As a proud Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) graduate, I can confidently say that my time at FIT has been instrumental in shaping my life and career in the fashion industry. While I didn’t initially choose it as my first or second college option when I was in high school, I eventually realized that it was the right place for me to pursue my career.
Featured image: Joyce F. Brown Academic Building.
Founding & Expansion
FIT was founded in 1944 enrolling 100 students with the first class graduating in 1947. It was established by New York’s garment industry leaders and educators to address a shortage of skilled workers in the apparel industry. Later in 1951 FIT became part of SUNY (State University of New York), making it one of only 2 community colleges with that designation. Today the college has over 8,000 students enrolled from over 84 countries in undergraduate and graduate studies. It has also expanded way beyond fashion focused programs to include Interior Design, Toy Design, Animation, Packaging Design, Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing to name a few.
Start and Pivot
As a teenager I yearned to spread my wings beyond the confines of the NYC Metropolitan area in pursuit of my creative passions. However, FIT didn’t align with my initial plans due to its proximity to where I lived. Determined to fulfill my dreams, I sought out schools that were more than a subway ride away. My search led me to Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY. I applied for early decision and was fortunate enough to receive acceptance on my first try. The campus had a picturesque college atmosphere, complete with green pastures, numerous dormitories, a spacious athletic center, collegiate sports teams, and an active student community. While I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Marist, I soon realized that it wasn’t the ideal environment for me to pursue a career in fashion design. Although the fashion program evolved and gained renowned global recognition years later, it was far from that goal at the time I was there. Recognizing this I made the wise decision to transfer to FIT. The process was swift, and I was able to secure my place on the right path to a successful career in the fashion industry. While FIT may have lacked the expansive green lawns and sprawling campuses of Marist, it compensated for this with its vast faculty expertise, proximity to the fashion industry and community, and a student body that was business-oriented and career-focused.
Alumni Weekend
Last month, the second annual FIT Alumni Weekend brought together alumni from various years and the Class of 2025. The event featured tours of different departments, engaging workshops, sporting events, social gatherings, and a bazaar showcasing goods from other alumni. My favorite experience was walking the hallways, where I could glimpse the past. I saw students hunched over sewing machines, some draping muslins on dress forms, teams busy in a photo studio, student’s work on display along the corridors and future industry leaders huddled in corners engrossed in their projects.
New Additions to FIT
The newest addition to the campus is the Joyce F. Brown Academic Building, named after its retiring school president of 27 years (featured in the cover shot for this article). The building houses 26 energy-efficient classrooms and studios, administrative offices, and the largest campus knitting lab in the United States. Additionally, it features FIT’s first interior space designed specifically for fostering interpersonal connections outside the classroom—a full-floor student commons under a 20-foot-high ceiling, accessible via an express escalator. Another new attraction is the Museum at FIT. It offers well-curated exhibitions throughout the year with a permanent collection of more than 50,000 garments and accessories dating from the 18th century to the present. On view currently: Dress, Dreams, and Desire: Fashion and Psychoanalysis curated by MFIT Director and Chief Curator Dr. Valerie Steele. The exhibit draws on key psychoanalytic concepts about the body, sexuality, and the unconscious to interpret almost 100 items of dress by numerous designers.
For a solidly foundational framework in any of the 50 majors and programs taught at FIT, it would be nearly impossible to find a better place to better hone and expand one’s creative skills. Dress, Dreams, and Desire: Fashion and Psychoanalysis is on display at the Museum at FIT through January 4, 2026.
