NP Design Week

The evolution of sustainability through the lens of the fashion supply chain during the decade since Tara St. James started Study NY, an ethical contemporary womenswear brand.

Born and raised in Montreal, Canada, St. James moved to New York City in 2004 and now calls Brooklyn home. She graduated in 1997 from LaSalle College School of Fashion Design in Montreal, one of Canada’s top design programs, with a degree in menswear tailoring. After 10 years designing men's and women's wear in both Canada and the U.S., St. James launched the New York based label Study NY, a brand defined by conceptual design and sustainability. Study cuts and sews collections in NYC’s garment district using both ethical fabrics and production methods.

Deroy Peraza discusses how design for social impact has helped him make sense of his past, deepen his understanding of our present, and strive to shape a more equitable future.

Peraza was born in Havana, Cuba, and is a well-traveled and global citizen. As a founding partner and creative director at Hyperakt, Peraza has a decade and a half of experience designing brand identities, data visualizations, online experiences and products, and describes himself as equal parts designer, entrepreneur and cheerleader. He has extensive teaching and lecturing experience as a professor at Parsons the New School for Design and a guest lecturer at several prominent art schools and universities. He is an active member of the design community and has given talks for AIGA NY, Type Directors Club, UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency) and the Visualized Conference.

Ronald Rael, of the Oakland, California-based make-tank Emerging Objects, has developed techniques for 3D printing using powdered materials as diverse as sawdust, clay, cement, rubber, concrete, salt, and even coffee grounds and chardonnay grape skins. Rael will present illuminating case studies of his projects—from household objects like a tea set printed from tea through modular building components and entire 3D-printed structures.

Rael is an applied architectural researcher, educator, design activist, author, and thought leader in the fields of additive manufacturing and earthen architecture. Rael is the Eva Li Memorial Chair in Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley. His teaching spans the curriculum from undergraduate courses on Design & Activism to graduate design thesis. Emerging Objects, a company co-founded by Rael, innovates 3D-printed architecture. His work has been recognized through awards, publication and exhibition. This event is co-sponsored by the Digital Design and Fabrication Program at SUNY New Paltz.

This exhibition highlights five collaborative projects by students at SUNY New Paltz and the Instituto Superior de Diseño (ISDi) in Havana, Cuba prototyped during a recent intersession Study Abroad experience during January 2019.

Whether you're a designer yourself, work with them, or just want to get to know a few, this is a great opportunity to connect with your community. Grab a cup of coffee and let's chat! Admission is free, but please register in advance.

Design Society, the graphic design student club, will be selling stickers, postcards, and other ephemera created by students, all at affordable prices!

Faculty, students, alumni, and local designers will share their current work in a rapid presentation.