Morris W. and Fannie B. Haft Theater
Marvin Feldman Center, Second Floor
See our Fashion, Science, and Exploration Symposium playlist on YouTube for recordings of this event.
The Museum at FIT presented its eighteenth academic symposium, Fashion, Science, and Exploration. The daylong event explored the impact of scientific thought on fashion in conjunction with two current MFIT exhibitions Expedition: Fashion from the Extreme and Force of Nature. Speakers delved into the influence of thinkers such as Charles Darwin, the history of exploration, the social implications of fur, and how environmental concerns are manifested in fashion and the visual arts.
Among the scholars, curators, and designers scheduled to speak were: Patricia Mears, curator of Expedition; Melissa Marra, curator of Force of Nature; Norma Kamali, fashion designer; Dr. Jonathan Faiers, professor of Fashion Thinking at Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton, U.K.; Lacey Flint, archivist and curator of research collections at The Explorers Club; and Sarah Pickman, PhD candidate in history at Yale University.
Symposium Schedule
Welcoming remarks
Dr. Valerie Steele, Introduction
Patricia Mears, “Fashion from the Extreme: The Poles, Highest Peaks, and Beyond” | Video
Melissa Marra, “Force of Nature” | Video
Lacey Flint, "The Explorer’s Club: A Brief History" | Video
Prof. Christopher Breward, “Survival of the Fittest: Thinking Through Fashion in the Nineteenth Century” | Video
Edwina Ehrman "Fashioned from Nature" | Video
Lucy Norris, “Fashion and the Wild Woman" | Video
Elizabeth Way, "Space Age Fashion: Looking Back at the Future" | Video
Ariele Elia, "Ocean Exploration: Fashions from the Deep" | Video
Sarah Pickman, "Polar Exploration and Clothing: Thinking Through Many Layers" | Video
Dr. Jonathan Faiers, “Fur: The Final Frontier” | Video
The spring 2017 MFIT Fashion Symposium Fashion, Science, and Exploration has been made possible thanks to the generosity of the Couture Council of The Museum at FIT and also through funding by the FIT Student-Faculty Corporation.
