Andres Caballero, March 2014 Parsons Student of the Month

What is your name, any nicknames you go by?
Andres Caballero.

Where are you from?
Ridgeland, Mississippi.

What brought you to Parsons?
Applied to the school on a whim, not thinking I would get in initially but managed to be accepted and decided this was where I wanted to be.

What special courses are you taking?
I really enjoyed my Menswear tailoring with Rory Duffy, he’s a master tailor and I admire that as well as appreciate his teachings.

Why do you think were selected as Parsons School of Fashion, student of the month?
I strive to produce meaningful design through research and developing new design-creating techniques. I think I was chosen because I attempt to push design boundaries with fun ideas but relate them back within a luxury ready-to-wear market. With my Pokémon collection, I digitally manipulated the shapes of various Pokémon and directly drew clothes from the outcome. Both the inspiration and approach is seemingly unique and fun.

If you could offer one piece of advice to an incoming student, what would that be?
Take the opportunities given to you and apply yourself wholly, regardless of whether you win or not the more you push yourself the more you can handle and become a better designer. Also, soak in the extra classes like liberals and art histories because they can shape your ideas in fashion into more complex stories. You want to leave school with a broad understanding of fashion and everything and anything it can apply towards.

What is your twitter or instagram handle?
Deoxyribs is my instagram username, but I just got it recently.

What are you going to be doing over the weekend?
Events for internship* But can meet whenever if need be.

How do you describe your experience so far as a Parsons student?
I wouldn’t be where I am without development and maturing of my design thinking, which is all thanks to the teachers and curriculum of the school. I allowed myself to be challenged, and though it was difficult at times I loved every bit of it, because this is what I care about.

What is one of the most important things you have learned/experienced in Parsons? 
No matter how good you are at something, someone else will be better than you at it. It’s not about worrying when someone’s going to one-up you, but rather how you can push yourself and achieve great work.

What keeps you motivated when there is too much work load?
Honestly, work load is a series of checks and balances. You have to realize what is most important and what can be neglected. We’re all human and can only do as much as we can, so I wake up every day and do that. Also, staying active at the gym (can’t stress that enough) and going to museums to be surrounded by art helps my energy level stay up.