The Freshman Class of 2024

This full-body portrait series captures freshman fashion students at Parsons or FIT in New York City, focusing on their transformative first year. These students arrive with dreams and evolving identities, their clothing reflecting the audacity, playfulness, and vulnerability of youth as they navigate early adulthood. Inspired by Irving Penn’s Small Trades, each student is photographed on a single medium-format negative against a handpainted backdrop, contrasting the permanence of film with the fleeting nature of social media.

The series highlights the volatile, diverse fashion industry and aims to slow down the fast-paced digital world, distilling each subject’s individuality into a timeless frame they can revisit as their styles evolve. It also serves as a homage to fashion’s role in my own growth and experiences in New York.