Traphagen School of Fashion
Traphagen School of Fashion | |
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Address | |
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1680 Broadway, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
Information | |
Other name | Traphagen School of Design |
Opened | 1923 |
Founder | Ethel Traphagen Leigh |
Closed | 1991 |
Traphagen School of Fashion was an art and design school in operation from 1923 to 1991, and was located at 1680 Broadway in New York City.[1] The school was founded and directed by Ethel Traphagen Leigh (1883–1963) with a focus on the foundational concepts of the American design movement.[1] This was one of the earliest fashion schools and played a role in the development of American fashion by educating over 28,000 students in 68 years of operation.[2]
History
Traphagen School of Fashion was founded in 1923 by Ethel Traphagen Leigh (1883–1963) with a focus on the foundational concepts of the American design movement.[1]
Traphagen School encouraged student experimentation with materials and construction techniques.[2] One of the educational tenets of the Traphagen School of Fashion was a "design-by-adaptation" method, which included historical research.[2] The school had a large collection of books and historic fashion plates, which was a source of inspiration for student work.[2] The "design-by-adaptation" method often resulted in the appropriation of fashion in different cultures, including Native American and African American fashion.[3]
The semi- quarterly alumni magazine was called Fashion Digest, highlighting industry partnerships, honors and work by alumni.[2]
In March 2019, the Museum at Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) hosted a survey exhibition of the school, The Traphagen School: Fostering American Fashion.[2][3]
Alumni
Actors, entertainment industry
- Edie Adams, comedienne, actress, singer, businesswoman, and Tony Award winner.[4]
Fashion designers
- Geoffrey Beene, (class of 1947, Costume Design) fashion designer.[5][6]
- Hazel Rodney Blackman (class of 1946), Jamaican-born American fashion designer[7]
- Luis Estévez, (class of 1951, Costume Design) Cuban-born American fashion designer, costume designer.[8]
- James Galanos, (class of 1943, Costume Design) fashion designer.[8][9][10]
- Stan Herman, (class of 1952, Costume Design) fashion designer of corporate uniforms.[8]
- Victor Joris, (class of 1945, Costume Design and Sketching) fashion designer known for women's apparel and pioneering pantsuits and long coats.[8]
- Anne Klein, (attended c. 1937–1938, Costume Design), fashion designer.[8]
- John Kloss, (class of 1958, Costume Design) fashion designer, known for lingerie and sleepwear designs.[8]
- Robert Knox (1908–1973), fashion designer at Ben Gershel.[11]
- Helen Lee, (class of 1926, Costume Design) fashion designer for children's clothing. Her own line, Designs by Helen Lee Inc., was established in 1955.[8]
- Maurice Levin, (class of 1949, Costume Design) fashion designer for Jantzen, and West Coast mid-century modern fashion for men and women.[8]
- Mary McFadden, (class of 1956, Costume Design) fashion designer.[8][12]
- Arthur McGee, (class of 1951, Costume Design) fashion designer, first African American designer working in design studio on Seventh Avenue in the Garment District in New York City.[8]
- Franklin Rowe, fashion designer.[13]
- Carolyn Schnurer (class of 1939, Costume Design) fashion designer and a pioneer in American sportswear.[8]
Illustrators
- Antonio Lopez (illustrator) (class of 1955, Illustration) Puerto Rican-born American fashion illustrator.[8]
- Esta Nesbitt, (class of 1937, Illustration) fashion illustrator and xerox artist.[8]
- Robert William Meyers (1919–1970), magazine and children's book illustrator.[14]
- Ann Kempner Levere, worked in several Manhattan pattern companies including Simplicity Pattern in the 1950s and 60s.
Painters
- Nela Arias-Misson, Cuban-American abstract expressionist painter.[15]
- Mavis Pusey, (attended c. 1946) Jamaican abstract painter, printmaker.[16]
Other
- Carolyn Cassady, (attended c. 1943) author associated with Beat Generation.[17]
- Vera Neumann, (class of 1926, Illustration and Textile Design) textile artist and entrepreneur, known for her scarves.[8]
- Gladys Parker, (class of 1928, Illustration) cartoons and comics artist.[8]
Faculty
- Alon Bement (1876–1954), served as Dean of Traphagen between 1946 until 1951, where he taught interior design courses.[18]
- Edward Dufner, painter[19]
References
- ^ a b c "Ethel Traphagen Leigh Is Dead; Founded Fashion School in '23". The New York Times. 1963-04-30. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
- ^ a b c d e f "The Traphagen School: Fostering American Fashion". Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). Retrieved 2019-12-01.
- ^ a b Ernest, Genevieve (2019-03-12). "Visiting the Traphagen School at the Museum at FIT". cfda.com. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
- ^ Apone, Carl (July 9, 1967). "Daisy Mae From Grove City, PA". The Pittsburgh Press. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
dress design at Traphagen School of Fashion Design
- ^ Rayner, Polly (17 July 1994). "Body of Work for 30 Years, Designer Geoffrey Been Has Designed Clothing Without Compromise". The Morning Call. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
- ^ "Designer Achieves a Distinctive Look; Simplicity and Comfort Mark Clothes for Modern Life". The New York Times. 1964-05-13. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
- ^ Thompson, Shelly-Ann (1 March 2005). "A Stitch: Quilt maker Hazel Rodney-Blackman weaves black history stories, Kingston Gleaner Newspaper Archives, Mar 1, 2005, p. 24". NewspaperArchive.com. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Traphagen Alumni, The Traphagen School: Fostering American Fashion". Museum at FIT. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
- ^ Jacobs, Laura. "'James Galanos: Design Integrity' Review: The West Coast King of Fashion". WSJ. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
- ^ "James Galanos, whose gowns were worn by Nancy Reagan, Judy Garland and Heidi Klum, was 'America's couturier'". Los Angeles Times. 2016-11-03. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
- ^ "Robert Knox Dies; Fashion Designer". The New York Times. 1973-06-13. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
- ^ Bennetts, Leslie (1979-03-02). "Mary McFadden: Life of Her Own Design". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
- ^ Fraser, Kristopher (2017-08-30). "Call it a comeback: the return of Franklin Rowe". fashionunited.com. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
- ^ "Robert Meyers, 51, Illustrator, Shot". The New York Times. 1970-10-30. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
- ^ Henkes, Robert. Latin American Women Artists of the United States: The Works of 33 Twentieth-Century Women. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland, 1999. Print.
- ^ Genzlinger, Neil (2019-04-30). "Mavis Pusey, Under-the-Radar Abstract Artist, Is Dead at 90". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
- ^ Morgan, Bill (1997). Beat Generation in New York: A Walking Tour of Jack Kerouac's City. San Francisco, California: City Lights Books. pp. 38. ISBN 9780872863255.
- ^ "ALON BEMENT, 78, A PAINTER, IS DEAD; Former Dean of Traphagen School of Fashion Had Led Art and Industry Alliance". The New York Times. November 24, 1954. p. 23. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
- ^ "Edward Dufner". The Item of Milburn and Short Hills. October 3, 1957. p. 4. Retrieved July 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.