Seventy-six members of the graduation class of the Fashion Institute of Technology presented 82 looks in five categories sports clothing, children’s clothing, knitted clothing, intimate clothing and special occasional wear-in the future of fashion show. The event was sponsored by Macy’s, who will also bring the designs into production of a number of students they have selected.
In recent years, students of design schools around the world have been working on a progressive agenda. The work of this class was in particular Tamer in terms of palette and silhouette, and without clear gender explorations. In fact, the manosphere was nowhere present – which can be partially explained by the fact that men’s clothing is only offered at the school as an associate degree and is not included in the BA show. That does not mean that students disappeared from current courses (more about it that come), but as Troy Richards, Dean of the School of Art and Design shared: “What I experienced this year was an almost over -correction of some of the progressive politics that we came.”
At the same time, in the aftermath of the Pandemie, the dean has noted that the students “started material again … We have seen a rapid improvement in their hand skills and an interest in a variety of textures, materials, of structure.” All these qualities were present in the work of Allison Margaret Smith (no later than 1 and 3), who kicked the show with pieces with Raffia, Straw, Jute and Balsa Wood, from a collection that she hoped would “make contact with the huge landscapes of America and tribute to the resources that this country has provided for all inhabitants”. Photos of the evolution of Pittsburgh from the photography collection of the Carnegie Museum of Art were the starting point for Austin Marshaleek’s Knitwear (no later than 52 and 53), while Nathaniel Samuel’s Belle Epoch-Scish Opera Coat (look 80) was designed as a “love letter” to New York.
Roots and family continued to motivate students such as Evelyn Hernandez (Look 6) from Mexico who came up with a Beenjaal, and Jegu Kim who again presented a beautiful and Poufy Ensemble that interpreted elements of traditional Korean clothing (look 18). Jennifer Sze, the daughter of a stone bricklayer, referred to her father’s tools and materials in a sculptural pleated ensemble in shades of blue (look 60). Amanda Mcvy considered “the traditions of the Scottish DiaSpora” by shaving a plaid pattern in a shearling topper (look 26); Leyi Huang borrowed from “religious practices of the old Tibet” (seems 75/76) for her evening looks; And Bilegbayar Seedorj was “inspired by the shamanic traditions of the Mongolian steppe” (look 19). Borrow from the story of ‘şahmeran’, about ‘the mystical and transforming power of the snake’, Servan Bilici transformed a traditional jacket and pants into something delicate and unexpected (look 23).