Parsons School of Design

When the name Parsons is mentioned in the design world people take notice. Recent alumni have been named on the Forbes 2016 30 under 30 design list. One senior working on her thesis is Caroline Wimberly. Caroline has interned for such design power-houses as Diane von Furstenburg, Zac Posen, Gary Graham and Prabal Gurung, and her accomplishments include these notable distinctions:

• CFDA/Target Design Competition nominee,
• Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Wearable Arts Competition Best in Show Designer,
• Scholastic Arts Silver Medalist and
• Scholastic Arts Gold Key.

A senior thesis at Parsons includes creating a collection for presentation that typically costs between $10,000 to $30,000—quite a challenge for this bright young designer who also holds two jobs part-time jobs and an internship. The cost includes research, materials, supplies, custom finishes and a lookbook for the collection. Students need to hire professional photographers, models, hair and makeup artists and possibly even pay for locations!

Kickstarter is where many students, including Caroline, have turned for funding. Have a look at this beautiful video about her collection. The cathedrals of Europe provide the inspirational thread for Caroline’s fashion design collection. I hope you are inspired to help Kickstart Caroline’s career into high speed—I was! Please make sure to check out the story of Wimberly’s Daughter of Zion Collection by clicking on the ‘campaign‘ button on her Kickstarter page. There you will find her sketches, textile developments and garment prototypes—her goal is $7,000.   Yes, she is family, and I’m so proud of her work. I can’t wait to see her fashions on the runway.

xo♥, Lissy