Lu Chen founded eponymous brand LUCHEN in 2021, post pandemic. LUCHEN originated in an atelier based in Dumbo using a couture structure dedicated to the flow of silhouette derived from various techniques of draping and deconstruction. LUCHEN made its first New York runway debut in 2022 April and presented its first demi-couture collection in Paris in 2023 February

Elena Velez is an American fashion designer and artist from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, based in New York City. Her work is known for its non-traditional synthesis of metalwork and high fashion. Velez graduated from Parsons School of Design and completed her studies at Central Saint Martins in London. Of Puerto Rican heritage but raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Velez claims that the industrial nature of her nontraditional upbringing as the only child to a single mother who is a ship's captain on the Great Lakes influenced her current artistic identity, one which she says draws heavily on the relationship between femininity and force. Her company, founded in 2020, was subsequently featured in Forbes for its work with Midwestern makers and mission to 'democratize resources and recognition' for artists outside of traditional creative capitals.

Jacques was born and partially raised in Togo, Africa before immigrating to the Westside of Chicago with their
family in 2007 at the age of nine. While in Togo, they frequently stayed at their grandmother’s who rented part of her home to tailors and seamstresses in order to afford rent. As a young queer child, they often felt isolated and spent most of their time nestled under the cutting tables watching in awe as they turned brightly colored-printed African textiles into unique custom-made pieces for each client. After moving to Chicago, they began receiving the “what do you want to be when you grow up?” question that plagued many of our youth. The recollection of hiding under the work tables at their grandmother’s became a memory they always traveled back to. The unequivocal response was always “Fashion Designer”. Luckily, the adults in their life listened and nurtured their aspirations which eventually led them to study at Parsons School of Design.

During their undergraduate studies, they were awarded the CFDA Design Scholarship in 2019 towards their senior year. In 2020, while in their final year at Parsons, they received a sponsorship from Swarovski and UPW Yarn company for their senior capstone. Since graduating from Parsons, they've been fastidious in working in various facets of the industry while developing and growing their brand. Some of these roles include Public Relations at Telfar, Production at Christopher John Rogers, Post-Production Knitwear Specialist at CreateMe, and more recently, Color and Material Designer for Nike and Converse.

Marie Geneviève Cyr is an Assistant Professor of Fashion Design at Parsons School of Design. She has an MA in Visual Culture/Fashion Theory from New York University, a BA in Design and Applied Arts from the Edinburgh College of Art and a Certificate in High Impact Leadership from the Institute for Sustainability Leadership at the University of Cambridge, UK. She was nominated in 2009 for a Genie Award by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television for “Best Costume Design” for the feature film Who is KK Downey?.  Her research lies on the discourse of material and visual culture; looking at advertisement, rethinking design methodologies and global identity. Her most recent research examines the politics of abstract desire, hyper-reality, hyper-consumption, and the online social space - the internet. She is interested in new questions on how do Post-Internet artistic strategies influence fashion design practices. 

Cyr has spent extensive time in Asia, more specifically China, studying design practices. In addition to Parsons School of Design, Cyr has created and taught experimental design processes workshops for universities such as Donghua University (Shanghai), Royal College of Art (UK), Amsterdam Fashion Institute (AMFI), China Academy of Art (Hangzhou), HEAD (Geneva), and various art organizations. 

She has been an Artist-in-Residence at the Red Gate Gallery (Beijing, China, 2014), and Palazzo Monti (Brescia, Italy, 2019).