Neiman Marcus and Eileen Fisher will be honored at The New School’s 69th annual Parsons Benefit in May.
The event, which recognizes companies or individuals who empower young women globally through a commitment to self-expression and leadership, will be held May 22 at Pier Sixty in New York.
Maybelline New York will return as the presenting sponsor and FedEx has signed on as the silver sponsor.
Joel Towers, executive dean of Parsons School of Design at The New School, said Eileen Fisher and Neiman’s are being honored “for their celebrated work in empowering young women through education. Parsons was founded upon the idea that innovative design can change the world, and our honorees are fostering the next generation of leaders who will do just that.”
The Parsons Benefit, which is held in collaboration with The New School’s College of Performing Arts, raises funds for student scholarships in art, design, liberal arts, music, technology, and social innovation.
The evening will conclude with a runway show featuring the work of graduating BFA Fashion Design students who are finalists in the “Designer of the Year Award.”
“Students from Performing Arts and Parsons regularly collaborate on groundbreaking projects and performances,” said Richard Kessler, executive dean of the College of Performing Arts. “The benefit underscores The New School’s approach to cross-disciplinary learning opportunities, as our students will perform onstage while the designers debut their thesis collections.”
The chairs for the event are Jim Gold, president and chief merchandising officer of Neiman Marcus Group; John Koryl, president of Neiman Marcus stores and online, and Joshua Schulman, predident of Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus Group International.
Karen Katz, chief executive officer of Neiman Marcus, will accept the award on behalf of the Dallas-based department store. Eileen Fisher, founder and chairwoman of her apparel brand, will accept for the company she founded in 1984.