“Another 200 people died in Syria today” blasted from the 11 o’clock news. [...] Luna, 22, a Parsons Fashion Design senior, turned to her father and asked “Should I be doing fashion? We’re sitting around everyday talking about $4,000 Prada pants that don’t even matter in the larger scheme of things.” Since that moment, Luna has designed her senior thesis collection to address the problems facing Syrian refugees as they make their journey aross borders to safety.

Asylees, like the 85,000 refugees from around the world arriving in the U.S. each year, must be unable or unwilling to return to their country due to persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution. While refugees are resettled from overseas, asylees are already in the U.S. when they present their claims for protection.