Fashion Institute of Technology
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Exhibiting Fashion Symposium: Narratives About Mexico in Fashion Exhibitions
No full textThe Museum at FIT presented Exhibiting Fashion, its twenty-first academic symposium on Friday, March 8, 2019. This symposium explored the history of fashion curating, the different ways fashion is displayed in museum settings, and how national and regional identities influence fashion exhibitions. The symposium was organized in conjunction with Exhibitionism: 50 Years of The Museum at FIT, which commemorated the rich history of the museum, the site of more than 200 exhibitions since the 1970s.Circe Henestrosa is a Mexican independent fashion curator and head of the School of Fashion at LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore. She recently co-curated the exhibition Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up.Ana Elena Mallet is a Mexico City-based independent curator specializing in modern and contemporary design. She has curated several exhibitions in Mexico and the U.S. Her books include Silla Mexicana and Bauhaus and Modern Mexico.Tanya Melendez-Escalante is the senior curator of education and public programs of MFIT. She is a contributing author to the books Pink: The History of a Punk, Pretty, Powerful Color and Exhibitionism: 50 Years of The Museum at FIT
Fashion Culture: Liya Kebede in conversation with Elizabeth Way
No full textAccomplished supermodel and designer Liya Kebede joined MFIT Assistant Curator of Costume Elizabeth Way to talk about lemlem, Kebede’s collection of women’s, men’s, children’s clothing, and home goods made entirely in Africa. The core collection is handwoven from natural cotton sourced in Kebede’s native Ethiopia. Women artisans are at the heart of lemlem, and the brand is committed to helping them find health care, education, and jobs through the lemlem Foundation
FIT Menswear Style Show: 1995 Fall
No full textFIT student fashion show featuring menswear designs.The 7th annual Menswear Style Show. "The idea is to make it possible students to learn first-hand the creative process involved in staging a live runway show." Mens Fashion Production Club presidents: Dwijendranath Frank Mahabir, Eldin Johnston. Co-presidents: Peter Connoly, Zaki Ali. Menswear Club presidents: Christopher B. Randall, Fotios Bonzikos
Interview of Philip Milio, Nancy Grossman, and Lynn Glazer, or the Student Activities Office, 1994 November 17
No full textCarol Poll interviews Nancy Grossman, Philip Milio, and Lynn Glazer about their work in the Student Life office at FIT. Glazer, the program coordinator, began at the office in 1969 in a clerical capacity. Grossman, the director of Student Life, began in 1973 when it was known as the Student Activities office. Grossman discusses their 1975 move to 242 W. 27th Street, a shared building with the counseling office. Grossman then discusses early programming such as a disco night at a student pub called “Binsky’s,” named after labor leader David Dubinsky. Philip Milio joined the office as a student in 1971. After matriculating at FIT thanks to a portfolio of photos taken during his service in Vietnam, Milio became involved in student government, ultimately becoming their President. Milio discusses his internship under Grossman and the founding of FIT’s craft center, which began with a pottery wheel and darkroom and eventually hosting classes on belly dancing and ethnic cooking among other activities. The group discusses the benefits of programming for students, especially as diversity has increased at the school. Many students find a home for their identity while others have discovered a true passion and redirected their careers. The group then introduces the annual leadership retreat, begun in 1971. Faculty advisers are required to take an 8-week training course before leading the students on retreat, and the program has been so successful that Student Life paired with the Sociology Department to develop a course based on the same tenants. Grossman discusses barriers to teaching for “non-classroom faculty,” and then they launch into an in-depth discussion on student government at FIT. They then describe the birth of “Icon,” FIT’s literary magazine. Launched in 1977 as “There’s a Future in Plastics,” the magazine has expanded beyond literature to include student artwork. The group discusses FIT’s first talent show in the early 1970s and then shares special memories such as a list of couples who met at FIT and the dramatic demise of FIT’s dress code. Finally, they talk about how the relationship between the union and student government has grown and how grateful they are for the community at Student Life
Interview of Marc Rosenberg and Raoul Nacinovich of the Physical Education Department, circa 1994-1995
No full textThis is an interview with Marc Rosenberg and Raoul Nacinovich of the Department of Physical Education and Dance. Rosenberg and Nacinovich met while teaching at DeWitt Clinton High School. Nacinovich was the basketball coach at FIT and would later become the athletic director of the school. The two discuss the familial feel of FIT in the 1960s and how much of that intimacy has been lost, perhaps due to the fact that the school is moving toward more part-time employees. They fondly remember activities such as an annual Thanksgiving scavenger hunt wherein Marvin Feldman was constantly interrupted by students darting into his office to ask questions. Then the two discuss the athletic program’s development and mention how many of their students go on to receive athletic scholarships at 4-year institutions. They talk about course offerings and athletic seasons, as well as the source of their funding. Rosenberg and Nacinovich talk about how they dealt with space constraints and the advantages of team travel. They then launch into a humorous story about Marvin Feldman’s encounter with a group of Hell’s Angels and his devotion to the athletic department. The two discuss student body changes over time and remember successful alumni. They finish the interview with another story on Feldman’s special connection to the department
Eve Pollack interview, 1995 March 6
No full textChair of the Marketing Department at the time of this interview, Eve Pollack explains the educational and professional trajectories that led her to a position at FIT in 1978. As her father was a textile converter, Eve found a career in buying haute couture to be a natural fit. She worked in the financial sector as well before being offered an adjunct position teaching a class called “Introduction to the Fashion Business,” at FIT. Pollack discusses the changes she has witnessed in both the student body and the industry itself. She explains her philosophy on the pedagogy of marketing and how Marvin Feldman came to appoint her head of the Fashion Buying and Merchandising Department (FBM). Pollack then discusses linkages to the marketing industry as well as connections with other schools who send her students. As faculty adviser to the Merchandise Management Society, Pollack has set up an affiliation with the American Marketing Association. Each year the association puts on a competition in New Orleans, and Pollack’s students have won several times. Pollack talks about the upper division of FIT’s Marketing Department and how it has come to be recognized as a viable business school. She emphasizes that the future of marketing education is general and addresses all aspects of the industry. Pollack mentions a close relationship with John Pomerantz, who was on the board at the time, and talks about utilizing professional connections to find exemplary adjunct professors. Finally, she discusses the state of marketing in fashion as international sourcing increases and closes with a run down of her current faculty and students
Edith Sancroft interview, 1994 November 22
No full textEdith Sancroft, professor of health and physical education at the time of this interview, and former Dean of Liberal Arts, joined FIT in 1964. She immediately began a large expansion of the school's dance program and talks about the introduction of an intermediate level of dance for her more advanced students. Sancroft sees choreography and dance as a natural partner to fashion design; her students benefit from the knowledge that body movement has to offer. She pays homage to the 1960s as a period of great growth for FIT. With the formation of the union and the presence of the Civil Rights Movement, the curriculum offerings at FIT grew in variety and scale. During this period, she was also able to offer master classes in dance with guests such as Syvilla Fort, Charles Wiedman, and Mary Anthony. Sancroft talks about how her department has changed and its eventual separation from the Math and Science Department. She also discusses the growth in diversity within the student body. Sancroft laments the loss of intimacy at FIT and remembers its former familial nature. That being said, she gives a lot of credit to faculty members such as Mildred [last name unknown] who wrote a series of grants to support the creation of the educational skills program, an invaluable part of FIT’s curriculum
Saul Smilowitz interview, circa 1994-1995
No full textChair of the Manufacturing and Management Department at the time of this interview, Saul Smilowitz discusses his life at FIT. He began as a student, graduating in 1953, and returned to teach in 1965 and again in 1989 after a brief hiatus. He talks about FIT’s dress code in the 1950s and how the student body has evolved over the years. Smilowitz discusses the department’s difficulty in recruiting for middle management positions in the industry. He describes their upcoming evaluation by the American Apparel Manufacturers Association; only four colleges have been accepted by the AAMA, FIT being one of them. Smilowitz talks about how they train students for the manufacturing industry and how emphasis on swift, mass production has intensified. He mentions the various degree levels offered in his department, and their move from a factory-oriented focus to a liaison-oriented focus. Graduates of the department have high placement rates and have ended up in major manufacturers such as Liz Claiborne, Nike, and Anne Klein. He talks about how alumni come back to check in at premier industry seminars and events such as the Bobbin Show. Smilowitz then discusses ethnic changes at FIT and how many international students return home with a coveted degree. He details remedial and bridge classes that allow students to matriculate to the upper division, and then talks about how active faculty involvement and continuous evaluation of course offerings keep the department current. Smilowitz goes on to discuss issues in the industry such as sweatshops and how they educate their students on OSHA to avoid such abuses. He then talks about union support and the scholarships offered by the AAMA to FIT students. Finally, he expresses pride in the department’s ability to offer real world experience to students during their time at FIT
Sustainable Business and Design Conference: 2022 Pathways to Impact: Alumni Spotlight in Sustainability
No full textFIT’s 16th annual Sustainable Business and Design Conference: Pathways to Impact centers on four core themes that highlight the intersectionality of sustainable practices. Over the course of two intensive days, attendees will be immersed in keynotes, talks, and panel discussions providing pathways to Social Justice x Social Responsibility, Environment x Materials, Consumption x Waste, and Design x Business. The speakers are trailblazers in numerous facets of sustainability and emphasize the FIT community’s commitment to best practices in all its operations—including student projects, faculty and staff initiatives, and campus facilities.Conversation: Ann Cantrell in conversation with Julia Viner.Ann Cantrell is an associate professor in the Fashion Business Management Department at FIT, with a focus on sustainability. On campus she is an advisor to the Ethics and Sustainability minor as well as the Style Shop and a member of the President's Council on Sustainability. In the fashion industry, Ann's focus was on planning and then product development at companies such as Brooks Brothers, Ralph Lauren, and Coach. With an (S)MBA and a focus on both environmental and economic sustainability, Ann has also been a shop owner for the past fourteen years in Brooklyn, New York. Her store, Annie's Blue Ribbon General Store, is a community staple in Park Slope.Julia is an investment associate at Closed Loop Partners, a New York–based investment firm comprised of venture capital, growth equity, private equity, and project finance, as well as an innovation center focused on building the circular economy. Julia supports deal origination, investment due diligence, and portfolio management for early-stage venture capital and growth equity fashion investments. Julia received her Bachelor of Science from the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she majored in Business Management. During her studies at FIT, Julia conducted research on supply chain transparency and the benefits of blockchain traceability from both a business and consumer-facing perspective
Seeing Is Believing: An AAPI Visionary Entrepreneurs Panel Discussion
No full textThe objective of this event is to build a yearly platform that celebrates the diversity of culture that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders bring to their creative communities. The in-person panel discussion will bring three local celebrated creatives of AAPI heritage to campus to discuss their cultures, experiences, identity, and sources of pride, emphasizing the importance of representation, mentorship, and giving back to the community.Haruko Hayakawa, (she/her), first-generation Japanese American CG artist and Brooklyn-based creative director. Her work is mainly driven by two themes: nostalgia and her modern-day struggles, whether that’s around her Japanese American identity, womanhood, or finding the beauty in the mundanity of her everyday life.Mischelle Moy, (she/her), photographer based in Brooklyn. She’s a color-bending, vision-hungry cat lady who enjoys creative challenges and problem-solving.Rich Tu, (he/him), first-generation Filipino American artist and designer residing in Brooklyn. His bold visual style is inspired by his three passion points: community, social justice, and highlighting the first-gen immigrant experience through self-expression.Moderator: Tim Joo, (he/him), FIT alumnus and adjunct faculty member in Entrepreneurship, and is the co-founder of Haerfest, a modern accessories company based in New York City. Its mission is to bring together a community of visionaries in motion through the power of products designed to go where you go, so you can build without boundaries.AAPI - Owned Brand Sponsors: Halmi - Korean-inspired sparkling beverages; Moshi - Sparkling beverages made with unique Asian ingredients