September 2024
Exhibition: Africa’s Fashion Diaspora — Opens
Sindiso Khumalo, printed cotton dress detail, Spring 2021, South Africa. The Museum at FIT, museum purchase, 2023.32.1 September 18–December 29, 2024 Special Exhibitions Gallery, The Museum at FIT Africa’s Fashion Diaspora examines fashion as a medium of storytelling and as a vital way for designers to contribute to longstanding and evolving ideas of transnational Black cultural spaces. Whether described as Négritude, Pan-Africanism, the Black Atlantic, Black consciousness, or Afrofuturism, Black thinkers and creatives, from philosophers to writers, musicians, and visual…
Find out more »Fashion Culture: Spanish Fashion in the Age of Velázquez
Courtesy of Yale University Press. In this lecture, cultural historian Amanda Wunder will talk about researching her book Spanish Fashion in the Age of Velázquez, the first archival study of dress at the court of Philip IV, as told through the life and work of royal tailor Mateo Aguado. Tailor to the queens of Spain from 1630 to 1672, Aguado was the most influential dress designer in 17th-century Spain. Fashion Culture programs are organized by The Museum at FIT to…
Find out more »Fashion Culture: Crafting Circular Solutions in Fashion Retail
Courtesy of Eileen Fisher Renew. Join circular-design consultants Lauren B. Fay and Cynthia Power as they discuss the work of brands and retailers that are transitioning to a circular economy. A model of production and consumption, circular economy involves sharing, reusing, repairing, and recycling existing materials and products for as long as possible. Fashion Culture programs are organized by The Museum at FIT to provide new perspectives on the culture of fashion. All programs are free unless otherwise indicated. However,…
Find out more »October 2024
Fashion Culture: Yakampot: Fashion and Social Responsibility
Yakampot dress, 2023 Circular Collection. Photo: Nuria Lagarde; courtesy of Yakampot. Concepción Orvañanos, founder and creative director of the Mexican brand Yakampot, will be in conversation with Tanya Meléndez-Escalante, senior curator of education and public programs at The Museum at FIT. They will discuss how fashion can be a vehicle for social change, whether through fair trade practices that promote the development of artisan groups or through ecological practices such as upcycling. This event is supported by INNSiDE by Meliá…
Find out more »Fashion Culture: CBK: Carolyn Bessette Kennedy—A Life in Fashion
Courtesy of Harry N. Abrams. Fashion creative director Sunita Kumar Nair and CFDA CEO Steven Kolb will discuss her book CBK: Carolyn Bessette Kennedy—A Life in Fashion, which gathers the greats of the fashion world to speak about Bessette Kennedy's timeless style. The author will share personal anecdotes from family and friends, including Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, Manolo Blahnik, Wes Gordon, Tory Burch, and others. A book signing will follow the event. Fashion Culture programs are organized by The Museum…
Find out more »Fashion Symposium: Africa’s Fashion Diaspora
Lia Samantha, Colombiamoda fashion show, 2014. Photograph by Marlen Stahlhuth. The Museum at FIT's 32nd fashion symposium, Africa's Fashion Diaspora, will explore key histories, networks, and industries led by Black designers who are actively shaping fashion culture. Scholars and designers illustrate the breadth and depth of diasporic fashion networks, from the African continent to South America and the United States. It is being held in conjunction with the museum's exhibition Africa's Fashion Diaspora, on view Sept. 18–Dec. 29, 2024. This…
Find out more »November 2024
Fashion Culture: Fashioning the Beatles
Courtesy of Ingram Publisher Services/University of Toronto Press. Author Deirdre Kelly will present her book Fashioning the Beatles, the first title to provide an in-depth analysis of the sartorial impact and legacy of the Fab Four. More than 50 years after their breakup, the band's style continues to inspire designers, including Thom Browne, John Varvatos, Anna Sui, Rei Kawakubo, Tom Ford, Alessandro Michele, and Stella McCartney. A book signing will follow the event. Fashion Culture programs are organized by The…
Find out more »Fashion Culture: Black Designers: Leading New Fashion Models
Hope for Flowers by Tracy Reese, cupro, cotton, and tulle dress, summer 2020, USA, gift of Hope for Flowers by Tracy Reese. The Museum at FIT will host a conversation about influential Black American designers who are reshaping the fashion industry through new production networks, cultural narratives, and sustainability. Learn how these designers are building bridges between New York and global locales. The conversation will be moderated by MFIT associate curator Elizabeth Way. A book signing will follow the event.…
Find out more »December 2024
Exhibition: Africa’s Fashion Diaspora — Closes
Sindiso Khumalo, printed cotton dress detail, Spring 2021, South Africa. The Museum at FIT, museum purchase, 2023.32.1 September 18–December 29, 2024 Special Exhibitions Gallery, The Museum at FIT Africa’s Fashion Diaspora examines fashion as a medium of storytelling and as a vital way for designers to contribute to longstanding and evolving ideas of transnational Black cultural spaces. Whether described as Négritude, Pan-Africanism, the Black Atlantic, Black consciousness, or Afrofuturism, Black thinkers and creatives, from philosophers to writers, musicians, and visual…
Find out more »