Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) will stage its first ever New York Fashion Week show, COLLECTION 2016, on Wednesday, September 14 from 6-8 pm at Skylight Clarkson Square (550 Washington Street) in New York City.  

Sponsored by Tommy Hilfiger and hosted by Robert Geller [RISD '01] and Nicole Miller [RISD '73], the runway show and cocktail reception will feature the work of 10 outstanding Apparel Design graduates from the class of 2016:

Adam Blake                  

Jacob Blau      

Annice Chen                           

Taylor Greenberg-Goldy  

Kay Young Jeong  

Christopher Mena  

Fred Mezidor

Allison Morgan

Allison Wang

Arnold Wong

Attendees will get a first-hand look at the portfolio pieces that earned these graduates some amazing post-grad opportunities: Annice Chen will be working at Levi's in San Francisco starting this fall; Jacob Blau is participating in the annual Supima Design Competition during Fashion Week; and Taylor Greenberg-Goldy is a research fellow at the Harvard Biodesign Lab.

"This is an exciting opportunity for RISD to celebrate our students' exceptional work and share it with industry leaders, connecting our new alums to the professional world they are now a part of," said RISD President Rosanne Somerson. "We are grateful to Tommy Hilfiger for his ongoing support and to our talented alumni hosts, Nicole Miller and Robert Geller, for helping to bring this event to life."

"The New York Fashion Week show is a thrilling capstone for our seniors' work and for my first year as department head," added Associate Professor of Apparel Design Neil Gilks, formerly of the CFDA. "It has been a pleasure to work closely with this group of creatives -witnessing their development in design and craft whilst shaping their unique voices."

"As both a Trustee of RISD and an alumna of the RISD Apparel Design department, I am doubly delighted that we are able to showcase the work of RISD graduates at New York Fashion Week," noted Nicole Miller."I show my collections at New York Fashion Week and know the power that this global stage has for a designer's career. I am eager to see the excellent work of our recent RISD alumni on the runway."

RISD Apparel Design seniors debuted their one-of-a-kind thesis collections at COLLECTION 2016 in Providence in May. The work was juried by a panel of guest critics - leading industry professionals who provided critical feedback over the course of the school year and ultimately determined which garments made it into the runway show. The rigorous selection process is an important part of students' preparation to enter the competitive fashion industry. This year's jury included fashion and concept designer Mariana Vidal Escabi; Diane von Furstenberg designer Henry Zankov; educator and artist Dean Sidaway; Francesco Fucci, head of design at The Row; and Alex Brownless, co-founder and SVP of Arts Thread. The selection committee for the New York Fashion Week presentation includes textile and concept designer Daniel Reynolds; designer Kate Wallace; Vogue Japan's Tomomi McMaster; and music video director and image maker Daniel Brereton.