, but we have to find the solutions ourselves. For example, I developed a method for dying fabrics with air.”
Cheap fashion is often harmful to the environment. In mass production, mostly synthetic, sometimes harmful substances are processed. According to the latest studies, the production of fashion from synthetic fibers causes around eight percent of global greenhouse gases. Around 92 million tons of textile waste are generated worldwide every year. Evren Nelson also sees it as a “problem in fashion that there are mostly fast-moving products.
“Disposable fashion must be abolished”: Up-and-coming designers are trying their hand at sustainability
On the other hand, we at the New Parsons School want to create sustainable garments. These are meant to be worn for a long time. Timeless design is good design”. He is aware that the desire of many people for affordable trend fashion leads to masses of cheap goods coming onto the market, “but disposable fashion must be abolished”. The fashion companies would have to take this step first, says Nelson, but “also the consumers. Many people want variety, but they have to rethink”.
A stroll through the halls of the Parsons School in Greenwich Village in the heart of New York City: Those who study here not only have to have imagination, but also learn to sew and know how to handle the materials. If you want to make fashion, you have to know how the properties of fabrics show up on the body, that a flowing, light fabric has a different effect than a wool skirt.
In one room, mainly young women from Africa, India, but especially from China, are sitting at their sewing machines. “Our studies are tough,” says Nelson. “You have to invest a lot of time for a good product.” Learning is one thing, the rest: “Sit down and work”, as Nelson says. “The worst night I had was at the end of the semester.” Needles broke, seams ripped, his eyes drooped. But: His baker’s uniform had to be ready the next morning, “sewn perfectly by me”. And she finished.
Fashion: a long way from the idea to the collection
Evren Nelson pulls the white men’s shirt he designed over one of the tailor’s dummies in the hall. “We get suggested topics and have to think of clothes for them. On the subject of ‘uniform’, I was supposed to make clothes that aren’t actually uniforms, but are intended for everyday use. The baker’s uniform particularly appealed to me. The white color and the button placket inspired me for my sweater.”
Inspiration is the beginning, the next challenge is production: Evren Nelson had his first collection produced in Turkey. Five tailor-made jackets, five pants, two shirts from Bursa, the hometown of his Turkish mother, now carry his first label. “My Turkish heritage is a big part of my identity. That’s why designs with a Turkish touch are a weakness of mine.
Dream of Paris: fashion student wants to make it in the capital of fashion
“I’m having the collection made for my portfolio,” says the 22-year-old, now in his third semester. “It’s important for my future, so that I can’t just show drawings.” If Nelson successfully completes his studies at the elite college, his entry into the much-coveted world of the big fashion brands from New York to Paris is all but certain. A number of famous fashion designers studied at this school: Tom Ford, Mark Jacobs, Alexander Wang – to name just three. Their fashion houses are still connected to the university, young people can apply to them.
The Parsons name is well known in the fashion world, but to succeed in the industry you need not only talent but also willpower. Tom Ford, for example, was allowed to work as an assistant to Korean-American designer Cathy Hardwick after graduating from Parsons College – but according to legend, Ford had called Hardwick every day for a month. Evren Nelson’s role model is the Hamburg fashion designer Jil Sander, also known as the “Queen of Omissions”. “Simple, elegant and minimalistic, I like that.” He would like to start there after his studies. In New York, Jil Sander has a store in Soho, the upscale neighborhood of luxury fashion brands just off Chinatown.
Even though Evren Nelson currently lives in New York, Paris is the number one fashion city for him: “London and New York are something for young and cool designers who haven’t made it to Paris yet, but of course there’s also New York really big fashion designers.” Tom Ford, for example, developed his own label here after he was the leading designer at Gucci in Florence. At the age of 22, Alexander Wang founded his own label in the US cosmopolitan city. And he gained experience as chief designer at the haute couture brand Balenciaga in Paris. Today, celebrities like Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow wear his black-accented luxury fashion.
Fashion Week in New York: The city becomes a catwalk
New York Fashion Week starts on February 9th and is one of the top four fashion events in the world alongside Paris, Milan and London. Then 5th Avenue and the streets of Soho would also become catwalks, as Evren Nelson observed: “The young, fashion-conscious New Yorkers are even bolder than usual during Fashion Week, especially in Soho. There are many fanatics here who want to look extraordinary. Of course, the multicultural residents of New York also inspire me.”
Evren Nelson lives around the corner from the Nuyorican Poets Café on the Lower East Side. Young African Americans and Latinos in particular flock to the theater. “There’s a nightclub across the street from my apartment building. At four o’clock in the morning there are sometimes 100 young people on the street.” Before he dares to make the leap from his studies to the world of fashion in a few years, the budding fashion designer can study on his doorstep in the colourful, vibrant district – and be inspired. (Ulrik Keding)
