The Division of Communications and External Relations is pleased to share FIT in the News, which reports highlights of major news stories about the college and/or that quote the college’s experts. These stories will be accessible for at least seven days by clicking on the links below.
Right This Minute (October 3) reported that National Geographic has awarded FIT’s AlgiKnit project first place and $25,000 in the Sustainable Planet category of NatGeo’s Chasing Genius Challenge. A panel composed of a scientist, an agriculturalist, and other experts selected the project from among thousands of game-changing initiatives. The AlgiKnit group is developing a groundbreaking, sustainable textile composed, in part, of a seaweed called kelp, one of the world’s most rapidly renewing resources. AlgiKnit won the 2016 Biodesign Challenge for an earlier iteration of the idea. The program included an interview with Theanne Schiros, assistant professor, Science and Math, and Asta Skocir, associate professor, Fashion Design, who served as mentors. Additional coverage appeared on Observer.com (September 27).
This year’s Couture Council luncheon, at which Thom Browne received the award for Artistry of Fashion, received coverage on TownandCountryMag.com (September 30), which reposted a 20-minute tour that Valerie Steele, director, The Museum at FIT (MFIT), gave Thom Browne of MFIT’s newly renovated collections space. The video had previously been posted on the Facebook page for Town & Country, and has received over 37,000 views to date.
FashionNetwork.com and NewYorkStyleGuide.com (both September 27) reported that May 2017 Fashion Design graduate Alyssa Wardrop was the winner of the 10th annual Supima Design Competition. Wardrop’s collection, “Body as Canvas,” was inspired by 1960s Italian cinema. Seven students from the nation’s top design schools competed with collections made from Supima cotton. Wardrop received $10,000 to jumpstart her career and presented her collection during Paris Fashion Week.
NYTimes.com (October 2) reported on the apartment hunting of Karen Trivette, head of Special Collections and the FIT Archive, Gladys Marcus Library, for the article “Upsizing to a Two-Bedroom.”
Westfield Leader (September 21) reported that Dennis Dittrich, adjunct, Illustration, participated in the panel discussion “War Illustration: A Straight Unbroken Line,” held at the Scotch Plains Public Library on September 25.
Expedition: Fashion from the Extreme, currently on view at MFIT, was reviewed on WSJ.com (September 28) and in The Wall Street Journal (October 1), with a pickup on the Dow Jones Newswire (September 30). Additional coverage appeared on WhomYouKnow.com (October 1), Lexpress.fr (France), News.sfr.fr, and RetroModernChic.com (all October 2).
The Body: Fashion and Physique, which opens at MFIT on December 5, received pre-opening coverage on NYCGo.com (October 1).