Curriculum At Parsons
Fat Fashion Elective Course
The Parsons Fat Fashion elective course is an upper year undergraduate course aiming to transform the way fashion is designed for larger bodies. This course honors the work of fat activists by intentionally reclaiming the word “fat” as a celebration of larger bodies. Students are introduced to concepts from the field of Fat Studies as lenses to inform their fashion design practices.
Back in 2023, students collaborated with community members to co design pieces in groups. In Spring 2024, the class collaborated with Tracy Cox, opera singer and Fat Activist to create performance gowns. The class culminated in an opera recital in the gowns the students created. Students from the Associates Fashion Design program also collaborated with Smartwool to design and develop garments for their growing assortment of extended sizes. Students will engage in a plus size consumer panel, and design and make prototypes of plus size athletic apparel.
Through the launch of the course, the school has created the VVEAVE x SIF Lab student competition to encourage innovation and design in the Plus Size Fashion industry.
The Future of Education in Plus Size Fashion
Through education at the Parsons School of Design, the course supports systemic change in the core curriculum through re-writing the curriculum from learning outcomes and project outcomes.
This elective course trains for design in the core curriculum with a focus on thesis and final collections. In the current state, plus-size design training is limited to the elective space. The course is exploring opportunities with Macy’s support to further integrate mentorship from industry and to pay for curriculum support in core curriculum plus-size design.