Meet Ethan Hon, December Student of the Month

Meet the ultra-talented Ethan Hon. He is the School of Fashion’s Student of the Month for December, 2013.  A few images of his work are shared here, and you can see more over on his portfolio page, Cargo Collective/Ethan Hon. We hope you enjoy getting to know Ethan, and we would like to offer him a big congratulations on all he has accomplished in his life so far!

Question: where are you from?

I was born and raised in Hong Kong. About 5 years ago, I moved to San Francisco, where I went to school for art history and marketing,

What brought you to Parsons?

I hit my low point in my life after being pressured by family to study something I actually don’t find interest in. Also, I was sick of the atmosphere and the energy of San Francisco, so I decided to move to New York to do something I actually want for my life; so I applied for Parsons.

What special courses are you taking?

I am currently enrolled in menswear tailoring, accessory design, and aesthetics.

Why do you think were selected as Parsons School of Fashion, student of the month?

I think it might be my perfectionism and my drive for exploring something I dislike. Repeating something that I have already done or doing something that I am comfortable with gives me anxiety. I am a big fan of medieval art, and I never understood minimalism. So I spent my sophomore year and the beginning of my junior year exploring minimalist theory in every single project; it was definitely painful for me, but I enjoy doing something challenging and new. The process of studying something I hate is very interesting yet very painful. I feel like suffering helps push me to make something different than other people. I like to create a love and hate relationship with every collection I created.

If you could offer one piece of advice to an incoming student, what would that be?

It is crucial to be in the world, so I suggest reading as many books and magazine as you can, and watch as many movies as you can in order to understand what the zeitgeist is so that you know how to react to it.

What is your twitter or instagram handle?

Instagram: ethanhonn

What are you going to be doing over the weekend or holiday break?

This year is going to be my first year of spending Christmas by myself. I will probably either be catching up on some projects that I have outside of school or watching some holiday movies at home.
 
How do you describe your experience so far as a Parsons student?

I like that I find myself learning something new every single day, so it’s good.

What is one of the most important things you have learned/experienced in Parsons?

Making use of my time in school to explore whatever I want while building my own aesthetic for fashion.

What keeps you motivated when there is too much work load?

I think my drive for fashion becomes my motivation and the fear of falling behind keeps me motivated all the time. Every time I think about giving up on something, I always remember the conversation that I had with my mom. My mom always said, “I knew it. You said you like fashion, I let you do fashion. Now you want to quit, I am really wondering how much you love fashion when you first said you did. I don’t see how much you love it.” One part of me is sort of proving her wrong, and the other part of me is showing the world how much I love fashion.