FIT runway and gala celebrates Class of 24, Norma Kamali and Kenneth Cole

FIT’s annual Future of Fashion Runway Show presented by Macy’s took place on Wednesday, May 8, at The Glasshouse in New York City. Guests navigated the groups of NYPD and pro-Palestine protesters outside the venue, not an uncommon sight these days on New York campuses but noteworthy outside an independent event space.

Overlooking impressive views of the East River guests enjoyed 82 runway looks from 73 students from the class of 2024 Fashion Design BFA program. The group represented 4 continents, 20 countries, and 21 US states across the 5 fields of childrenswear, intimate apparel, knitwear, special occasion, and sportswear. The jury that selected each category’s winning student included designers Michelle Ochs, Lela Rose, Sally LaPointe, and other FIT Fashion Design program alumni who also offered mentorship throughout the semester.

Some standouts in the universally well-executed collections included Madeline Hausner, who won the Critic’s Choice for Sportswear award. The designer’s chenille vintage bedspread coat worn with crochet top and upcycled leather pants or her second outfit of a skirt suit fashioned out of an upcycled wool blanket finished with blanket stitch reflected a luxury often beyond the usual student fabric budget.

Another Critic Award winner Stephanie She combined a sense of childish wonder with vintage elegance in her childrenswear, and particularly charming was a beaded dusty pink coat over a glittery tulle dress worn with a flat bonnet perched on the head adorned with a bow. Meanwhile Mai Nanao’s intriguing exploration of various traditional African hairstyles including braids, cornrows, and dreadlocks found new expression in knit with fringes, combed yarn, cable stitch, tiered layers and fluffy trims.

Intimate apparel is a sector that FIT excels in, consistently producing designers whose work demonstrates an industry-ready level of fabrication and finishing, and this year was no exception. This finesse was evident in the delicate seafoam corsetry of Ryan DePaolo, but also in the occasionwear of Sofie Hultbom whose conical bras and lingerie detailing explored the unrealistic expectations that society puts on women. And the exuberant romance of the finale look from Keyue Chen whose bodice and yards of hand pleated skirt drew inspiration from the shapes and structures observed in microscopic images of human cells.

Directly following the show, FIT’s annual fundraising gala honored three trailblazers and influencers within the industry. Rebecca Hessel Cohen who founded the buzzy LoveShackFancy in 2013 received the Entrepreneurship Award from 7-time Tony award winning producer and multi-disciplinary artist, Jordan Roth, and the pair who are friends in real life made a striking sight, the towering Roth dressed in all black and the petite Hessel Cohen in her brand’s signature sorbet ruffles. “Playing dress up never has to end, no matter your age, and that the reason to dance is because it’s Wednesday,” said Roth in his introduction of Hessel Cohen and her brand. “It’s a rose-tinted world of all things dreamy and drenched in optimism.”

Among the dinner guests were designer founder Mara Hoffman; entrepreneur, philanthropist and founder of Seventh on 6th, Fern Mallis; creative director of Halston, Ken Downing; model and activist Amber Valletta; while the host for the evening was fellow supermodel and activist, Carolyn Murphy. Journalist, television talk show host and author. Tamron Hall presented Kenneth Cole with the Social Impact Award in recognition of his career-long goal to marry business with humanity. Said Hall, “In honor of Kenneth Cole’s 40 years of leadership merging social impact with fashion, the FIT Kenneth Cole Social Impact Award has been established to benefit students who demonstrate a commitment to creating awareness for social justice issues while building their careers in the fashion industry.”

The recipient of the final award of the evening, for Outstanding Alumni, Norma Kamali, got a standing ovation after her speech which emphasized the importance of determination over talent. After graduating from FIT as an illustrator exactly 60 years ago, she encountered considerable sexism and rejection during the Mad Men-era and escaped NYC to immerse herself in the London scene which she then brought back here. Always an independent thinker, Kamali’s line OMO, launched in 1978, stood for On My Own. While there were many notable moments in her career – the creation of the sleeping bag coat in 1973; Farrah Fawcett’s influential red swimsuit; Jennifer Beals’ era-defining Flashdance look; Grace Jones’s gold New Years Eve ensemble for Studio 54 – all this might pale into significance when compared with Kamali’s future plans. As a designer who remained on top of technology throughout her career, she returned to FIT last year to take a course in AI. She intends to train a computer to think like her so that her company might continue to flourish after she is gone.

And her advice to the designers of the future? “Don’t be afraid of criticism, don’t be afraid of no, don’t be afraid of AI.”