Explore fashion from broad social and cultural perspectives, developing designs that respond to the issues shaping our world. Cultivate your design practice through an innovative program that emphasizes purposeful material resources, contextual relevance, embodiment, and identity.
Elie Romero, winner of the Christopher Hunte "On Point" Award, at the Pratt Fashion Show, 2019
Making—and Change Making: A Commitment to Craft and Sustainable Design
Our process is deeply hands-on, grounded in material exploration, experimentation, and a commitment to craft. Here in Fashion, you will engage with various ways of making, from digital methods to traditional practices, and prioritize responsive design and sustainability. You can even get your hands dirty in the Textile Dye Garden or master the 3-D knitting machines as you discover the joys and challenges of making.
Move Beyond Aesthetics to Emotion and Feeling
We approach fashion by exploring how something feels on a body and not just how it looks. This shift to the experiential opens up new possibilities and amplifies what fashion and clothing can do. We move beyond visual aesthetics to explore design that is responsive to emotion, embodiment, and identity and place.
“It’s different from some of the other programs that we know people attended outside of Pratt. Pratt had a big focus on the handwork, making processes, and materiality. To create your own habit of working. Creating our own studio practice started at Pratt, just nurturing this love of making and of designing and creating.”
Sophie Andes-Gascon, BFA Fashion Design ’15 Read More
Join a Creative Community
Your design voice will develop through craft, making, critical thinking, and active engagement with the Pratt community. Our integrated approach encourages you to construct unique garments informed by design theory and sustainable practices, positioning you to contribute meaningfully and responsibly to the future of fashion.
State-of-the-Art Facilities
Our world-class studios and labs provide a variety of resources, including advanced tools such as Shima Seiki 3-D knitting machines, 3-D printers, laser cutters, and Framis NOSO technology. In addition, Pratt students have access to the Material Lab, Textile Research Library, and our transportive Textile Dye Garden right on campus.
Intern in NYC’s Fashion Industry
Gain direct exposure to and hands-on, professional studio experience in the New York fashion design industry through internships at top design companies, including Thom Browne, Alexander Wang, Luar, Monse, Three As Four, Kallmeyer, Tibi, Christian Siriano, Alicia Olive, and Oscar de la Renta. Fashion students are required to complete three credits of internship during their course of study. A Pratt faculty adviser guides each student throughout the experience.
Internships in Sustainable and Ethical Design
We encourage our students to collaborate with brands committed to ethical and ecologically conscious practices, empowering them to create garments that honor both the environment and the artistry of fashion. Brands include:
Founded by Sara Sakanaka, Considered Objects is a sustainable design label rooted in heritage, memory, and artisanal craft. Each one-of-a-kind piece is hand-sewn using reclaimed textiles, vintage kimono, and antique materials, honoring both tradition and personal history. With an intuitive, mindful process, the brand creates emotionally resonant garments that foster lasting connections between wearer and object.
Loup Charmant pioneered responsible luxury by partnering with family-run organic cotton farms in India at a time when such materials were nearly impossible to source. Their commitment to sustainability began with a pledge to support heirloom-quality cotton production and continues today through airy, timeless pieces designed for ease and warmth. Rooted in thoughtful sourcing and enduring relationships, each garment reflects a deep dedication to ethical, effortless living.
Kowtow is a New Zealand–based label committed to slow fashion, radical transparency, and environmental responsibility. Every garment is plastic-free and made from Fairtrade organic cotton within a fully traceable supply chain. Certified by Fairtrade, GOTS, and B Corp, Kowtow offers timeless, modular pieces designed for longevity and ethical living
Our Faculty
Faculty are committed to creating positive change in the expansive industry called fashion. With diverse educational and professional backgrounds, our faculty represent the breadth of fashion design’s complexity, including Susan Cianciolo, Shane Gabier, Adrienne Jones, Brooke Garner, Isa Rodrigues, Gina Gregorio, Andrea Katz, Dean Sideway, and Jane B. Nord Professor of Fashion Design Byron Lars. See all Fashion Design faculty and administrators.
To prepare students to become leaders within the creative community, Pratt Fashion offers a wide variety of resources including access to Shima Seiki 3D knitting machines and Framis NOSO technology, as well as a dedicated Textile Research Library within the department and a Textile Dye Garden on campus. Advanced courses and electives, as well as study abroad opportunities, offer students pathways to explore critical topics including gender, race, size inclusivity and activism through the lens of fashion.
INTERNSHIPS
Pratt students are required to complete three credits of internship during their course of study. Students have the opportunity to explore different aspects of the New York fashion design industry through their choice of internships at top design companies including Thom Browne, Zero Maria Cornejo, The Row, Altuzarra, Maryam Nassir Zadeh, Oscar de la Renta, and Creatures of the Wind. The internship provides them with hands-on experience and professional networking skills, as well as practice in how to write a resume and present their portfolio. A Pratt faculty adviser guides each student throughout the experience, making sure the students’ learning objectives are met.
COMPETITIONS
All Pratt Fashion students participate in annual design competitions including the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s Design Scholar Awards, the Gucci Changemakers Scholars Program, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Student Fashion Design Competition. Integrated into the curriculum, these competitions provide avenues for scholarship support and exposure within the fashion community.
Upon completion of their studies, students:
Students will exhibit fluency in 2D and 3D construction processes that are innovative in cut, shape and silhouette using diverse embodied approaches.
Students will analyze and use properties and principles of materiality to make design decisions informed by sustainable practices.
Students will communicate design philosophy with evidence of fashion history, theoretical underpinnings, and contemporary culture that addresses issues of justice, equity and social responsibility.
Students will design, produce and present cohesive, contemporary and authentic collections that demonstrate their active engagement as collaborative leaders of the creative community.
Showcase Your Vision
Present your work through multiple high-profile platforms that ensure exposure to industry leaders.
Pratt Shows: The Design Show and The Fashion Show
Present your senior thesis collection in two dynamic formats: The Design Show, an intimate exhibition focused on craft and concept, and The Fashion Show, a full-scale runway production celebrating your work in motion. These events include industry previews and a curated lookbook, giving you direct access to fashion experts and potential employers.
Industry Competitions
Gain national and international recognition by participating in prestigious competitions like the Supima Design Competition, the Woolmark Prize, and Joe’s Black Book. Integrated into our curriculum, these opportunities offer scholarship support and invaluable industry exposure.
Student Work
Watch our annual fashion show and imagine what you might do here at Pratt Fashion! Through rigorous attention to production, technique, and contemporary aesthetics, you’ll develop your design practice and with it, agency to create change.
Connect directly with industry leaders through our acclaimed Black Dress Talks lecture series, exclusive senior previews with industry guests, and intimate in-class critiques from visiting experts. This constant engagement ensures you build a strong professional network and gain invaluable, real-world feedback throughout your time at Pratt.
Study Abroad: Your Global Studio
Expand your design practice on a global scale. Study in major fashion capitals through our partnerships with leading institutions like London College of Fashion and Central Saint Martins at University of the Arts London and Kingston University in London and Paris College of Art. Or, immerse yourself in traditional craft through experiential courses, such as our traditional textile course in Oaxaca, Mexico, and learn from global artisan communities and cultures firsthand.
Career Paths After Graduation
Fashion is a dynamic and expansive industry that offers a wide range of career opportunities beyond the traditional role of a fashion designer. Our graduates go on to shape the field in diverse and meaningful ways.
Career paths include:
Fashion design: specializing in menswear, womenswear, kidswear, wovens, knitwear, cut and sew, textiles, accessories, and footwear
Industry and production: roles in research, concept design, design and development, production, technical design, patternmaking, garment technology, sustainability, and quality control
Fashion business: roles such as buyer, sales manager, and retail buyer
Fashion communications: careers in styling, merchandising, marketing, social media, public relations, and brand communication
Costume design: For theater, opera, ballet, and other performance arts
Textile design and art: Including textile designers for interiors and accessories and independent textile artists
Entrepreneurship: launching and growing independent fashion brands
Our curriculum is designed to prepare students to engage critically and creatively across this wide spectrum, empowering them to find their unique voice and professional direction in the global fashion landscape.
Career Support for Life
Students and alumni can schedule one-on-one appointments with career strategists in Pratt’s Center for Career and Professional Development. A career strategist can work with you to develop your job/internship search strategies and life and business plans, as well as review résumés, cover letters, websites, and other marketing materials.
Thinking seriously about Pratt? Learn more about admissions requirements, plan your visit, talk to a counselor, and start your application. Take the next step.
Building your portfolio can be daunting. We’ll answer your questions and help you feel confident about the portfolio you submit with your application. Start building your portfolio, now.
Find yourself at home at Pratt: our residence halls, student organizations, athletics, exhibitions, events, the amazing City of New York and our Brooklyn neighbors. Check us out.
The Black Dress Project welcomes the incomparable creative director, Freddie Leiba for our next installment of Black Dress Talks.
Join us on Friday, November 7 at 6 p.m. for an in-depth conversation about fashion, beauty, and Leiba’s creative journey.
This event is free, registration is required. See link in bio or scan QR code on image to register.
@blackdresstheexhibit @prattinstitute @pratt_sod @prattfashion
Our junior students presented their first looks from the Shape and Form I class!
After completing their first cut-and-sew project, where they learned to work with elastics and apply different trims, students took on their second challenge: creating a full look using repurposed knits. 🧶♻️
Here are some of their wonderful creations!
We’re thrilled and honored to share that our talented student @mariam.shengelia has been named one of the winners of Caftan: Style as Liberation and Cultural Exchange, a design competition celebrating creativity, heritage, and expression.
Her remarkable piece was exhibited at the Park Avenue Armory, as part of Making Space at The Armory — a series curated by professor and Guggenheim Fellow Tavia Nyong’o, honoring the legacy of André Leon Talley.
The event was hosted by @feek____, Joyce F. Brown, @amyfinecollinsibdl, @evanmock, @yoadriennekatz, Ariel Osterweis, @jordan_roth, @sirsargent, @moses, @projectkendall, and @emilwilbekin.
The celebration continued with a vibrant salon day and a powerful panel discussion led by cultural and fashion visionaries Monica Miller, @dario.studio, Tanisha C. Ford, and Emil Wilbekin.
We’re so proud to see our community represented among such inspiring voices in fashion and culture. 💫
#FashionDesign #CulturalExchange #AndréLeonTalley #ParkAvenueArmory #MakingSpace #StudentSpotlight #DesignCompetition #EmergingDesigner
Students from the course Fabric SilkScreen of the Textile Minor visited @efsdesigns at the Brooklyn Army Terminal
They got an inside look at how handprinted yardage is still being produced in NYC, using traditional screen printing methods and serious craftsmanship.
Huge thanks to the EFS Designs team for welcoming us and showing how slow fashion and artisanal techniques remain alive and thriving in the city.
The Black Dress Project welcomes the incomparable creative director, Freddie Leiba for our next installment of Black Dress Talks.
Join us on Friday, November 7 at 6 p.m. for an in-depth conversation about fashion, beauty, and Leiba’s creative journey.
This event is free, registration is required. See link in bio or scan QR code on image to register.
@blackdresstheexhibit @prattinstitute @pratt_sod @prattfashion
A unique fashion design and workforce development program for incarcerated women officially launched at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility (EMCF) in Clinton, New Jersey. Developed by Pratt Institute and the New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJDOC), the program is one of the first of its kind in the United States and worldwide.
Taught by Pratt Fashion Professor Kerry Ryan, the Design Studio provides incarcerated women with a structured, professional-level curriculum in fashion design, apparel construction, digital design, and business planning. In addition to teaching new skills, the program aims to advance rehabilitation and reentry through meaningful vocational education.
@prattinstitute
Our Contextualizing Fashion I students recently visited the @metcostumeinstitute to experience the powerful exhibition Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.
This show explores the significance of style in shaping Black identities across the Atlantic diaspora, particularly in the U.S. and Europe. Spanning from the 18th century to today, the exhibition brings together garments, accessories, paintings, photographs, and more, interpreting Black dandyism as both an aesthetic and a form of resistance that opened up new social and political possibilities.
An inspiring and essential look at fashion as a tool for self-expression, empowerment, and change.
#PrattFashion #MetMuseum #Superfine #TailoringBlackStyle #BlackDandies #FashionHistory #DesignEducation #FashionAndIdentity #ContextualizingFashion
@prattinstitute @prattfashion @metmuseum @metcostumeinstitute
Our Design & Materiality class had an amazing visit to the @textileartscenter to experience the Artists in Residence Final Exhibition, a true celebration of creativity craftsmanship, and material innovation.
They also explored the @tatterbluelibrary, which hosts an impressive collection of books and objects about local and global textiles, rich historical and traditional techniques, as well as unique items that deepen our understanding of textile traditions worldwide.
We hope this trip sparks inspiration for each student’s personal projects!
@prattinstitute @prattfashion
As part of the Local Threads course, grad students are engaging weekly with the NYC Garment District, exploring its rich history and innovative future.
Last week’s visit took our grads to @nyembroiderystudio, where students discovered the incredible range of over 60 embellishment services that merge artistry with cutting-edge technology.
From precision embroidery and laser cutting to intricate hand-beading, pleating, and even 3D printing, it's where bold concepts come to life.
@prattinstitute @prattfashion
#NYCGarmentDistrict #LocalThreads #EmbroideryArt #PrattInstitute
