Traphagen School of Fashion was an art and design school in operation from 1923 to 1991, and was located at 1680 Broadway in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. The school was founded and directed by Ethel Traphagen Leigh (1883–1963) with a focus on the foundational concepts of the American design movement. This was one of the earliest fashion schools and played a role in the development of American fashion by educating over 28,000 students in 68 years of operation.

History

Traphagen School of Fashion was founded in 1923 by Ethel Traphagen Leigh (1883–1963) with a focus on the foundational concepts of the American design movement. Traphagen School encouraged student experimentation with materials and construction techniques. One of the educational tenets of the Traphagen School of Fashion was a "design-by-adaptation" method, which included historical research. The school had a large collection of books and historic fashion plates, which was a source of inspiration for student work. The "design-by-adaptation" method often resulted in the appropriation of fashion in different cultures, including Native American and African American fashion. The semi- quarterly alumni magazine was called ''Fashion Digest'', highlighting industry partnerships, honors and work by alumni. In March 2019, the Museum at

Fashion Institute of Technology The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is a public college in New York City. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) and focuses on art, business, design, mass communication, and technology connected to the fashion industry. It ...

(FIT) hosted a survey exhibition of the school, ''The Traphagen School: Fostering American Fashion.''

Alumni

Actors, entertainment industry

Edie Adams Edie Adams (born Edith Elizabeth Enke; April 16, 1927 – October 15, 2008) was an American comedian, actress, singer and businesswoman. She earned the Tony Award and was nominated for an Emmy Award. Adams was well known for her impersonations ...

, comedienne, actress, singer, businesswoman, and

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

winner.

Fashion designers

Geoffrey Beene Geoffrey Beene (born Samuel Albert Bozeman Jr.; August 30, 1924 – September 28, 2004) was an American fashion designer. Beene was one of New York's most famous fashion designers, recognized for his artistic and technical skills and for creati ...

, (class of 1947, Costume Design) fashion designer. * Hazel Rodney Blackman (class of 1946), Jamaican-born American fashion designer * Luis Estévez, (class of 1951, Costume Design) Cuban-born American fashion designer, costume designer. *

James Galanos James Galanos (September 20, 1924 – October 30, 2016) was an American fashion designer and couturier. Galanos is known for designing clothing for America's social elite, including Nancy Reagan, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, and others. Ea ...

, (class of 1943, Costume Design) fashion designer. *

Stan Herman Stan M. Herman (born September 17, 1928) is an American fashion designer. He was President of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), a position he held until 2006 at which time Diane von Fürstenberg took over the position. He is al ...

, (class of 1952, Costume Design) fashion designer of corporate uniforms. *

Victor Joris Victor Joris (1929–2013) was an American fashion designer and fashion illustrator. He was active between 1945 until the 1970s. Biography Born April 25, 1929 in Shreveport, Louisiana. He attended C.E. Byrd High School. He went on to study fa ...

, (class of 1945, Costume Design and Sketching) fashion designer known for women's apparel and pioneering pantsuits and long coats. * Anne Klein, (attended c. 1937–1938, Costume Design), fashion designer. *

John Kloss John Kloss, born as John Klosowski (13 June 1937 – 25 March 1987) was an American fashion designer, known for his modern lingerie and sleepwear designs. History John Klosowski was born 13 June 1937 in Detroit, Michigan. He studied at Cass Te ...

, (class of 1958, Costume Design) fashion designer, known for lingerie and sleepwear designs. *Robert Knox (1908–1973), fashion designer at Ben Gershel. * Helen Lee, (class of 1926, Costume Design) fashion designer for children's clothing. Her own line, Designs by Helen Lee Inc., was established in 1955. * Maurice Levin, (class of 1949, Costume Design) fashion designer for

Jantzen Jantzen is a brand of swimwear that was established in 1916 and first appeared in the city of Portland, Oregon, United States. The brand name later replaced the name of the parent company that manufactured the branded products. The brand feature ...

, and West Coast mid-century modern fashion for men and women. *

Mary McFadden Mary McFaddenCharlotte Curtis, "Mary McFadden Married to Philip Harari at St. Bartholomew's; Former Dior Aide is Wed to Director in De Beers Group", The New York Times, 26 September 1964 (born October 1, 1938) is an American art collector, editor ...

, (class of 1956, Costume Design) fashion designer. * Arthur McGee, (class of 1951, Costume Design) fashion designer, first African American designer working in design studio on Seventh Avenue in the Garment District in New York City. * Franklin Rowe, fashion designer. * Carolyn Schnurer (class of 1939, Costume Design) fashion designer and a pioneer in American sportswear.

Illustrators

Antonio Lopez (illustrator) Antonio Lopez (February 11, 1943 – March 17, 1987) was a fashion illustrator whose work appeared in such publications as ''Vogue'', ''Harper's Bazaar'', ''Elle'', ''Interview'' and ''The New York Times''. Several books collecting his illus ...

(class of 1955, Illustration) Puerto Rican-born American fashion illustrator. * Esta Nesbitt, (class of 1937, Illustration) fashion illustrator and xerox artist. *Robert William Meyers (1919–1970), magazine and children's book illustrator. *Ann Kempner Levere, worked in several Manhattan pattern companies including Simplicity Pattern in the 1950's and 60's.

Painters

* Nela Arias-Misson,

Cuban-American Cuban Americans ( es, cubanoestadounidenses or ''cubanoamericanos'') are Americans who trace their cultural heritage to Cuba regardless of phenotype or ethnic origin. The word may refer to someone born in the United States of Cuban descent or ...

abstract expressionist painter. * Mavis Pusey, (attended c. 1946) Jamaican abstract painter, printmaker.

Other

Carolyn Cassady Carolyn Elizabeth Robinson Cassady (April 28, 1923 – September 20, 2013) was an American writer and associated with the Beat Generation through her marriage to Neal Cassady and her friendships with Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and other pro ...

, (attended c. 1943) author associated with

Beat Generation The Beat Generation was a literary subculture movement started by a group of authors whose work explored and influenced American culture and politics in the post-war era. The bulk of their work was published and popularized by Silent Generatio ...

. * Vera Neumann, (class of 1926, Illustration and Textile Design) textile artist and entrepreneur, known for her scarves. *

Gladys Parker Gladys Parker (March 21, 1908 – April 28, 1966) was an American cartoonist for comic strips and a fashion designer in Hollywood. She is best known as the creator of the comic strip ''Mopsy'' (1929-1965), which had a long run over three decades ...

, (class of 1928, Illustration) cartoons and comics artist.

Faculty

* Alon Bement (1876–1954), served as Dean of Traphagen between 1946 until 1951, where he taught interior design courses. * Edward Dufner, painter

References

{{Authority control Art schools in New York City Universities and colleges in New York City Design schools in the United States Defunct private universities and colleges in New York City 1923 establishments in New York City 1991 disestablishments in New York (state) Midtown Manhattan Broadway (Manhattan) Defunct art schools