5 Minutes With Simon Collins The Dean Of Fashion

Photo by Rankin

SIMON COLLINS is Dean of the School of Fashion at Parsons The New School for Design. In this position since April 2008, Collins oversees the Parsons renowned BFA degree program in Fashion Design; Associate Degrees in Fashion Design and Fashion Marketing; and a new MFA in Fashion Design and Society initiated through a gift from Parsons alumna Donna Karan.

Collins is a seasoned creative director with over 20 years of experience in all facets of the fashion industry. His background extends from design to business and from luxury to mass market, with a strong international perspective. He has worked with some of the world's leading brands, from Nike and Polo Ralph Lauren to Fila, Zegna, and Marks and Spencer. As Creative Director for Nike's Asia Pacific division, he led a $900 million apparel business that included the launch of new collections created in collaboration with Junya Watanabe of Comme des Garcons and Naoki Takizawa of Issey Miyake, among others.

In the three years since joining Parsons, Collins has launched collaborations with amongst others; Louis Vuitton, LVMH, Henri Bendel, Cesare Paciotti, Loomstate, Droga5, Coach, and the leading sportswear company in China, Li Ning. The School of Fashion has begun to make its mark on Accessories Design and has continued to make its presence felt internationally, in particular China, Brazil, Italy and France.

Q1. What was the first record you bought and what effect did it have on you?

A. Going Underground by The Jam. 7" single obviously. Made me realize that straight cords and a slim v-neck jumper were important. I practised dancing in advance of going to the Town Hall Disco on Saturday night. Big night in Bournemouth and that's where I discovered girls...

Q2. How did you get into fashion design?

A. At the tender age of 16 I discovered that as long as I got enough O Levels then I could leave school and attend fashion college, thus enabling me to spend more time thinking about what to wear and thereby impressing girls

Q3. When and why did you move to New York?

A. January '97 I was appointed creative director of FilaSport. I had a wardrobe full of vintage Fila Borg BJ and this was a chance to raid their archive in Biella and also to live in the city I'd always loved. It also involved tripling my Marks and Spencer's supplier’s salary.

Q4. Where do you find inspiration?

A. Literature, friends, media, life, New York, friends, travel, music, love, nightlife, restaurants - the usual

Q5. Do you think that rapid information exchange via the Internet
means that youth culture can't develop away from the public eye
anymore?

A. Youth culture owns the internet, they use it for their own ends, we need to get out of their way and let them get on with it, it's completely different to how we ever experienced it, all I know is that I don't know anything.

http://www.newschool.edu/parsons/