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On November 19, FIT held A Celebration of National Native American Heritage Month, a full day of panel discussions and performances featuring Indigenous designers and creatives. The special event was timed to Red Shawl Day, a day of remembrance honoring murdered and missing Indigenous people and Alaska Natives, especially women and children. FIT’s Social Justice Center cohosted the conference with 4KINSHIP, a retail brand and shop in New Mexico, founded by FIT alumna Amy Denet Deal, that sells sustainable clothing and accessories designed by Denet Deal and other Indigenous artists. Before founding her business in 2022, Denet Deal designed for major corporate brands, such as Reebok and Puma. She grew up in Indiana and was raised by an adoptive family, but always felt the desire to connect with her Navajo heritage. In 2019, she decided to move to New Mexico to start that journey. Click here to read the original article.

On November 14, 10 faculty members who took sabbaticals in the 2023–24 academic year presented on their projects in the Robert Lagary Board Room. FIT grants sabbaticals to full-time faculty members for work that augments their value to the college. Faculty might use the time away from teaching to write their doctoral dissertation, author a book, collaborate with other institutions, or complete a research project. Click here to read the original article.

On October 15, 10 students from the School of Graduate Studies’ Global Fashion Management MPS and Fashion Design MFA programs received Bob Fisch Graduate Scholarships of $5,500 each. Additionally, all the students in both programs received Graduate Scholarship Thesis Project Completion Grants of $1,000 from Fisch. Fisch, founder and former chairman and CEO of rue21, author of Fisch Tales: The Making of a Millennial Baby Boomer and Get a Life (an Amazon bestseller), and member of the FIT Foundation board of directors, is a longtime supporter of the college. The $5.5K Scholarship recipients were Global Fashion Management students Juliana Villegas Currea, Kathryn Duque, Gangothri Komareswaripeta, Jessica Schneider, and Jiayi Zhang, and Fashion Design MFA students Matilda Tongying Liang, Beckham Peng Han Lin, Lawson Park, Amrutha Ramkumar, and Kiki Wanjing Zuo. Click here to read the original article.

The Museum at FIT recently opened a groundbreaking exhibition that looks at the African diaspora through a fashion lens. The museum’s associate curator of costume, Elizabeth Way, conceived of this show, Africa’s Fashion Diaspora, and selected the pieces that are on display. Newsroom spoke with the exhibition curator about how the show approaches Black identity, what visitors should look for, and how they can extend their knowledge.   Newsroom: How is this show different from other fashion exhibitions with a focus on Africa? Elizabeth Way: Africa’s Fashion Diaspora is a focused exhibition that looks at how Black fashion designers from across the diaspora are contributing to transnational conversations on modern Black identity. Philosophers and politicians have called these ideas Pan-Africanism, Black Consciousness, Négritude, and even Afrofuturism. This exhibition acknowledges fashion’s crucial role in expressing Black identity across national boundaries.   Click here to read the original article.

On Sept. 10, FIT’s sun-filled Art and Design Gallery played host to this year’s annual Fashion Design Master of Fine Arts (MFA) runway show. Featuring the designs of 13 graduates from the class of 2024 in the Fashion Design MFA program, it was the first time that an FIT runway show took place on campus during New York Fashion Week. Titled BEYOND, the show featured designers “from diverse backgrounds and cultures, converg[ing] to redefine boundaries and celebrate unity in diversity.” More than 200 guests attended, with others watching a livestream. (Visit the show’s website, fitnyc.edu/beyond, for designer bios, collection information, and the video.) The event began with opening remarks from President Joyce F. Brown, who welcomed the audience and acknowledged the graduates’ hard work in a competitive degree program. “You embraced and benefited from the experiential learning that is a cornerstone of FIT, and I know you will carry that training forward as lifelong learners in your chosen fields.”   Click here to read the original article.

  The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), a part of the State University of New York (SUNY), today announced President Joyce F. Brown will be stepping down at the end of the 2024–2025 academic school year, concluding nearly 26 years of transformative service to the institution. Appointed in 1998, Dr. Brown is the first female and first African American president of FIT. “Dr. Joyce Brown’s vision has transformed FIT, and her tenure has been one of the most significant periods of leadership in the college’s history,” said Board of Trustees Chair Robin Burns-McNeill. “Her commitment to technology, innovation, and DEI modernized the college, while also deepening its commitment to our mission and to graduate success. The college will have the benefit of her strong leadership over the next year as we embark on a search for the next visionary to become the president of FIT.” Click here to read the original article.  

  Home Products Development at FIT is designed for and by the growing home products industry, and its students are encouraged to think creatively and broadly about solutions to challenges that face the industry and consumers—from toilet paper dispensers to coffee makers to body pillows. Marc Littlejohn, adjunct instructor in the program, had a framework for the capstone class that focused on a highly creative and collaborative approach for developing products that meet consumers’ ever-changing needs, while also satisfying the growing demand for job candidates with the specific skills that make the program’s graduates excellent hires in the industry. In this year’s senior capstone class, Annie Hassan, Home Products Development ’24, put the framework to use when she developed her final project, Solariscape (see diagram above). Solariscape uses window curtains with thin-film photovoltaic (PV) cells to convert sunlight into electricity that can power a single-family home. The PV cells are glued onto the back of a curtain with an attached 650W microinverter. The solar cells weigh 100 times less than a traditional solar panel and can generate 18 times more power/kg. The idea, Hassan said, came from the fact that only 5% of single-family homes in the United States utilize solar power; and since her assignment was to develop a product that was not yet in the market, Hassan saw an opportunity. Click here to read the original article.  

  In May, Ron Amato, professor of Photography and Related Media, released Artists of Provincetown, a book of photographic portraits of artists who live in the seaside Massachusetts town. Made over a period of eight years, the book contains 84 images of sculptors, painters, photographers, and writers, illustrating the artistic breadth of this 125-year-old community, known as the United States’ oldest continuous art colony. The book was produced in collaboration with the Provincetown Art Association and Museum on the occasion of the exhibition Ron Amato: Artists of Provincetown, which opened in June and is on view through August 18. Click here to read the original article.  

“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.