Left to right from top: Wei Hung Chen, part of the winning group who was awarded a Luxottica internship for the fall; Portfolio on display;  Eyewear on display; The scene at ILORI; Eyewear on display; Adam Sternbach, part-time professor at Parsons School of Fashion; First place-winning product; Marie Genevieve Cyr, Parsons Assistant Professor of Fashion Design/Chair of External Projects; Goodies on offer

After a semester-long course at Parsons The New School for Design, an elective class developed in partnership with Luxottica, students, faculty and guests gathered for an intimate cocktail party hosted at the ILORI flagship store in NYC. The students’ portfolios were showcased in elegant vitrines allowing guests to view the innovative designs, sketches and marketing materials in a gallery-like setting. Guests mingled with the up-and-coming designers over cocktails while discussing the finer points of eyewear design.

The course (titled “Luxottica and Parsons Studio 2014”) objective was to design an iconic Parsons frame, while paying attention to branding and identifying a target customer. Students were divided into teams and instructed to collaborate on all aspects of design development including a process book, mood boards, hand sketches, preliminary prototypes, technical drawings (front and side), as well as a final prototype that was manufactured by Luxottica-Tristar. Final collections included a sunglass and an Rx frame.

The students’ work was judged by a panel of Luxottica representatives from various departments. First place was awarded $10,000 and second place $4,000 in scholarships. Additionally, William (Wei Hung) Chen from the winning team was awarded a paid internship with Luxottica.

The soiree culminated with a silent auction featuring all eyewear on display. Proceeds from the auction benefit OneSight, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping communities create sustainable, long-term vision care access.

—Patrisha Holly Zabrycki