Construction 2 @ Parsons The New School for Design

The immense pool of talent that exists at Parsons the New School for Design is undeniably intimidating. People from all over the world have worked hard to gain a position at this selective and prestigious institute.

The Fashion Design AAS program is probably home to some of the most determined, creative and hardworking design students in the world. These pupils have already completed degrees in various disciples ranging from Law and Medicine to Textile Design and Art History from some of the best unversities in the world. These young professionals left their jobs and careers to pursue their passion for Design and dreams of becoming a successful Fashion Designer. As a result of their experiences and sacrifices to be here, the stakes are considerably higher. These students have a sense of discipline and determination that is unparalleled as they know exactly what they want to do and what they need to do to achieve it. They do not party, they do not socialize, they simply strive to make their dreams a reality and make their time at Parsons worthwhile.

And in this highly competitive and challenging program, no course is a greater test of the students' worth than the mandatory Construction 2 class. This notorious 6-hour class is where you truly get to see what your colleagues are made of. Taken in the 2nd semester, everyone has finally gotten down the basics of Construction and these aspiring designers are itching to show off their talent and skills in their highly unique and awe-inspiring designs.

Every professor teaches Contruction 2 in their own unique way. Our teacher, Valentina Kova was young, fresh and full of ideas. Being an alumni of the program herself, she taught the course in a manner which constantly kept us on our toes. Every single week, we were taught a new garment or technique and then we were sent to go and create our own interpretation of it, complete with fabric and trims, for the following week. She asked us to choose our inspiration at the beginning of the semester and encouraged us to create every assignment keeping this inspiration in mind, so that by the end of the course, we had an entire collection of original designs.

For our final, we were asked to present our inspiration and final garment in class, and I was so awestruck by the caliber of work that was presented that there was no way I could not share it with you all here. I am presenting to you what I feel is quite possibly of the most inspiring, dedicated and motivating group of people I have ever had the pleasure of working with - and I look forward to seeing them in my classes again next semester. See the slideshow above for the final projects created by the students in Valentina's Fall 2011 Construction 2 class.