Archives

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Click on the relevant year below to play video archives and find speaker information from past ceremonies. 

 

2023

Speaker and President’s Award for Creative Excellence Recipient: Byron Lars, Fashion Designer, In Earnest, and FIT Alumnus 

Speaker: Fern Mallis, Creator, New York Fashion Week

Speaker and President’s Award Recipient: Dayna Isom Johnson, Trend Expert for Etsy, and FIT Alumna

Speaker and President’s Award Recipient: Francisco Costa, Creator, Costa Brazil, and FIT Alumnus

Speaker: Gary Wassner, CEO, Hilldun Corporation

Speaker: Jennifer Walsh, Beauty Entrepreneur 

2022

Speaker and President’s Award Recipient: Stacy Flynn, CEO and Co-Founder, Evrnu SPC; Textile Development and Marketing ’99

Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipient, Doctor of Fine Arts: Ralph Rucci, Fashion Designer, RR 331 LLC; Fashion Design ’80

Speaker and President’s Award for Lifetime Achievement Recipient: Ken Downing, Chief Brand Officer Hearst Luxury Collections Ecommerce, Hearst; Fashion Design Alumnus

Speaker and President’s Award Recipient: Karin Tracy, Head of Industry, Retail, Fashion, Beauty, Luxury, Meta; Marketing: Fashion and Related Industries ’93

Speaker and President’s Award for Creative Excellence Recipient: Laure Heriard Dubreuil, Founder and Creative Director, The Webster; Advertising and Marketing Communications ’01

2021

Virtual and in-person commencement exercises for the classes of 2021 and 2020 took place in 2021.

2020

Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 commencement was postponed. In its place, graduates were honored with a virtual Grad Week Celebration.

2019

President's Award for Lifetime Achievement: Tommy Hilfiger, Principal Designer, Tommy Hilfiger Global

Honorary Degree Recipient, Doctor of Fine Arts: David Yurman, Designer and Founder, David Yurman

Honorary Degree Recipient, Doctor of Fine Arts: Stephen Burrows, Fashion Designer, Fashion Design '66

2018

President's Award for Lifetime Achievement: Harry Bertschmann, Fine Artist

Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipient, Doctor of Fine Arts: Chuck Hoberman, Designer, Engineer, Inventor, Innovator

Honorary Degree Recipient, Doctor of Fine Arts: Luciano Benetton, Entrepreneur

Speaker: Lilliana Vazquez, Style Correspondent

2017

Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipient: Essie Weingarten, Founder, Essie Cosmetics, Fashion Buying and Merchandising '70

President's Award for Creative Excellence: LL Cool J, Recording Artist, Actor, Author

2016

Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipient, Doctor of Humane Letters: Ivy Ross, Vice President and Head of Project Aura, Google, Inc.

Honorary Degree Recipient, Doctor of Fine Arts: Francisco Costa, Fashion Designer

President's Award for Lifetime Achievement: Ruth Finley, Founder and Former Publisher, The Fashion Calendar

Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipient, Doctor of Humane Letters: Joe Zee, Creative Director, Yahoo Style

Honorary Degree Recipient, Doctor of Fine Arts: Jane Rosenthal, President, Tribeca Film Festival and Tribeca Enterprises

2015

Honorary Degree Recipient: Daniel Libeskind, Founder and Principal Architect, Studio Libeskind

President's Award for Creative Excellence: Randy Fenoli '93, CEO, Randy Fenoli Enterprises, Inc.

President's Award for Lifetime Achievement: Peter G. Scotese, Chairman Emeritus of FIT's Board of Trustees

President's Award for Creative Excellence: Joy Herfel Cronin'86, Group President of the Americas, Ralph Lauren Corporation and FIT Foundation Director

Speaker: Marc J. Metrick, President, Saks Fifth Avenue

Speaker: Brooke Shields, Actor, Author, and Entrepreneur

2014

Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipient: Bobbi Brown, CEO and Chief Creative Officer, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics

President's Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient: John Pomerantz,FIT Trustee Emeritus and Former FIT Foundation Chair

Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipient: Christian Louboutin, Founder, Christian Louboutin SA

2013

Honorary Degree Recipient, Doctor of Fine Arts: Dennis Basso '73, Designer and Founder, Dennis Basso

Speaker: Fern Mallis, President, Fern Mallis LLC

Speaker: Rebecca Minkoff, Creative Director and Founder, Rebecca Minkoff LLC

2012

Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipient, Doctor of Humane Letters: Leslie A. Blodgett ’85, Executive Chairman, Bare Escentuals, Inc.

Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipient, Doctor of Fine Arts: Davin Stowell, Founder and CEO, Smart Design

Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipient, Doctor of Fine Arts: Carolina Herrera, Designer and Founder, Carolina Herrera

2011

Lifetime Achievement Award: Simon Doonan, Creative Ambassador-at-Large, Barneys

Lifetime Achievement Award: Glenda Bailey, Editor in Chief, Harper’s Bazaar

Speaker: Aerin Lauder, Creative Director and Chairman, AERIN LLC, and Style and Image director, Este Lauder

Speaker: Tony Hsieh, Chief Executive Officer, Zappos.com

2010

Honorary Degree Recipient, Doctor of Fine Arts: Norma Kamali '64, President, Norma Kamali, Inc.

Honorary Degree Recipient, Doctor of Fine Arts: Alan Hassenfeld, Retired Chairman and CEO, Hasbro Inc.

Speaker: Nina Garcia '92, Fashion Director, Marie Claire