NYCxDESIGN announced the organization’s first Emerging Designer Residency in partnership with ARTSTHREAD at Hudson Yards. Now through June 2021, four recent graduates from FIT, Parsons School of Design, and The School of Visual Arts, will transform a highly visible storefront on Level 4 of The Shops at Hudson Yards into a pop-up studio where they will spend thirteen weeks working on their impressive portfolios and showcasing finished projects. Brought to life in a museum-like setup, the public is invited to view the design process in action as the designers in residence - Lenny Vuitton, Yi Hsuan Sung, Xin Min, and Lizzy Itzkowitz – create one-of-a-kind products live in the space.
 
The designers’ projects range in medium: Lenny Vuitton will develop a rug-making practice inspired by his fun and colorful paintings; Yi Hsuan Sung will produce lamps with a faux flower-making system using agar, food waste, and 3D-printed molds; Lizzy Itzkowitz’s pop-up silkscreen lab will showcase the versatility of her cartooning and patterning; and Xin Min will create a series of 100 teacups using a variety of ceramic techniques, including wheel, hand-building, and slip casting.
 
Visitors can read more about the program and each artist through QR codes printed on the space’s windows. Contact information for each designer is also available for the public to inquire directly about purchasing the pieces they see in the making.
 
For many years, NYCxDESIGN has leveraged its strong community relationships to facilitate valuable connections between designers and local spaces to provide exposure for designers and cultural activations. This program allows NYCxDESIGN to take that facilitator role to the next level and connect designers with space to showcase their work and enable them to expand their portfolios and produce products that can be sold to support their growing businesses.
 
“NYCxDESIGN is committed to creating meaningful opportunities for the next generation of designers in New York City and supporting the creative pipeline,” said Valerie Hoffman, NYCxDESIGN program director. “The innovative and hungry spirits of these young designers shape the future of our city, and it is ever important to NYCxDESIGN that we help nurture that talent, especially in this period of recovery and growth.”
  
The four residents were selected in partnership with ARTSTHREAD, a launchpad for the next generation of creative talent representing 300,000 students in 125 countries from over 900 design schools.
  
Lenny Vuitton will expand on his work at the intersection of interior design, decoration, and fashion to develop a rug making practice inspired by his fun and colorful paintings. He will also introduce a sustainability factor into his work by creating pillows out of the rug scraps. Lenny Vuitton is a fine artist and fashion designer who recently graduated from FIT with an MFA in Fashion Design.
 
Yi Hsuan Sung brings nature’s beauty into interior space with an awareness of environmental impact as her primary pursuit as a designer. She will produce lamps and a chandelier with a faux flower-making system using agar, food waste and 3D printed molds. Yi Hsuan is a textile designer who recently received her MFA in Textiles from Parsons School of Design.
 
Lizzy Itzkowitz’s pop-up silkscreen lab showcases the versatility of her cartooning and patterning. As she creates hand-printed silkscreen pillows and playful greeting cards, she shares her mission of spreading happiness and energizing the world with her fun and intricate designs. Lizzy Itzkowitz is a cartoonist, illustrator, pattern designer, and GIF creator who graduated from The School of Visual Arts.
 
Xin Min’s tabletop designs for the modern lifestyle illustrate her minimalist, yet delightful aesthetics and maximum practicality. To show a variety of ceramic techniques, Xin will create a series of 100 tea cups using a wheel, handbuilding, and slip casting. Xin Min graduated from Parsons School of Design. Her work focuses on tabletop designs incorporated with the modern lifestyle.

Learn more at nycxdesign.com.