Last night, May 10th, the Fashion Institute of Technology presented its Future of Fashion Celebration and Honors, an end-of-the-year runway show highlighting the work of the institution’s Fashion Design BFA graduates. Hosted by supermodel Ashley Graham, the fashion show garnered a large group of on-lookers, all excited to see what the future of fashion holds. From where I was sitting, it looked pretty bright. The 11 graduates also were winners of individual Critic Awards. Graduates like Katelyn De Lavente Raphael and Vanessa Gray were awarded for Sportswear, while designers Yuri Ikegaya and Sammi Chen were awarded for Special Occasion. Other graduates like Mariah Does Hooke won Macy’s X FIT Every Body Collection (and now will have a piece available via Macy’s). The Macy’s Bold Representation Awards recipients were Natalia Bermeo for Best Culturally Inspired Look, Jacob Caraccila for Best Use of Sustainable Materials, and Lorenze Lukban for Best Gender Neutral Look.
The runway show was nothing short of inspiring and incredibly creative. I can tell that this generation of design talent cares about sustainability, functionality, and having fun at the end of the day. There was a playfulness with every look, which was exciting to see that this is what the fashion industry will look like in the next few years. It’s more than aesthetics, trends, or fashion “cores”; it’s about innovation, making something we’ve seen repeatedly look and feel new. That’s what was so exciting. These students probably didn’t have a considerable budget for each of their collections but were able to create and innovate with what they had. That is especially inspiring. From their mood boards and predictions, these young designers showed the world the future they aim to create.
On top of the end-of-the-year runway show, we also got to see one of our favorites Victor Glemaud, honored and awarded as the Outstanding Alumni Honoree. FIT has nurtured many stars in the fashion industry. Glemaud’s career is an outstanding one, so for his alma mater to recognize his accomplishments, too, is wonderful. “FIT nurtured me and truly gave me the foundation to create my own pathways in fashion,” said Glemaud via a press release. “Now it’s my honor to contribute and support the amazing faculty of academics here and learn from the students. Fashion has always embraced diversity, and I am hopeful the fashion industry will be at the forefront of this battle as well as of many others that aim to build a more inclusive society. Fashion is a powerful commodity that allows one to transcend and soar.”
FIT’s first Black and female president Dr. Joyce F. Brown, said in commemoration of the runway show, “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, business management, toy design, textiles, animation…and of course our calling card – fashion design.”
Some of my favorite looks were those that played with odd shapes making new-ish silhouettes, which was very difficult to do but was executed so well by these young designers. These are the people that will be dressing the masses in due time. These designers care about the state of fashion and its contribution to the plight of the Earth, and endorsing them is the best thing that FIT and the fashion world can do. That’s why it’s important to celebrate, honor, and highlight future generations.