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.
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.
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.
Gianna Breinig & Alma Rosado, BFA ‘27. Mending Circle.
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.
Students at work in the knit lab at Pratt. George Etheredge for The New York Times
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.
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.
Pratt Design Show. Work of Jacob Khalil, Vespers IX, BFA ’26, and Zoey Yulin Xiao, BFA ’26.
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.
Senior Student Portfolio Review with Designer Nicholas Daley, 2025.
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.
Fashion Design BFA, Fashion Show 2026
A Rectangle-Shaped Sound by Shweta Rajesh @shweta._06
Deeply inspired by Indian textile and craft traditions, A Rectangle-Shaped Sound explores textile making as both a physical process and an observed rhythm between the maker and the made. The collection interprets every mark, print, and thread as a tangible record of the sounds generated through textile production.
Referencing the Kolam, a traditional rice flour floor drawing in Tamil culture, the textiles are naturally dyed and printed beginning with a dotted grid, followed by intuitive placements of mordant block prints. Rectangle-based patternmaking becomes a structural system for creating collaged textile compositions on the body, balancing order with improvisation.
Through material experimentation and modular construction, the collection investigates how garments can adapt to different bodies while also addressing textile waste in the cutting process, merging traditional craft practices with contemporary approaches to form and sustainability.
@prattinstitute @pratt_sod @prattfashion
Fashion Design BFA, Fashion Show 2026
Embodied Knowing by Amina Walker @byaminawalker
Embodied Knowing explores ancestral embodiment, the idea that identity is not singular, but a convergence of ancestors whose stories, energy, and craft continue to exist through the body and the act of making.
The collection merges African American quilting traditions with British and Jamaican historical motifs, creating a dialogue between cultures connected through histories of ocean transportation and migration. Through garments that reveal, conceal, and armor the body, the work reflects the shifting presence of ancestry within contemporary identity and the fluid boundary between the individual and the collective.
Balancing memory, protection, and craftsmanship, the collection makes ancestral embodiment tangible, expressing how past and present coexist through material, form, and construction.
@prattinstitute @pratt_sod @prattfashion
Fashion Design BFA, Fashion Show 2026
Edible Culture, Wearable Form by Jiaying Tang @isaaaa_tang
Inspired by breakfasts and morning markets in Jiaying’s hometown of Shandong, Edible Culture, Wearable Form reflects on everyday rituals as carriers of cultural memory and identity. At the center of the collection is Lu brocade, a traditional handwoven textile reimagined through reconstruction and material experimentation to bridge heritage with contemporary design.
Through techniques including hand smocking, silkscreen, and draping, the garments are designed for versatility—allowing each piece to be worn in multiple ways and adapt to different bodies and contexts. Structured silhouettes and tactile surfaces balance the strength of traditional craftsmanship with a modern, youthful perspective.
Blending functionality with expression, the collection explores how cultural heritage can evolve within contemporary life, creating garments where tradition and new ways of living coexist.
@prattinstitute @pratt_sod @prattfashion
Fashion Design BFA, Fashion Show 2026
The Cages of Glamour by Ava Wilson @avav3nue
The Cages of Glamour redefines and reimagines Black glamour through historical research, material experimentation, and African American cultural references. Centered around the question of what Black glamour means—both visually and culturally—the collection explores glamour as a form of resilience, transformation, and self-definition.
Inspired by iconic figures including Diana Ross, Donna Summer, and Eartha Kitt, the work reflects on how Black women have challenged and embodied glamour while navigating race, femininity, and visibility. Drawing from Vintage Black Glamour, a publication documenting the beauty and sophistication of Black style throughout history, the collection honors the legacy of Black fashion while envisioning its future.
Balancing elegance, strength, and cultural memory, the collection pays tribute to the enduring influence of Black glamour as both personal expression and collective history.
@prattinstitute @pratt_sod @prattfashion
Fashion Design BFA, Fashion Show 2026
Temporary Arrangements and Variable Sequences by Shannon Bollin @shannonrebollin
Temporary Arrangements and Variable Sequences explores memory as fragmented, unstable, and constantly reinterpreted. Inspired by Joan Didion’s The White Album and the atmosphere of the 1960s, the collection reflects on the unreliable nature of recollection through textiles, material distortion, and personal history.
Drawing from the unchanged interiors of the designer’s family home—from the 1960s through 2020—the collection reimagines wallpapers, curtains, and domestic textiles as garments, textures, and silhouettes. Hand knitting serves as a central technique, referencing memories of learning to knit with family members while transforming fair isle and entrelac patterns inspired by wallpaper motifs.
Thread pulling, fraying, and textile manipulation evoke the slipping and softening of memory, while a custom-developed fragrance completes the collection—grounding memory through sensory experience that can be seen, felt, and deeply remembered.
@prattinstitute @pratt_sod @prattfashion
Fashion Design BFA, Fashion Show 2026
Rootveil by Naisa Agrawal @naisa_agrawal
Rootveil continues an exploration of soil as both material and emotional shield. Inspired by the tones, textures, and life cycle of soil, the collection reflects on the connection between the body, allergies, and clothing as a form of protection and self-care.
Centered around the idea of the protective layer, the garments are designed to shield, comfort, and ground the body while adapting its relationship to the surrounding environment. Drawing from Indian heritage—where soil is considered sacred and the earth is revered as Dharti Mata—the collection explores vulnerability, resilience, and material connection through tactile forms and sensitive constructions.
Balancing intimacy and protection, Rootveil transforms garments into extensions of care, expressing identity through both emotional and physical experience.
@prattinstitute @pratt_sod @prattfashion
Fashion Design BFA, Fashion Show 2026
Second Skin by Devon Sung Carlson @devoted2dev
Second Skin explores the body as a responsive system, examining the relationship between the human nervous system and the evolution of animal survival instincts. The garments function as a chosen second skin—offering protection against anxiety while becoming a medium for courage, strength, and self-expression.
Through layering and peeling constructions, the collection reflects the psyche under pressure, returning to primal emotional and physical responses. Garments act as protective armor while simultaneously shedding to allow growth and transformation. Handmade wind chimes are incorporated to ensure the wearer is both seen and heard, asserting presence and confronting social anxiety. Trimmed fur constructions introduce structure to softness, emphasizing the tension between vulnerability and defense.
Grounded in tactile material experimentation, the collection transforms tension, protection, and release into wearable forms that embody both resilience and expression.
@prattinstitute @pratt_sod @prattfashion
Fashion Design BFA, Fashion Show 2026
Between Stations by Jianglan (Alice) Li
@alice.ljlan
Between Stations explores movement and memory through the everyday experience of riding the subway in New York City. Inspired by the rhythms of acceleration, waiting, and interruption within the transit system, the collection reflects a shared urban condition shaped by constant motion.
Pleats and layered constructions translate the speed and flow of the train, while pauses and transitions emerge through shifting colors and modular silhouettes. Surface textures inspired by tactile paving and subway maps reference navigation, direction, and the experience of moving through the city.
Through unisex garments, the collection captures the feeling of existing between places—balancing physical movement with the quiet stillness found in moments of travel between destinations.
@prattinstitute @pratt_sod @prattfashion
Fashion Design BFA, Fashion Show 2026
Packing and Unpacking by Xingyi Liu @xingyi_liumowang
Packing and Unpacking explores the fragile idea of “home” through constant movement, transition, and relocation. Inspired by everyday packing materials—cardboard boxes, vacuum-sealed compression, and protective wrapping—the collection transforms familiar objects into sculptural garments.
Exaggerated silhouettes, body-print linings, and transformable constructions create a tension between packing and unpacking, protection and restriction. Clothing becomes both container and compression device, balancing humor with quiet pressure.
Embracing imperfection and instability, the collection captures the chaotic moment before order is restored.
@prattinstitute @pratt_sod @prattfashion
