Sammi Chen walks the runway with a model wearing her Critic Award–winning gown.

On May 10, FIT hosted the annual Future of Fashion runway show, which for the second year was presented by Macy’s. Held in the Breezeway and emceed by Ashley Graham, model and entrepreneur, the show featured 87 looks created by a select group 2023 graduates of FIT’s Fashion Design BFA program.

This year, the featured designs spanned four concentrations: sportswear, knitwear, intimate apparel, and special occasion. Some of the themes were size inclusivity, gender neutral, sustainability, and deconstructed and repurposed. Plenty of bright bold colors and textures were on view.

Dr. Joyce F. Brown, president of FIT, gave opening remarks. “The students we celebrate tonight are among 8,000 students who attend FIT today, and as most of you know, our programs span all of the creative industries. We like to say that we stand at the crossroads of design and business,” she said. “Students come to us with raw talent and gain knowledge and skills from our dedicated faculty in the fields of beauty, advertising and marketing, interior design, management, toy design, textiles, animation … and of course our calling card: fashion design.”

Eleven of the designers won Critic Awards, given each year by the industry mentors who work alongside students in their final semester. Each critic is a leader in one of the Fashion Design program’s areas of specialization and many are alumni of the program. (Find detailed bios of our critics on the Future of Fashion website at fitnyc.edu/future.) The 2023 Critic Award winners are:

Jacob Caraccilo, Sportswear
Sammi Chen, Special Occasion
Veronica Creed, Knitwear
Katelyn De Lavante Raphael, Sportswear
Rachel Gewirtz, Intimate Apparel
Vanessa Gray, Sportswear
Yuri Ikegaya, Special Occasion
Chaeeun Lee, Knitwear
Cecilia Wolf, Sportswear
Amanda Zanetti, Special Occasion
Lancy Zhang, Sportswear

As part of its continued support of FIT and the Fashion Design program, Macy’s again offered students two award opportunities: the Macy’s Capsule Collection and the Macy’s Bold Representation Awards. These awards are an extension of an enterprise-wide social purpose platform, Mission Every One, which aims to create a brighter future with bold representation. Three students were recognized by Hollis Daniels, design director, INC RTW, and Catherine Treff, design director, special projects and collaborations. Best Culturally Inspired Look went to Natalia Burmeo, Best Use of Sustainable Materials was awarded to Jacob Caraccilo, and Lorenzo Lukban won for Best Gender Neutral Look.

Mariah Does Hooke was named winner of the Macy’s Capsule Collection prize. Her design will be produced and sold at Macy’s Herald Square in New York this fall. The hang tags will feature her name, photo, and biography.

This year’s show was attended by Ken Downing, chief brand officer, HLC E-commerce; Mickey Drexler, CEO, Alex Mill; Mara Hoffman; founder and designer, Mara Hoffman; Victor Glemaud, designer, FIT Outstanding Alumni Honoree; Karlie Kloss, model, entrepreneur, and FIT Fashion Icon Honoree; Sally LaPointe, co-founder and creative director, LAPOINTE; Kate Lanphear, fashion editor; Fern Mallis, president, Fern Mallis LLC, and FIT Foundation board member; Nicole Miller; Bibhu Mohapatra, founder and designer, Bibhu Mohapatra; Andrea Pitter, bridal designer; Jill Stuart, designer; and Zaldy, fashion designer.