Fashion Design Students Shine at Rising Stars Exhibition

The New York School of Design (NYSD) has opened its doors for the Rising Star exhibition, a capsule exhibition, displaying only the top six pieces from a previous NYSD student showcased in July. These six standout pieces illuminate the NYSD foyer with their innovative designs, accompanied by the profiles of each designer. The Rising Stars exhibition features student designs that will be shown off at Fashion Week in February 2024. I was drawn to Nelle Iocovozzi’s creative use of a folded tie for a strap on the back of her sleek gray mini dress.

The Rising Stars exhibition features student designs that will be shown off at Fashion Week in February 2024

The Student Enrollment Coordinator, Christopher Brown, gave me a tour of the design spaces, and I met one of the delightful up and coming artists, Sujuane Smith. Having transitioned from the world of accounting to makeup artistry and now fashion design, Sujuane effortlessly merges contrasting styles in her collection, "Urban Ballerina." Her fusion of hard and soft, tomboy and feminine, ballet and hip-hop creates a unique aesthetic that she describes as an exploration of beauty emerging from the union of seemingly opposing fashion styles.

Although students are required to submit five outfits for Fashion Week, Sujuane has well and truly reached for the stars. She is in the process of constructing eight pieces, all of which must be completed by February for Fashion Week. She gave PhotoBook Magazine a sneak peak of her eight upcoming designs, sketched digitally on posed models called croquis. Keep an eye out for this up-and-coming talent.

A uniting theme of the Rising Stars exhibition is the power of diversity. NYSD writes that this exhibition explores the “shared humanity that binds us all”, celebrating the rich tapestry of cultures and backgrounds of their students.

Article by Richelle Hodson, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Alexa Dyer, Graphic Designer, PhotoBook Magazine
Photo Credit: Chloe Skalli
Exhibition Curator: Christoper Brown