Stony Brook University SUNY Korea

“Glorified Expectations” by Sarah Neil   In just three years of intensive study, the 16 students in the graduating class of the 2024 Master of Fine Arts in Illustration became a cohesive group, according to Brendan Leach, associate chair of the program. Their artistic connection is evident in the visual thesis exhibition, Flood, which opened in early June in Gallery FIT at The Museum at FIT; it continues through June 30. Click here to read the original article.

Corey Moran, board member, FIT Foundation; Jerry Vittoria, president, Fine Fragrance Worldwide; Dr. Brooke Carlson, interim dean, School of Graduate Studies, FIT; Robin Burns-McNeill, chair, FIT Board of Trustees; Dr. Joyce F. Brown, president, FIT; Dr. Yasemin Jones, interim vice president, Academic Affairs, FIT; and Stephan Kanlian, chair, Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing and Management MPS, FIT.   On Monday, June 3, during a joint meeting of the advisory boards of FIT’s Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing and Management (CFMM) and Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing (CFM) programs, the college formally opened the Beauty Center at FIT, a dynamic research center for the beauty industry dedicated to global business strategy and consumer trends located in Midtown Manhattan. In partnership with the beauty industry, the center will contribute thought leadership to the beauty sector, which is expected to continue to grow at impressive rates on the heels of nearly 20 percent growth since 2018, according to Cosmoprof North America, the leading B2B beauty trade show in the Americas. A successful education partner to the beauty industry for over 35 years, FIT is also the only college in the United States with a state-of-the-art fragrance and cosmetics laboratory. Now, with the addition of the Beauty Center, the college will accelerate its ability to predict market trends, identify strategic business opportunities, and build on its record of global research success. Past research by CFMM has incorporated extensive field study work in markets ranging from Asia to the Middle East and North Africa to Europe. On June 26, the Class of 2024 will unveil its latest research study, “The Future of Accessible Beauty.” (RSVP to attend in person here, or watch the livestream here.) Click here to read the original article.

  The 33 students who developed this year’s Textile Development and Marketing capstone project, titled “Farm to Fabric,” describe it as “a heartfelt letter from nature, asking us to slow down and appreciate the journey of our clothes, from the field to the fabric.” The newly revamped course, taught by Adjunct Assistant Professor Lorenza Wong, focused on slow fashion and collaboration with the farmers and spinners who create and develop fibers. The students worked with four fibers—abacá, piña, mohair, and Jacob wool—from the Philippines, South Africa, and Upstate New York. They made yarn out of the fibers, learned about spinning, and even dyed many of the fibers with natural colorants derived from FIT’s rooftop Natural Dye Garden. Click here to read the original article.

“Never forget where you came from,” were the closing words of retail legend Mickey Drexler in his FIT commencement address in Central Park on May 22. Each of the six industry leaders invited to speak at this year’s commencement ceremonies shared stories from their past to help graduates navigate their future. Here are some of their lessons.  Click here to read the original article.  

  Check out these photos from this year’s Graduating Student Exhibition, featuring the capstone and thesis works by students in 16 of the School of Art and Design’s 17 majors. (The only program not represented in the exhibition is Communication Design Foundation AAS, though its influence is felt throughout the show since the degree is required for many of FIT’s BFA programs.) Featured here are works by graduating students in Toy Design, Fine Arts, Interior Design, Graphic Design, Fabric Styling, Footwear and Accessories Design, Photography and Related Media, Jewelry Design, Menswear, Spatial Experience Design, and Textile/Surface Design. Click here to read the original article.  

Honorees Rebecca Hessel Cohen, Kenneth Cole, and Norma Kamali with FIT President Joyce F. Brown   On Wednesday, May 8, FIT held its Annual Awards Gala, which included the Future of Fashion Runway Show presented by Macy’s, at The Glasshouse in New York City. The event, hosted by supermodel and philanthropist Carolyn Murphy, benefited the FIT Foundation, which is dedicated to nurturing the next generation of FIT students by facilitating programs, developing new initiatives, and providing scholarships. Additionally, Tamron Hall announced the creation of the Kenneth Cole Social Impact Award, to benefit a student who shows outstanding engagement in social impact. Norma Kamali, who received the Outstanding Alumni Award, presented by Matthew Yokobosky, said: “Determination is more important than even talent, that and the help of the universe and all its pushing and prodding, I am still on my path and the universe is still keeping me in line with my purpose. The most important time of your life is what you learn before you transition into the workforce. How you listen, how you learn, and how you study. How you follow instructions, and how you discipline yourself to meet deadlines and reach goals. These are the tools used in the life of everyone successful in fashion.” Click here to read the original article.

The chiller plant uses electricity to maintain a comfortable indoor climate at FIT. Photos by Smiljana Peros.   In the fight against climate change, individual action is important, but upgrading infrastructure makes a much larger impact. This spring, FIT installed a new energy-efficient air-cooling system that will make maintaining a comfortable indoor climate significantly less energy-intensive. This chiller plant will reduce energy costs by more than $1 million per year and reduce annual emissions by almost 1,000 metric tons—equivalent to the electricity consumption of 3,000 households. The old chiller was powered by steam created using fossil fuels. The new chiller is powered by electricity. Currently, New York City’s electricity is mostly derived from fossil fuels, but more renewable electricity is coming. For example, in 2026, New York City will receive a transmission line from Canada containing 100 percent renewable power. FIT’s goal, ultimately, is to reach zero emissions by 2050, in line with New York City’s Local Law 97, passed in 2019. Click here to read the original article.  

  A team of students from FIT’s School of Business and Technology, representing the United States, developed an innovative retail concept and presented it at the Future Retail Challenge, an international student competition at the annual World Retail Congress, held in Paris April 15–17, with colleges competing from Amsterdam, London, and Lille, France. The FIT team comprised Megan Antkoviak, an International Trade and Marketing major from Beavercreek, Ohio; Prashita Bassi, a Fashion Business Management major from Lucknow, India; Jesse Cabble, an International Trade and Marketing major from Carle Place, New York; and Kaitlyn Hassan, a Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing major from West Palm Beach, Florida. Click here to read the original article.  

From left: Edgar A. Garrido, Dana Flores, Grismar Bueno, Renata Quijano, Mellány Sánchez, and Aldo Araujo. Image courtesy of MFIT.   When Dana Flores, Advertising and Marketing Communications ’22, arrived at FIT, she had three specific goals in mind: to meet the college’s president, Dr. Joyce F. Brown; to work with The Museum at FIT (MFIT); and to help Latinx fashion gain more media representation. A proud Mexican American, Flores, who was born in Houston and raised in Chicago, had a bilingual and binational upbringing. This gave her a strong sense of cultural pride as well as the confidence to exist in society’s majority culture. During her time at FIT, Flores wanted to create a space where fellow Latinx students could connect, network, and thrive. It became her mission.   Click here to read the original article.  

  Jessie Xu, Illustration ’25, has much to celebrate. She won first place in Bulgari’s Art of Living with Allegra Baciami: Passione contest, for her animated visual celebrating the luxury brand’s bestselling fragrance. Students were asked to submit their own idea in the medium of their major that captures the essence of the fragrance while also showcasing the legacy and heritage of the Bulgari brand. Xu created an animation, which will be used in an upcoming paid social media campaign with additional exposure during the end-of-year holiday season. She won a $2,500 prize and an internship with Bulgari. Alice Chekunova, Textile/Surface Design AAS ’26, received a $2,000 second prize, and third-place winner Ling Yin Liu, Illustration AAS ‘27 also won $2,000. Their creative concepts will also be included in the Bulgari paid social media campaign.   Click here to read the original article.

Angora goats at Van Hasselt Farm in the Karoo of South Africa. Photo courtesy of Frances Van Hasselt.   When Lorenza Wong took on responsibility for the Textile Development and Marketing capstone course, she rewrote it from scratch. Before this year, students had learned about luxury Italian fabrics, working with mills to spin silk and cotton fibers. “As much as I love Italian fabrics, I just feel like it had been done,” says Wong, adjunct assistant professor. Students told her they wanted to learn about sustainable textiles—and she realized they needed to start to understand farming. She wrote a brand new course that focused on craftsmanship, working with artisans, and forging a sustainable livelihood. Click here to read the original article.

  As anyone who attends FIT can tell you, the college is not exclusively about Fashion Design. There are many creative fields that all support the fashion world, and many of these talents are fostered here. As red carpet season comes to a close, we bring your attention to some of the FIT alumni whose work—styling, hosting, and yes, designing—has pleased audiences at this year’s awards shows.  Click here to read the original article.

Cristina Ng Ng, Margarita Ng Ng, Papa Oppong, Valeria Watson, Deborah Won, and Anthony Oyer, on the set of TODAY with Hoda & Jenna.   In celebration of Fashion Month and fashion education, NBC’s TODAY with Hoda & Jenna has partnered exclusively with FIT on a new, weeklong series: Hoda and Jenna’s “Design the Look.” This marks the first time the show has collaborated with a college on a special series. The segments will appear on the show the week of February 19, which airs between 10 and 11 am. Click here to read the original article

Suvino, far left, with the rest of the production design team: Brandon Tonner-Connolly, production designer; Tafv Sampson, set decorator; Sierra Revis, assistant art director; Sun Roller Galloway, art department coordinator; Matt Hyland, art director; and Zed Hamblin di Menno, set decoration buyer.   Work by an alumna for the F/X show Reservation Dogs won a prestigious Art Directors Guild Award. Stacy Suvino, Visual Presentation and Exhibition Design ’08 (now called Spatial Experience Design), acted as a set decoration buyer on a team headed up by production designer Brandon Tonner-Connolly in the category Half Hour Single-Camera series.   Click here to read the original article  

Picture 1: Collect face mask waste.  Picture 2: Collect plastic waste.  Picture 3: Convert face mask waste into 3D printer filaments for making reusable face mask frame.  Picture 4: Make plastic waste into antimicrobial nanofiber filter with advanced nonwoven technology.  Picture 5: 3D printed face mask frame with the nanofiber filter incorporated.  Picture 6: Comprehensive evaluation of the performance of the 3D-printed face mask prototypes.   The worst of the pandemic may be largely over, but the waste from everyone’s face masks isn’t. Now three Textile Development and Marketing faculty members—assistant chair Ajoy Sarkar and assistant professors Huipu Gao and Imran Islam—working with FIT students, have received a $75,000 P3 (People, Prosperity, Planet) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant to try to solve that problem by developing one-of-a-kind reusable, antiviral face masks made from plastic waste. Click here to read the original article