VOGUE | Travis Scott, Kerby Jean-Raymond, and Gabriela Hearst Are Honored at the Parsons Benefit
Kerby Jean-Raymond, Kay Unger, and Lena Waithe Photo: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for The New School
Last night in New York, guests gathered (gathered!) in lower Manhattan’s Seaport District for a very special occasion: the 72nd Annual Parsons Benefit. This year’s gala was poised to be a standout in the event’s decades-long history for two reasons: First, the pandemic put the kibosh on 2020’s festivities, making the overdue fêting that followed as anticipated as ever. Second, this year’s gala also falls on Parsons’ 125th birthday, an occasion that the design school pulled out all the stops to commemorate.
Guests spilled into the golden hour sun that drenched Pier 17’s waterfront rooftop, all buzzing about the inspiring group of Table Award recipients that the School of Design had lined up: multi-hyphenate innovator Travis Scott, Reebok and Pyer Moss creative director Kerby Jean-Raymond, Chloé creative director Gabriela Hearst, visual artist Carrie Mae Weems, Macy’s chairman and CEO Jeff Gennette, and Apple and Burberry alumna Angela Ahrendts. While honoring their contributions to innovation, inclusivity, and sustainability, the benefit also offered the noble opportunity to empower young design hopefuls by raising funds for their education at Parsons.