September 2023
Book Launch Event: Jane Austen’s Wardrobe, with Hilary Davidson
Join us for the launch of Jane Austen's Wardrobe, by the chair of the Fashion and Textile Studies Department in the School of Graduate Studies. Davidson will discuss the book and a signing will follow. About Jane Austen's Wardrobe What did Jane Austen wear? Acclaimed dress historian and Austen expert Hilary Davidson reveals, for the first time, the wardrobe of one of the world’s most celebrated authors. Despite her acknowledged brilliance on the page, Jane Austen has all too often…
Find out more »Fashion Culture: Rodney Smith: A Leap of Faith
Photograph by Rodney Smith, courtesy of Getty Publications. Known for his stylish, whimsical, and surreal images, Rodney Smith (1947–2016) started out as a photo-essayist, turned to portrait photography, and found his greatest success in fashion photography. Paul Martineau, curator of photographs at the J. Paul Getty Museum and author of the new book Rodney Smith: A Leap of Faith, joins curator and writer David Campany in conversation to discuss what makes fashion photography art. A book signing follows the event.…
Find out more »Lawrence Israel Prize Lecture: Joel Sanders
The Interior Design Department honors interior designer Joel Sanders with its 2023 Lawrence Israel Prize. From his pioneering “House for a Bachelor” included in MoMA’s Un-Private House exhibition to “Your Restroom Is a Battleground” in the last Venice Architecture Biennale, globally renowned interior designer Joel Sanders’ provocations have upended preconceptions of gender and space. The Lawrence Israel Prize Lecture Series returns after a four-year hiatus, and FIT’s Interior Design Department has awarded the 2023 prize to Sanders. Prior awardees include…
Find out more »October 2023
Fashion Culture: Fashion’s Role in Black Protest, 1863–1963
Patrick Kelly, denim overalls dress, fall 1987, France, gift of Bjorn G. Amelan and Bill T. Jones, 2016.82.9 Join fashion historian and assistant professor at Parsons School of Design Jonathan Michael Square and MFIT associate curator Elizabeth Way for a conversation on the significance of fashion and self-presentation for Black Civil Rights leaders from the 19th century to the present. This event is also part of the 1863–1963–2023 Project: Civil Rights in FIT’s Neighborhood, which documents the anniversaries of two…
Find out more »Talking Trade at FIT: WITA on Career Pathways Panel
The Washington International Trade Association (WITA) Academy, in partnership with FIT's Department of International Trade and Marketing, presents a three-hour online event designed to teach FIT students about careers in international trade and business. Students will gain insight from trade professionals, pose questions to policymakers, and learn about exciting career opportunities in international affairs, business, and trade. Students will come away with an understanding of the trade policy-making community, the role of its key players, and the opportunities for internships…
Find out more »Fashion Culture: Shoes A–Z: The Collection of the Museum at FIT
Zaha Hadid for United Nude, metallic vinyl shoes, 2013, France, museum purchase, 2013.83.1 MFIT director and chief curator Valerie Steele and curator of costume and accessories Colleen Hill, discuss their new Taschen book, Shoes A-Z: The Collection of The Museum at FIT. Hundreds of groundbreaking designs, rare ephemera, and original sketches are presented in the book from the museum’s pristinely preserved collection. A book signing follows the event. Fashion Culture programs are organized by The Museum at FIT to provide…
Find out more »Designing Monuments for Tragedy and Triumph
At this event, artists Steve Locke and Karyn Olivier will speak on a panel with Patricia Eunji Kim regarding the current landscape/dialogue surrounding public commemorative art in the U.S. and the experience of designing a commemorative work of art. They will offer thoughts on design possibilities for the two events we seek to remember—one tragic, and one inspiring. FIT student Rukaiah El will moderate. Sponsored by the Presidential Scholars Program, the Office of the Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences,…
Find out more »Grace Coddington in Conversation with Photographer Willie Christie
The Gladys Marcus Library will host a conversation between legendary Vogue style director Grace Coddington and iconic British fashion photographer and director Willie Christie. Christie will talk about his first-ever book of photography, Willie Christie—A Very Distinctive Style: Then and Now. A Q&A will follow. Willie Christie was born a while ago. During the ‘70s and early ‘80s he worked extensively as a photographer with British Vogue. His portfolio includes award-winning advertising campaigns (L'Oréal and Yves Saint Laurent), fashion and…
Find out more »An Evening with Seth Godin
The Entrepreneurship Department, Marketing Communications Department, and the Jay and Patty Baker School of Business and Technology present a fireside chat–style conversation with entrepreneur Seth Godin for the FIT community. A Q&A will follow the conversation. Seth Godin is an entrepreneur, best-selling author, and speaker. In addition to launching one of the most popular blogs in the world, he has written 21 best-selling books, including The Dip, Linchpin, Purple Cow, Tribes, and What To Do When It's Your Turn (And…
Find out more »November 2023
Fashion Symposium: Food & Fashion
BH signature ramen print set, Bobblehaus, 2020. Photograph by Madeleine Thomas for Bobblehaus. The Food & Fashion Symposium features preeminent food and fashion scholars, as well as designers, chefs, and artists, exploring how, for over two centuries, food culture has impacted fashion and vice versa. Topics include sustainability, the creative overlap between fashion and food within haute cuisine and through social media, how cultural identity and social justice are communicated through food and fashion, how body image and eating practices…
Find out more »Faces and Places in Fashion with Nell Diamond
Nell Diamond, Hill House Home. Photographed by Zac Frackelton. Nell Diamond, founder and CEO of Hill House Home, will be the guest at this week’s Faces and Places in Fashion. The Faces and Places in Fashion lecture series is a forum for prominent fashion professionals to discuss their trade, experience, and perspective on the business. Find more details and the full fall schedule on the Faces and Places website. Faces and Places lectures are free and open to the public.
Find out more »Archiving Fashion Conference: Mapping Fashion Collections
The Archiving Fashion Conference: Mapping Fashion Collections will gather scholars, researchers, archivists, librarians, faculty, students, and professionals for a one-day event to discuss the present and future of fashion and textiles, and related material, in archives. A dedicated open-source website indexing global fashion archives that uses mapping technologies will be made available after the conference. The keynote event will be the launch of FIT’s Fashion Calendar Research Database, part of the digital humanities project “The Ruth Finley Collection: Digitizing 70…
Find out more »Talking Trade at FIT: A Day in the Life of Diverse Impactful Founders
Our special guest speakers will explore what it takes to found and run a nonprofit in the fashion industry, collaborate with United Nations to achieve its Sustainable Development Goals, as well as hone the specialized skills of promising leaders through business education and other lifelong mentorship for the next generation of professionals. Moderator: David Uricoli, principal, Uricoli Consulting Inc. Opening Speaker: Lucia DeRespinis, executive director, Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs, FIT Guest Speakers: Kerry Bannigan, founder and executive director, Fashion…
Find out more »Fashion Art Drawing Marathon
The Fashion Illustration professors will demonstrating their tips and tricks for illustrating like a pro at this fundraiser for the Fashion Art and Design Club. Drawing times: 10 am–noon 1–3 pm Flea market: Noon–1 pm This event is open to the public. Entry fee is $5, CASH ONLY.
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