Calendar of Events
Fashion Culture | Symposium | Talk + Tours
Fashion Culture
Fashion Culture programs are organized by
The Museum at FIT to provide new perspectives on the culture of fashion.
Admission
All programs are free unless otherwise indicated. However, reservations are strongly encouraged, as space is limited. The Museum at FIT and the college reserve the right to cancel a program at any time.
Program Venues
The Katie Murphy Amphitheatre is in the Fred P. Pomerantz Art and Design Center on
the northwest corner of Seventh Avenue and 27th Street.
Other venues can be found on FIT's Campus Map (select individual buildings for more details).
Fashion Culture Programs
Spanish Fashion in the Age of Velázquez
Amanda Wunder
Tuesday, September 24, 5:30 pm
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.
Image: Cover of Spanish Fashion in the Age of Velázquez, courtesy of Yale University Press.
Crafting Circular Solutions in Fashion Retail
Lauren B. Fay and Cynthia Power
Thursday, September 26, 5:30 pm
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.
Image: Courtesy of Eileen Fisher Renew.
Yakampot: Fashion and Social Responsibility
Concepción Orvañanos and Tanya Meléndez-Escalante
Tuesday, October 1, 5:30 pm
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 New York NoMad Hotel.
Image: Yakampot dress, 2023 Circular Collection. Photography: Nuria Lagarde. Courtesy of Yakampot.
Block Printing Workshop
Sunaina Bhalla
Thursday, October 10, 5:30 – 7:30 pm | SOLD OUT
Join us for a hands-on workshop with visual artist Sunaina Bhalla, and learn how to lay out and print using a stamping process. Participants will get an overview of various contemporary applications of block printing and will create prints using their own ideas about placement, color, and design.
Image: Courtesy of Sunaina Bhalla.
CBK: Carolyn Bessette Kennedy: A Life in Fashion
Sunita Kumar Nair and Steven Kolb
Thursday, October 17, 5:30 pm
Fashion creative director Sunita Kumar Nair and CFDA CEO Steven Kolb will discuss her book CBK: Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, 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.
Image: Cover of CBK: Carolyn Bessette Kennedy: A Life in Fashion. Courtesy of Harry N. Abrams.
Fashioning the Beatles
Deirdre Kelly
Thursday, November 7, 5:30 pm
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.
Image: Cover of Fashioning the Beatles. Courtesy of Ingram Publisher Services/University of Toronto Press.
Black Designers: Leading New Fashion Models
Tracy Reese, Abrima Erwiah, B. Michael, and Elizabeth Way
Thursday, November 14, 5:30 pm
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.
Image: Hope for Flowers by Tracy Reese, cupro, cotton, and tulle dress, summer 2020, USA, gift of Hope for Flowers by Tracy Reese.
Family Program: Black Storytelling Through Collaging
Brittany Holloway-Brown
Friday, November 22, 3:30 – 5 pm
Join us for an afternoon of collaging with art director and visual artist Brittany Holloway-Brown. This workshop is based on the exhibition Africa's Fashion Diaspora. Families will have an opportunity to learn about Black fashion and to experiment with color, design, and textiles. Recommended ages: 5–10.
Image: Collage from Holy Ghost series by Brittany Holloway-Brown. © Brittany Holloway-Brown
Symposium
Africa's Fashion Diaspora Symposium
Friday, October 25, 10 am – 5 pm
The Museum at FIT's 32nd 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.
Image: Lia Samantha, Colombiamoda fashion show, 2014. Photograph by Marlen Stahlhuth.
Talks & Tours
Africa's Fashion Diaspora
Monday, October 7, 5:30 pm | SOLD OUT
Wednesday, October 9, 11 am
Monday, October 21, 5:30 pm
Wednesday, November 20, 11 am
Africa's Fashion Diaspora examines fashion as a medium for storytelling and as a vital way for designers to contribute to longstanding and evolving ideas of transnational Black cultural spaces. This exhibition explores designers from Africa, the Americas, and Europe who construct and interpret their distinct local and community cultures for an international audience, while reaching across geography to tie together Black cultural practices through their designs.
The Talk and Tours are organized in collaboration with the New York Philharmonic as part of the Orchestra's exploration of Afromodernism and music of the African diaspora.
Image: AAKS by Akosua Afriyie-Kumi, Hana Mini Tan Bag, 2023. Photo: Cara Johnson, model: Nyawargak Gatluak. Courtesy of AAKS.
The public is always welcome at The Museum at FIT and our programming is always free.
If you are able, please consider supporting the Museum's collection and programming by making a donation in any amount.
Your support helps the Museum continue to educate and inspire diverse audiences with world-class exhibitions and public programs that focus on diverse and inclusive themes and are free to the public.
Fashion Culture Fall 2024 is made possible with the support of the Couture Council of The Museum at FIT. The Museum at FIT's programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
