Blue jeans from 1840 Our pigeon
obsession Chalk art on Seventh Avenue
Eating bagels on the breezeway
Researchi into natui ral dyeis The long escalator ride up to class Award-winning athletes
Big Alice! Designer shoes under commencement robes The coolest college sweatshirt on earth s under commencement college earth dyei
The views from the res halls
Meeting a bunny in the library
Anyone who has walked these halls, taken courses here or taught them, or worked to keep the college running knows that FIT defies categorization. We are part of the State University of New York and also globally renowned, with students hailing from more than 65 countries. Yes, we teach fashion design—but also business and science and film and much, much more. Some consider us a commuter school, yet we house 2,300 students in our four residence halls. We have a world-class museum—plus thousands of square feet of other gallery space for rotating exhibitions. Our students might take seven or eight classes while holding down an internship and a job. We have a robust athletics program! We are a leader in sustainability education! We offer more than 40 minors!
Maybe we need to stop trying to define FIT—an impossible task!—and celebrate the myriad delights of all kinds that create a college experience unlike any other in the world. So here are 50 things about FIT that make us smile. Our list is hardly comprehensive. Tell us what’s “so FIT” to you at hue@fitnyc.edu.
FIT Hives started in 2016 as a project for Clinton Global Initiative University, in which college students from all over the country proposed changemaking ideas and made them happen. The hives have been used as a teaching tool ever since.
FIT has 21 stories of escalators, 10 in the Business and Liberal Arts Center, eight in the Marvin Feldman Center, and three in the New Academic Building. If you laid all the escalators end to end, they would rise higher than the Statue of Liberty! It’s unusual for a college to have so many escalators, explains Daniel Levinson Wilk, a professor of American History who studies vertical transport. “FIT’s escalators are a runway,” he says. They’re a space where students display their style for a captive audience.
What’s the cure for finals stress? Dogs and bunnies, of course! Health Services organizes pet therapy in the Gladys Marcus Library when overworked students need it most.
The full-length alumni portraits throughout this issue were taken by Cat Trzaskowski, Photography ’23, at a May 2025 mentorship networking event organized by the Office of Alumni Relations. YOU CAN GET A JOB ON A CLASS TRIP
Vincent Quan [associate professor of Fashion Business Management] changed my life. I really wanted to go into luxury. Professor Quan invited me to go with his class of firstyears to Gucci headquarters. I was the only senior there. I talked to the CEO and head of HR—and got a job as an assistant buyer at Gucci.
KIANA BROOKS
Fashion Business Management ’19 senior buyer of shoes, Chanel
We see into the future twice a year
FIT’s signature BFA runway show, the Future of Fashion, always delivers stunning, avant-garde looks from dozens of our uber-talented student designers. And during New York Fashion Week in the fall, graduating MFA students show highlights of their trendsetting eight-piece collections (above). 7
KWave Dance Club brings together lovers of K-pop music for biannual dance performances. About 50 students participate in each event, and most club meetings are devoted to planning and practicing for the big show.
“Dancing together creates a bond that is hard to replicate,” says founder Anna Isaacs, Illustration ’23.
Two Illustration majors founded the Pigeon Watching Club in 2023 to create accessible opportunities for students to enjoy local wildlife. Most weeks, the club draws and photographs New York City’s iconic trash bird on the steps of the Moynihan Train Hall. They host collage, button-making, and zine-making events as well as movie nights where they serve pigeon-shaped cake pops. They educate members about other birds as well.
“It’s a bonding experience,” says club president Zoe Hernandez, Packaging Design ’27. “Who doesn’t love pigeons? Going to school in New York, you sort of have to.”
FIT’s Black Student Union (BSU) produces three signature events: a student fashion show (above), a “family dinner” in which lasting mentorships are formed, and a panel discussion of industry leaders.
The Soul Club, as it was originally called, was founded in 1968, in the wake of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination, with the mission of supporting Black students in their lives and careers and providing a platform for their talent.
In 1991, it took on its current name, but its core mission has remained. “When you come to our meetings, you’re building your network,” says Fashion Business Management student Brandon Spigner, the president of FIT’s BSU.
“And if you have any concerns, we’re here to talk.”
Underneath those royal blue commencement robes, graduating students (especially the Fashion Business Management contingent) rock some fabulous fashions. Don’t forget to look down to spot the Louboutins, Jimmy Choos, Manolos, and more peeking out.
Numerous fierce drag queens have emerged from the halls of FIT: Hedda Lettuce, Illustration ’02; Brini Maxwell, Fashion Design ’93; Aquaria, Fashion Design; Scarlet Envy, Advertising Design ’14; Jasmine Kennedie, Advertising and Marketing Communications; and the late Jiggly Caliente, Illustration. Some of these legends started their career at FIT’s drag pageant, a springtime event that consistently draws sold-out crowds.
The Annette Green Fragrance Foundation Studio, the only fragrance lab on a U.S. college campus, gives undergraduate Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing students hands-on education in perfumery. And the Beauty Center at FIT, created in partnership with the beauty industry for the Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing and Management MPS program, is a dynamic off-campus space for collaboration and cutting-edge research.
The Museum at FIT , the only New York City museum dedicated to the art of fashion, is an accredited member of the American Alliance of Museums. Students find inspiration in the fascinating programs and exhibitions, like Dress, Dreams, and Desire: Fashion and Psychoanalysis, on view through January 4 (see page 33). Graduate students in the Fashion and Textile Studies program mount their own show at MFIT.
We asked Senior Curator of Costume Colleen Hill, MA ’06, to share some of the museum’s “superlative” fashions.
Rarest couture piece: Paul Poiret, “Sorbet” gown, 1913
This Orientalist gown, with its lampshade tunic decorated with pearl embroidery, is one of just three distinct sherbet-colored pieces inspired by costumes Poiret designed for his famous 1002nd Night party.
These corduroy pants, patched across the knees and thighs with denim, are a very wellworn and exceptionally rare precursor to the modern blue jean.
Most embellished: Adrian’s costume for Joan Crawford in the 1937 film The
Gilbert Adrian built his career as a costume designer at MGM, where he worked on more than 250 films. This gown was meticulously hand-beaded with an estimated 2 million seed beads.
13
The FIT community comes together for bustling artisan craft fairs on the Breezeway, organized by the UCE of FIT, the college’s union. Anyone can browse the handmade knitwear, jewelry, and artwork created by faculty and staff.
Most everyone on campus knows Tardis Johnson. The gregarious VP for Enrollment Management and Student Success is always dapper in a suit and brightly colored bow tie.
Tardis says both bow ties and traditional neckties “exude a sense of grace and individuality,” but “a bow tie is like that cool uncle you want to hang out with.”
We asked Anita Rundles, Illustration ’13, to draw some of Tardis’ favorites.
We live in Kaufman Hall, and we invite our friends over for a giant movie night. We project old Disney films, thrillers, and horror movies on the wall. We spin a wheel and let it decide the genre. If we’re not feeling it, we spin it again.
— ELOISE
ELOISE WALSH
Advertising and Marketing Communications ’25
ANGELINA VERBEKE
Home Products Development ’25
THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Kyuyoung Suh, Footwear and Accessories Design, Fashion Design Korea AAS; Leah Jones, Illustration; Adriana Aguilar and Jordan Raymond, both Advertising and Marketing Communications; Kameron Green, Fashion Business Management; Carma Maneca, Fine Arts; Samantha Hinds, Fashion Business Management.
THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Jacey Durrant and Almira Makhanbetova, both Advertising and Marketing Communications; Mina Rincones-Parra, Communication Design; students in line; Mya Williams, Illustration; Naomi Schulz and Zion Doucettperry, both Photography; Melanie Reyes, Advertising and Marketing Communications.
The dining hall doubles as a catwalk
Lunch, but make it fashion.
At the dining hall, students gather to study, laugh, sip elaborate Starbucks creations, and eat the surprisingly delicious fare—all while serving up inimitable style.
On these pages, Amy Lombard, Photography ’12, captured this spectacular combination of food, fashion, and fun. Lombard is a rising star in the photography world, having shot for GQ, HBO, and Coca-Cola. Recently she photographed Bad Bunny’s Puerto Rico residency for The New York Times, and in 2024, she was nominated for a James Beard Award for documenting food culture.
The garden, on the ninth floor terrace, grows 31 species of plants, 25 of which can be used as natural dyes: sunflowers, coreopsis, marigolds, and many more. Last year, almost 200 students participated in gardening, harvesting, dyeing, or other related activities.
Whitney Crutchfield, the assistant professor of Textile Development and Marketing who oversees the garden, guides research about the viability of natural dyes in industry. So far, only boutique lines and capsule collections have been dyed naturally, she says, but she is hopeful for change. “We are starting to quantify it. I’m always astounded by how much we can achieve when we work together.”
STUDENTS TAKE ON REAL-WORLD PROJECTS
I’m a writer and inclusive designer. I joined FIT because it’s interdisciplinary.
I’m working with Amy Sperber, assistant professor of Fashion Design, on an inclusive raincoat design.
YI
LIU Art Market Studies, MA ’24
The Live Art Duel, in which students create art based on prompts in front of an audience, became an instant tradition in 2024. After three timed rounds of feverish creation, Illustration student Brooke Ledda won the $10,000 top prize. All the pieces were then auctioned off, with proceeds benefiting FIT students and the FIT Foundation. The duel returns November 13.
Thanks to the work of science professors Theanne Schiros, Evelyn Rynkiewicz, and Karen Pearson, as well as Preeti Arya (Textile Development and Marketing), Susanne Goetz (Textile/Surface Design), and Asta Skocir (Fashion Design)—among others!—FIT has become known for the development of biomaterials, regenerative and biodegradable fibers and textiles that could replace traditional and petroleum-based fabrics. Keel Labs and Werewool are two thriving biomaterials startups that began as student team projects in the annual Biodesign Challenge. Who will be next?
Schiros and her collaborators were featured in Sourcing Journal’s 2025 Material Innovations Report for their work pioneering a microbial nanocellulose that Ash Owens, founder of Suited Atelier, incorporated into this coat and hat.
ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT
You can be in a classroom with other students and end the semester starting a business together.
KEVIN
KEVIN SANTANA , Entrepreneurship ’25
NILES WILSON, Fine Arts ’25
Earthtone, a business Santana founded with his classmates, is a sustainable coloring paper for children. ,
’TAHT S OS
On the sixth floor of the Gladys Marcus Library is a specialized resource area called MakerMinds There, librarians hold hands-on classes on crafts and DIY technology. The Art Resource Lab offers equipment for enlarging artworks and documenting them with photography. And the new Materials Resource Lab (left) provides students in Interior Design and Exhibition and Experience Design (and others!) with fabric swatches, paint chips, and wood samples, all donated from local companies, along with cabinets that facilitate color comparison in various light settings. Students borrow materials on the honor system, and faculty hold classes in the space.
This portrait in one of FIT’s lobbies depicts an important person from FIT’s past. Who is it?
2. Which of these quotes is carved on the marble walls of the Feldman lobby?
3.
What is the title of this sculpture, and who was the artist?
4. What does this window look into?
5.
This bust in FIT’s Special Collections office depicts which notable FIT person?
6. Big Alice is located in the DTech lab. What is it?
7.
This fiber art piece by the late faculty member Wilma Grayson was conserved by FIT students and faculty at St. John the Divine in 2018. Where is it currently displayed?
8. Which of the following notable people never attended FIT? Mark all that apply.
How well do you know the college? Take this quiz about campus artworks and other curious details to find out.
A. FIT founder Max Meyer
B. Union organizer David Dubinsky
C. Actor Jimmy Stewart
D. FIT’s fourth president, Marvin Feldman
A. “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
B. “I’m ready for my closeup, Mr. DeMille.”
C. “Ars gratia artis.”
D. “Happy is the man that findeth wisdom and the man that getteth understanding.”
A. Threading the Needle by Louise Bourgeois
B. Eye of Fashion by Robert Cronbach
C. Ball and Chain by Alberto Giacometti
D. Hammarskjöld by Tony Rosenthal
A. The Fragrance Lab
B. The Toy Lab
C. FIT’s dining hall
D. FIT’s yoga studio
A. Actor Joan Crawford
B. Designer Claire McCardell
C. Administrator Shirley Goodman
D. New York Times fashion editor Virginia Pope
A. A scale model of Epcot Center
B. A 3D scanning studio with 64 cameras
C. A proposed zero gravity chamber for the North Academic Building
D. A specialized food photography studio
A. Stairwell of the Katie Murphy Amphitheatre
B. Dubinsky Center student lounge
C. The 7th-floor men’s room in the Feldman Center
D. Goodman Center graduate student lounge
A. Poet Claudia Rankine (Citizen)
B. Singer/songwriter SZA (shown at left)
C. Actor Melissa McCarthy
D. Designer Carolina Herrera
E. Singer Betty Davis
F. Author Min Jin Lee (Pachinko)
G. Actor Janelle James of Abbott Elementary
Lauren B. Lev, Marketing: Fashion and Related Industries ’82, adjunct assistant professor of Advertising and Marketing Communications, joined this year’s alumni trip, “Paris Through the Lens of Art and Fashion.” She wrote about her experience for Hue:
For me and my husband, real decisions get made in a red plastic booth at the local McDonald’s in Wantagh, New York.
He asked if I really wanted to go on the alumni trip to Paris. I replied, “I would be a lot more disappointed if I said ‘no’ than ‘yes.’ So the answer is yes.” I’m so glad I did.
The trip was like a shiny coin: One side featured the magnificent classic tourist spots that define this city: the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Versailles. The other side was full of visits choreographed by Julie Sygiel, director of Alumni Relations and Development for the FIT Foundation, and Helen Gaudette, assistant dean for International Education.
We were welcomed into the Christian Dior archives by a white-gloved historian who showed us the fashion house’s dresses, accessories, jewelry, and perfumes typically shared with only VIPs. We saw of magnificent ball gowns,
of the red slippers of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor.
We also listened to the managing director of Chanel France speak candidly about her origin story and her vision for the brand. I was moved by her grace and generosity. She treated our visit like a conversation among friends.
The unexpected standout for me was meeting fellow FIT alumni living abroad at a social gathering at L’École, School of Jewelry Arts. Although not very skilled in light cocktail conversation, I ease, especially talking with those who studied with my colleagues at FIT. these professors
name. It felt a lot like home, 3,622 miles away from 27th Street and Seventh Avenue. Before we went to Paris, our traveling group (ages 20s through 80s) dubbed ourselves “TrèsFIT.” Having traveled with these amazing graduates from different decades and majors— entrepreneurs, industry people, and designers—I now suspect the label was kismet.
THAT’S AMORE
We all met on the alumni trip to Italy. We stayed up all night laughing, and just like that, 32 strangers became friends.
TANYA
ALEXIS DE PASQUALE , Fashion Business Management ’23, product development assistant, The NES Group
JACLYN BOSSEN , Fashion Merchandising Management ’15, HR coordinator, Northwell Health
JAMES BRUNNER , Advertising and Marketing Communications ’22, VIP ticketing coordinator, 237 Global
TANYA SCOTT , Fashion Design alum, Cealle Creative
This year, FIT’s Office of Educational Opportunity Programs turns 50. The EOP, a SUNY initiative, supports promising stu dents who have socioeconomic challenges, helping them thrive in college, earn their degree, and find career success. FIT’s EOP boasts a 98% retention rate, the highest among the 55 SUNY colleges that participate.
Director Taur Orange shares some of what the EOP provides:
“Many students arrive from high school needing addi tional support, particularly with the transition to New York City. Our four-week summer program helps fill those gaps by immersing students in foundational subjects like art history and writing, preparing them for the rigor of FIT’s academic environment. Then students meet with counselors at least twice a semester, though many stop by far more often. We affectionately call these frequent visitors our ‘office mice’ because they’re always around.”
FIT’s sustainability ambassador is supermodel, actress, and activist Amber Valletta (above). She contributes to the college’s sustainability and helps fundraise to support innovation on campus, both programming and capital projects. She also inspires students with her warm presence and positive attitude.
Though FIT’s School of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers just two majors—(1) Art History and Museum Professions and (2) Film and Media—its curriculum is essential to the well-rounded education our students receive.
And lots of these courses are fun! FIT’s world-class faculty designs unique and engaging offerings powered by their own cutting-edge research.
Here are 10 of our favorites.
Michael Hyde, professor, English and Communication Studies
Jerilyn Zulli, adjunct associate professor, English and Communication Studies
Creepy castles, haunted houses, and maniacal monsters set the stage for an exploration of why we’re drawn to darkness, mystery, and the thrill of fear. Students trace this rich literary tradition by analyzing novels such as The Castle of Otranto and Frankenstein. Then they research folklore and craft their own horror story or visual piece.
Karen Pearson, chair, Science and Math
Students investigate forensic processes—such as how a DNA test works and how to analyze color scientifically—learning to apply these skills to their own fields of study. The course highlights the vital role science plays across creative industries, from creating cutting-edge cosmetics and eco-friendly packaging to enhancing digital photography.
Rebecca Bauman, professor, Modern Languages and Cultures
This course traces the evolution of mafia cinema, from The Godfather to modern-day crime sagas, exploring the power, betrayal, and family drama that define the mafia on screen. Students discover how these films both glamorize and critique organized crime, and how they reveal truths about culture, morality, and the American dream.
Dahlia Schweitzer, chair, Film, Media, and Performing Arts
A virus decimates Earth … will humanity survive? With Covid in our not-so-distant past, fascination with contagion narratives is at an all-time high. Students dissect viral apocalypse stories in film and media from the ’90s to the present—including Contagion, Hades Factor, and World War Z—tracing how these narratives evolve, why they endure, and what they reveal about how we confront danger, disaster, and hope.
Andrew Weinstein, professor, History of Art
How do current events shape our understanding of the Holocaust? This Honors course traces Holocaust memory from postwar footage to today’s debates, examining how history is remembered and represented. Through visual media, and interdisciplinary art, students explore how artists confront and represent the Holocaust, engaging with classmates from diverse backgrounds and discovering shared connections through histories of trauma.
Praveen Chaudhry, professor, Social Sciences and Global Fashion Management
Bollywood cinema is not just a source of entertainment—it’s a mirror of India’s complex history. Family, caste, religion, gender, politics, and social change all play out on screen. Through film history and analysis, students explore how movies can shape national identity, spark debate about issues from modernity to migration, and influence society.
Kristen Laciste, assistant professor, Art History and Museum Professions and History of Art
What connects slavery and colonialism to today? Afrofuturism. The course explores the Twi word sankofa—“to go back and get”—as a way of reflecting on the past to shape the future. For their culminating project, students express their insights in the medium of their choice, such as a painting, poem, or other art piece.
Daniel Benkendorf, chair, Social Sciences
Flat Earthers, QAnon, vaccine deniers—why do some conspiracies persist despite clear evidence to the contrary? This course explores the science of conspiratorial thinking from cognitive bias to the role of AI in spreading misinformation. Students sharpen their critical thinking and media literacy to see through the haze of conspiracy.
Daniel Levinson Wilk, assistant chair, Social Sciences
This course examines how illumination—from cave fires to neon signs—reshaped culture, society, and the economy. Field trips into the metropolis after dark provide opportunities to observe how nocturnal New Yorkers interact. When students learn that “night owls” are not lazy, unhealthy, or depressed, but instead an oppressed minority that technology can liberate, the whole class lights up.
Audrey Nasar, assistant professor, Science and Mathematics
This course introduces the geometry of paper folding through major theorems, including Maekawa’s, Kawasaki’s, and Haga’s. Students fold, cut, and design paper models (below) as a way of investigating mathematical principles. The semester culminates in a final project that applies these concepts to art, architecture, or wearable design.
STRONG ALUMNI NETWORKS
When you meet other FIT grads out in the world, you’ll always have that bond. We’re cut from the same cloth.
NICOLE
LAUREN CERAVOLO
Advertising and Marketing Communications ’10, director of strategic partnerships, Goop
NICOLE MARTORANA
Fashion Merchandising Management ’10, manager of accessories, Century 21
FIT adjunct faculty member Barbara Berman has been the parade’s costume crew chief for 23 years. She hires students and alums from the Fashion Events Management certificate program in the Center for Continuing and Professional Studies to prep all 2,000 handlers, 900 clowns, 400 parade officials, 350 float escorts, 350 teens, 100 banner carriers, and 70 stilt walkers and special characters for the big event.
Mailroom clerk Aubrey Brown is beloved for his high-energy workouts for students and employees. Those brave enough to join his spin class will be drenched after forty-five minutes of intense cycling. Aubrey favors spin because it’s a class for all levels. “You are supposed to do every class at your own pace,” he says, “but with spin, you really control how hard you work.” His rallying cry is “We have to get ready!” Ready for what, you might ask? “You never know! My method is to get you ready for anything that comes up.”
Our minors are major
FIT now offers 44 hugely popular minors, including Journalism, Mandarin Chinese, Integrative Wellness, Women and Gender Studies, and Game UX/UI Design.
FIT’s annual Sustainable Business and Design Conference turns 20 in 2026. When the conference started in 2007, thanks to the efforts of passionate faculty members, it was geared toward the FIT community; now it draws students from area colleges and an international roster of industry professionals.
“We are the only campus with a conference that focuses on the intersection between business, design, and sustainability for the fashion and creative industries,” says Karen Pearson, chair of Science and Math and chair of the Sustainability Council.
The 2026 conference, themed “Industry Disruptors,” will take place April 8 and 9.
Sustainability Awareness Week began in 2013, when Pearson and now-retired faculty member Lawrence Langham teamed up to bring small-group education and hands-on workshops to students. Typical fare includes upcycling workshops and a farmer’s market and sustainability fair on the Breezeway.
The college offers two minors in sustainability, as well. Ethics and Sustainability draws on the fields of philosophy and ecology to help students understand and critically assess environmental issues in diverse fields. Sustainable Materials and Technology teaches the science of climate change and the biology and chemistry needed to develop solutions.
Some rooms look out on the Empire State Building; others face downtown toward the Freedom Tower or west to Hudson Yards.
Every year, fourth-year Illustration students paint murals on FIT’s concrete walls in a project that combines education with public art. Here, Dan Shefelman, chair of Illustration and Interactive Media, discusses the origins of Chalk FIT.
“It started in 2013 as part of a class called ‘The Illustrator as Documentary Artist.’ We’d go all over the city, drawing at museums and courthouses. For one class, I thought, instead of drawing around the city, we’d draw on the city. We spent the whole class drawing on the sidewalk. I didn’t expect what happened next: People walking by were riveted. We had businessmen and businesswomen sitting on the sidewalk, drawing with the students.
“That fall, the dean of students suggested we draw on the walls instead. I had the entire senior class out there creating murals. A chalk artist, Hani Shihada, showed us how to crush up the chalk and mix it with water to turn it into a paint. The following year, we came up with a prompt— innovation—which gave the students a challenge, much like a professional illustration assignment.
“I think the reason Chalk FIT resonates with people is because it brings color and interest to a brutalist building. People tell me, ‘Wow, I didn’t know FIT did this!’”
Opened in 2018 after an expansion of the Fred P. Pomerantz Center lobby, the glass-walled gallery showcases the work of students, faculty, alumni, and guest artists all together. This fall, the gallery presented Adapt/Evolve, a multidisciplinary exhibition focused on creative new approaches to adaptive and inclusive design.
No.48TH A T ’ S OS
Lauren Bavoso Flood, Toy Design ’98, adjunct assistant professor of Toy Design, designed the first Dora the Explorer doll line. Here, she shares her memories of the process.
“I was part of the very first team at Fisher-Price to design the toy line for Dora the Explorer, which debuted on Nickelodeon in 2000. At the time, a preschool series with a bilingual young girl as the central character was a unique concept. I was originally the only designer working on the brand, starting with a small range of products including plush dolls, soft bath toys, figurines, and simple learning toys.
“One of my main responsibilities as a designer was working closely with Nickelodeon’s brand and creative teams to make sure we got every detail of Dora exactly right. Dora was created to reflect a Latin American heritage, and that representation was important especially in the early 2000s, when there was far less diversity in preschool toys. There was extensive backand-forth to ensure her skin tone matched
the on-screen character and felt authentic and respectful. Even her dance movements went through multiple approvals. Because Dora was a young girl, the dance moves needed to be age-appropriate, fun, and true to her personality.
“One of my favorite memories from that first year was being asked to pose as the mom on the packaging for a Dora & Boots bath toy I designed. So not only did I create the toy, but I’m also on the back of the box! My children loved going to toy stores to ‘look for mom’ on the shelves.
“In 2026, I will have taught soft toy design for 20 years. I love helping the next generation of toy designers hone their skills so they can create engaging and entertaining toys that are just as memorable for today’s kids as the Dora line was for children back in the early 2000s.”
My professor Rishi Gopal got me a job as a production assistant on a Dove Body commercial.
LESHAY
LESHAY HARRIS
Fashion Business Management ’25
SASHA GUOBADIA
Illustration ’25
“We Did It!”
FIT students know how to knuckle down—and still serve looks in class at 9 am—but most find time for life outside of homework and internships. One popular extracurricular is joining one of FIT’s NJCAA Division III teams: soccer, track, volleyball, swimming, and more.
In the 2024–25 school year, one Tiger rose above the rest. Kimiko Quayle , Fashion Business Management ’25, was named the SUNY NJCAA Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year, among numerous other accolades for her dominance in the 1500-meter run and her stellar 3.92 GPA.
In the Tom Farrell Classic this spring, her time ranked her first in the nation in the 1500-meter, and she beat the NCAA Division I athlete who was favored to win. “She ran the perfect race,” Coach Howard Lindsay says.
Lindsay and Assistant Coach Bianca Rey supported Quayle throughout. “I wear my heart on my sleeve,” Lindsay says. “If Kimi cried, I cried. If she laughed, I laughed.”
The two-time national champion spoke with Hue about her “track record.”
Hue : What brought you to FIT?
Quayle: I started distance-running in my senior year of high school. I joined the distance team at Lehigh University, but I got injured my freshman year, and then I got injury after injury. I needed to think about where I wanted to take my career if I couldn’t focus on running. I decided to do something in the business realm of fashion, so I applied to FIT.
What was your relationship with the coaches like?
a
of one-on-one time with Coach Howard and Coach Bianca, and we bonded through the practices. Coach Howard was so supportive of me—he pushed me my best.
What would you say to someone considering joining an athletics team?
interested in athlet -
people and do some-
Daniela Ayala and Leslymar Gonzalez Carmona, co-managers of the Style Shop; Associate Professor Geib; and members of the Product Development team: head buyer Anthony Cruz, assistant buyer Madyson Haynes, associate buyer Kaya Loy, and creative associate Sophia Halasz. All students are studying Fashion Business Management except Illustration major Halasz.
Check out some of the Style Shop’s most popular items at hue.fitnyc.edu.
Cruzandhisteampartner withaCanadiangraphicsandembroideryservice, whichsourcesandembellishesthe hoodies. Details:60% Airlume combedandring-spuncotton,40%polyesterfleece.
Price:$70.
How do you capture the je ne sais quoi of FIT in a single graphic? Last summer, Hue asked student product developers from the college’s Style Shop to design one, for a sweatshirt to be sold at Alumni Weekend and beyond. With input from FIT’s Foundation, the team from the shop, an on-campus boutique run by members of the Merchandising Society, came up with the perfect look. Faculty
Missed Alumni Weekend and still want one? Email ms_styleshop@fitnyc.edu. (Sweatshirts must be picked up in person.)
The graphic on this drop-shouldered, relaxed-fit pullover hoodie is screen printed, and “Greetings from” and “of Technology” are embroidered. “This combination allows us to highlight specific details and add dimension,” Cruz says. A customscreen-printed“StyleShop” tag is included.
ICONOGRAPHYis“Everything hand-drawn,”in-towanted“Isays.Haynesclude peoplethatelementsre-storetheintocomewholate butFITfromjustnotto,city.the dressaThere’ssew-vintageaandforming suremadeImachine.forertigtheincludetoourutBmascot.tigerthere’s oflotaalsosymbolism.NYiconicLike the Yankeeslogo—which iscuzmeforhardI’m Boston.”from
advisor Catherine Geib, Fashion Buying and Merchandising ’84, assistant chair, Fashion Business Management (FBM), says the project was an opportunity for novice students to hone their skills. “Every year we have new buyers, new planners, and new managers in the shop. We don’t allow team members to stay longer because we want everyone to have a new experience.” —Alex Joseph
Here’s how they did it:
Amongtheoriginalconcepts tagewasamoretraditional“vinwerevarsity”font,butthose scrappedinfavorofHaynes’FBMstudentMadyson nostalgicpost-carddesign.
“I did a lot of research on trending colorways, but I wanted to keep the vintage feel.” Cruz says, “The muted colors say ‘vintage.’ The store has a new theme every month, and this time it’s ‘FIT, or nowhere,’ so this really fits.”
“I looked a lot at vintage postcards and vintage fashion for inspiration,” Haynes says.
Haynes originally created the design as a postcard concept for her application to join the shop’s product development team. “Postcards have been in talks for the store for a while,” she says. Head buyer Anthony Cruz, FBM, says the group considered several styles before selecting Haynes’ idea.
“We decided to remove the original background and the border to open it up,” he says. “Both elements made the graphic feel a bit boxed in and limited the overall visual flow on the garment. We feel the postcard vibe still comes through thanks to the imagery within the letters and the typography.”
Once the design was chosen, Cruz and his team revised it for the shirt.
BY WINNIE McCROY
At a time when even large, blue-chip galleries representing established artists struggle, smaller galleries are remaining afloat by pivoting to nontraditional models—like pop-ups and strategic collaborations with organizations outside the art world. With ingenuity and risk-taking, these four alumni gallerists have managed to keep their doors open while others have shuttered.
“We work against the traditional tropes of the gallery experience: we say hello to everyone who walks in,” says Jennifer Rizzo, Art Market Studies MA, Visual Arts Management ’07, Fine Arts AAS ’04, partner at Hashimoto Contemporary, with locations in San Francisco and on New York City’s Lower East Side. Hashimoto has found success building longstanding relationships with contemporary artists who “know other good artists,” like Carlos Rodriguez, who premiered at Mexico City’s Zona Maco. This fall, he shows work “inspired by stories his father told on the long drive to grandmother’s house—traditional stories reimagined through a queer lens,” Rizzo says.
Husband-and-wife team Garrett Klein, Fine Arts ’08, and Ryan Massey opened their Lower East Side gallery in 2018 with extensive client lists, an impressive roster of emerging and established artists, and the mission to create collaborations between the two. Klein keeps his family business afloat in a landscape he says is “shifting and changing and can be so opaque” by being welcoming and transparent. “When a visitor comes in, I greet them, explain the show, and let them have a rich experience with the artwork. I’ve had a lot of first-time buyers because of that warmth and hospitality.”
After a year at her Chinatown location, Lin Tyrpien, Home Products Development ’12, switched to a pop-up business model, allowing for experimentation—like a holiday market this winter in collaboration with Tribeca’s lesbian-owned Isabel Sullivan Gallery. Tyrpien will serve sparkling drinks and provide insight about their home accents. Collaborations at other brick-and-mortar locations have proven more successful in their reach, revenue, and visitors; so much so that it “felt riskier to stay locked into a traditional mode,” Tyrpien says. She anticipates collabs for Art Basel Miami and
a queer-coded Lyle Film Festival so the gallery can start “laying a foundation as a cultural brand and curatorial platform. If it makes sense to have a permanent space again, I will, but for the time being, I want to experiment.”
Initially launched as a pop-up art initiative in Rome in 2018, Visionary Projects is the brainchild of Haylee Barsky, Art History and Museum Professions ’16, Photography AAS ’14, who says it’s “evolved in endless ways,” including a location on the Lower East Side that Barsky closed this year. She finds pop-ups more successful in engaging and exciting their cadre of young, first-time collectors. She also leans into collaborations. A Supper Series was a February 2024 one-off featuring dinner and an exhibition of works by Danielle Simone and Marco Villard, while multidisciplinary artist Cavier Coleman created paintings on-site for sale that evening. Keep an eye out on your commute for Visionary Projects’ NYC Subway Art Initiative—in which work from their artists is displayed on posters around the subway system—one of last year’s most successful endeavors.
FIT’s MA in Exhibition and Experience Design is becoming an MFA program beginning in fall 2026. This terminal degree is more desirable in the job market and creates more opportunities in academia. The new four-semester program will still focus on designing narrative environments rooted in human psychology, and it will still provide real-world projects, studio-
based competitions, and a rigorous thesis presented to industry critics. But it will also include expanded coursework in sustainability, inclusivity, and project management, as well as more internship opportunities. Also, next fall marks the beginning of the new AAS degree program in Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing. This is the first AAS of its kind in the United States, and it completes the nation’s only full academic pathway from associate’s to master’s that prepares students to lead in the global beauty, wellness, and personal care industries.
On Sept. 3, The Museum at FIT held its annual Couture Council Luncheon, honoring Olivier Rousteing, creative director of the house of Balmain, with the 2025 Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion.
Actor and singer Jeremy Pope presented the award. “Olivier, you have broken barriers and rewritten the rules,” Pope told him. “You remind us: Fashion isn’t just about what we wear. It’s about who we are, and the future we dare to shape.”
BY ALEX JOSEPH
In an MFIT exhibition, psychoanalysis provides a surprisingly deep look at what we wear
Fashion, it turns out, is a perfect subject for psychoanalysis. Often dismissed as superficial, our clothes reveal unconscious desires, repressed impulses, fragile egos, and various compulsions, including shopping itself. A longtime admirer of analytic theory, Valerie Steele, director of The Museum at FIT, demonstrates all this in the wonderfully brainy Dress, Dreams, and Desire, which runs through January 4. She sat down with Hue to discuss the show.
You’ve been working on this exhibition for five years, but I’m hoping you’ll say the idea originally came to you in a dream. I wish! In a way, I’ve been working on this my whole life. In graduate school I studied with Peter Gay, Freud’s biographer, and used psychoanalysis in my dissertation and my first book. Then in 2012, Suzy Menkes called me “the Freud of fashion,” which was flattering but unnerving—at the time, most Americans considered Freud totally bogus. A few years later I spoke at a London conference co-hosted by the Freud Museum, met brilliant young psychoanalysts, and thought, Maybe it’s time to read Lacan. During the pandemic I finally had
through, glimpse things through peepholes, encounter projections of the ocean—a symbol of the unconscious—and the night sky, which refers to dreams. Even the electronic soundtrack came out of a pandemic-era YouTube rabbit hole.
time to dive deep and keep going down rabbit holes. This show became my big creative project.
Our culture isn’t exactly one for deep reflection. Why a show about psychoanalysis in 2025?
It wasn’t planned for 2025—it just grew and grew. But there’s been a quiet resurgence of interest in psychoanalysis among younger people, especially in New York and California. So maybe we’re surfing the zeitgeist.
The witty exhibition design—with peepholes and mirrors—feels almost mischievous. Exactly. Freud wrote about how concealing the body arouses curiosity, so I didn’t want everything on display at once. You wander
Your show reminds us that almost every fashion choice we make is in some way revealing. So what does Freud’s style, and his Knize suits in particular, say about the father of psychoanalysis? In all his published works, Freud barely mentions clothes—three pages, max. But in his letters to his fiancée, he writes endlessly about shopping, tailors, coats, bills. He never analyzed his own obsession with dress, but clearly clothing was tied to self-image and respectability, especially as a Jewish man in the Habsburg Empire. The English style business suit, and suits in general, was a sign of modernity and assimilation and also part of a whole cult of respectability.
One of my favorite pieces is Schiaparelli’s mirror jacket. Yes! The mirrors suggest fragility, but also armor. Schiaparelli grew
up with a mother who told her she was ugly; her uncle, an astronomer, compared her facial moles to constellations. That Zodiac inspiration shaped the jacket. The mirrors reflect the world back—fragmented, maybe shattered—but also create beauty.
ONE QUESTION FOR AN FIT COMMUNITY MEMBER
It’s hard to imagine Broadway musical history without legendary costume designer and FIT alum Patricia Zipprodt (1925–99). She received 11 Tony Award nominations and won three—for Fiddler on the Roof (1964), Cabaret (1966), and Sweet Charity (1986)—and also designed Pippin (1972) and Chicago (1975). Before she died, Zipprodt worked on an illustrated memoir with Arnold Wengrow, now a professor emeritus of drama at University of North Carolina Asheville. This spring, the book, If the Song Doesn’t Work, Change the Dress (Bloomsbury), was finally published, including research that Wengrow conducted in the Special Collections unit of FIT’s Gladys Marcus Library. Zipprodt, Fashion Design ’53, already had a degree from Welles-
Mrs.
ley when she attended FIT, back when the college held classes at the Central High School of Needle Trades, three blocks south. In her typically spirited style, she writes, “I kept going down the ‘up’ staircase and getting demerits. If I was sick (I had a lot of strep throat at that time) I had to bring a note from home. I became my own mother. I would write to the dean and say, “Patricia Zipprodt couldn’t go to school today because she had strep throat. Signed, Patricia Zipprodt.” In 1977, she received the Mortimer C. Ritter Award, presented to an outstanding FIT Art and Design graduate. —Alex Joseph
Watch a video about the memoir at hue.fitnyc.edu.
What emerging technologies excite you most?
James Pearce, Emerging Technologies Manager
I’m always concerned less about the technology itself than the application of it. The technology is a means to an end. How do we use existing technologies in an innovative way?
For example, we’re starting to do more with fabric digitization. With a device we have called Vizoo, we can create a simulation of an existing piece of fabric that captures not just what it looks like but also its weight and how it moves. Then students can drape those digital clothes on models. Pretty much all the big fashion companies have switched to digital design. The buyer doesn’t get samples; they get renderings. It’s faster, costs less money, and is more sustainable. Physical draping is not dead, but the first stage of design is almost exclusively digital now.
This year, I assisted Hilary Davidson, chair of Fashion and Textile Studies, one of the world’s foremost experts on the clothes in Jane Austen’s time (learn more about her work on the next page). Hilary wanted to create a digital twin of a coat that no longer exists. Seeing a historical garment on a person can be a much richer educational experience than just seeing a photograph.
We recorded Hilary in a motion capture suit, standing and moving in a way that was considered socially graceful at the time. We are in the process of mapping these movements to a digital version of the garment painstakingly created by Larissa King, assistant professor of Fashion Design. The goal is to enable students to experience historical garments, but in the process eliminate waste and preserve fragile pieces.
Pearce oversees the Faculty Research Space and the Innovative Technology and Digital Production department, which includes PrintFX and the Fabrication Lab.
By Hilary Davidson
Dress is essential to all culture, a shared experience that is part of what makes us human. To look at how people engage with dress in a particular time and place is to learn about their whole social sphere.
One person I’ve studied at great length is the author Jane Austen (1775–1817). Her six finished novels are masterpieces of English literature. Their screen adaptations are the main way British Regency-era dress of the early 19th century appears in popular culture. But how did Austen, her family, and society understand clothes in their own time? My research has taken 18 years so far and encompassed a spectrum of technology from the past to the future.
I began my research into Regency fashion by reconstructing the only known garment belonging to Austen, a pelisse, or coat-dress, held in the Hampshire Cultural Trust in the UK. By meticulously studying, copying, and remaking this garment, I learned a lot about Austen’s tall, thin figure and her tastes as a consumer. This led to writing three books about the period.
But I also kept researching. While I’ve made many physical copies of the pelisse, I wanted to explore virtual reconstruction and new insights the technology might offer. Working with my colleague Larissa King, assistant professor of Fashion Design and an expert in the CAD modeling program CLO 3D, we created a digital version of the pelisse for the summer 2025 exhibition A Lively Mind: Jane Austen at 250, held at The Morgan Library and Museum in New York. Larissa animated the pattern pieces coming together over a specially crafted avatar matching Austen’s physiognomy, and she added appropriate historical dress layers underneath, including stays (corset), petticoat, and gown.
Working with James Pearce, emerging technologies manager, we even undertook motion capture to create more appropriate historical movement for our virtual Austen, to replace CLO 3D’s very modern runway strut. While we were ultimately unable to transfer our recordings to the final rendering, we learned a lot about the advantages and limitations of the emerging field of digital historical fashion reconstruction, and helped bring accurate fashion history research into another medium and mode of interpretation.
Hilary Davidson is the chair of Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice. She is the author of Dress in The Age of Jane Austen: Regency Fashion (2019), Jane Austen’s Wardrobe (2023), and A Guide to Regency Dress: From Corsets and Breeches to Bonnets and Muslins, out this October.
“How did Austen, her family, and society understand clothes in their own time?”
Adriana Erin Rivera, Advertising and Marketing Communications ’14, created a children’s book with the Smithsonian
As a child growing up in New Jersey, Adriana Erin Rivera, an awardwinning author of Puerto Rican descent, wasn’t taught Puerto Rican history in school. “I didn’t learn about it as a kid,” she says, “but my parents had instilled in me a lot of pride.” Rivera’s deep connection to the island, reinforced by summers spent at her grandfather’s farm there, infuses the world of her middle-grade novel, Paloma’s Song for Puerto Rico: A Diary from 1898. Published by Stone Arch Books in 2023 and released in Spanish this August, Paloma’s Song tells the story of a family caught up in the SpanishAmerican War, the 1898 conflict
that ended Spanish colonial rule and put Puerto Rico under the jurisdiction of the U.S.
A collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum for the American Latino, the book is told through the diary of Paloma, a happy 12-year-old girl who lives with her loving, hardworking parents and baby brother on a large coffee farm where her father works. Their
bucolic lives are interrupted by the war, which happens on the fringes of their village, and which raises profound questions about independence for those who live there.
To help explore her own feelings, Paloma, over the course of the book, writes lyrics to a song her father had composed one night on his tiple guitar. Rivera, who works as a marketing manager at Mercy University in New York, says the opportunity for the book came thanks to Richie Narvaez, adjunct assistant professor of English and Communication Studies.
“When I was a student,” she explains, “I had a reading for my first book”—Swing Sets, which she self-published in 2014. “Richie Narvaez came to it and said, ‘You have something here’ and took me under his wing.” When Stone Arch Books approached him for help in finding authors for this project, a series of books about Latinx children at different points in history, he recommended Rivera.
The politics of Puerto Rico’s entry into the U.S. are a touchy subject, and Rivera addressed them carefully. “I wanted to have characters represent different political views. The father is pro-U.S. and sees it as a land of opportunity. Paloma is [more focused] on what Puerto Rico can be. I wanted to represent her hopefulness.”
—Roberta Bernstein
Caleb Poling, Fashion Merchandising Management ’14, makes ethics his business as a Louis Vuitton procurement manager
WeWork’s infamous expansion spree, culminating in bankruptcy, was a public debacle. Caleb Poling saw it firsthand. As a procurement lead at the real estate company, he helped source building materials and furniture for its locations.
He joined about two years before the company went public. Though it was chaotic, “it was when WeWork needed
Knowledge sharing inspired Poling to mentor FIT’s Fashion Scholarship Fund recipients. “The next generation has a lot of interesting ideas, so I don’t see it as something where I’m just giving,” he says. “Don’t take the lessons you’ve learned for granted—share them.”
procurement the most,” Poling says. During a growth period, it’s especially important to make sure the space design and experience remain consistent while keeping an eye on costs. However, the entire procurement division was eventually let go.
Previously, Poling had worked in retail strategy; he saw procurement as a challenging pivot to his career. “You have to have a good understanding of design—whether it’s a clothing product or a physical space,” he says, “but you also have to be organized and responsible, and act as a translator for both design and finance teams.”
Regardless of industry, Poling says, procurement involves collaborating across a company on design and construction projects. A large part of it is requesting and reviewing proposals from vendors and securing materials needed to complete these projects.
A good procurement team also maintains a diverse network of ethical suppliers. This is essential for Poling now, at
his current job in sustainable sourcing and store planning for Louis Vuitton, where he has the opportunity to “keep making ethics part of the conversation and use our influence to set the sustainability standard.”
LVMH has a strict code of ethics, which covers environmental, social, and governance standards. “It’s not just about a material being able to be recycled, it’s how it was sourced, who made it, and the conditions for the person who made it,” he says. Both suppliers and subcontractors must adhere to this code.
One of Poling’s main responsibilities is ensuring all the wood for the stores is sustainably sourced, and there are exciting changes in the works. Next year, the company is switching to wood flooring that’s 100% FSC-certified— meaning it adheres to the Forest Stewardship Council’s rigorous ecological and social standards. “You won’t notice an aesthetic difference when you go into a store, but the materials will be more sustainable,” he says.
Poling recently earned LVMH’s Gold Certification in sustainability, requiring 60 hours of total training, including
visits to sustainable suppliers. This certification has helped him explore and champion more innovative solutions at work, “whether it’s considering mushroom leather or a new way to cut waste,” he says.
—Vanessa Machir
Lauren Breuer, Production Management ’23, and Paras Kansra, Advertising and Marketing Communications ’21, Fashion Business Management ’19, launched a skincare brand for intimate areas
Lauren Breuer and Paras Kansra met at a spin class at FIT. He asked her out and thoughtfully considered her veganism when planning their first date. That’s how Breuer knew he was a keeper. As they got to know each other, their entrepreneurial mindset and passion for the environment brought them closer, and eventually inspired them to start a business together.
Breuer and Kansra searched for simple, effective washes and wipes for intimate hygiene to use within their relationship, but the options they found were disappointing: overly perfumed pink products marketed to women, highly medical solutions, or hypersexualized items tucked away in the “sexual health” aisle. None felt modern, approachable, or
inclusive. Determined to fill this gap, they decided to launch a lifestyle brand that is animal cruelty–free, gender-neutral, and stigma-free.
Their brand, Privates, treats intimate hygiene like regular skincare: non-abrasive, safe for sensitive skin, and part of a routine. “We wanted something you could use daily, the way you care for your face or brush your teeth,” Breuer says.
The founders bootstrapped the brand while working full time, each applying their expertise: Breuer in product development, sales, supply chain, and marketing; Kansra in product development, management, and market research.
The product contains 14 ingredients designed to restore pH balance, a key factor in maintaining healthy bacteria, preventing infections, and protecting the skin’s natural barrier.
Throughout development, they received guidance from their
former professors. Jill Friedman, an adjunct faculty member in Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing, helped them create a clean, effective formula free of phthalates, parabens, and silicones.
Renee Liebler, assistant professor of
Entrepreneurship, emphasized a hands-on approach to market research, urging real-time testing over theory alone.
Every detail, from the ingredients to the materials, was meticulously chosen for softness, neutrality, and trustworthiness. This commitment to quality is mirrored in the brand’s flagship product, the Intimate Flushable Wipes, made from biodegradable cellulose and ideal for post-workout use or a quick refresh throughout the day.
The minimalist, soft-touch packaging signals self-care over shame or stigma, challenging the hyper-feminized, gendered norms of the category where bright pink labels and clinical language can make purchasing intimate care products feel uncomfortable.
The products are available online through the website and Amazon and are offered as amenities at independent Pilates studios across the country.
Rather than lean into the taboo or shock factor often associated with sexual hygiene and health products, Privates is marketed through a lens of education and normalization. The goal is not to reframe intimate care as edgy or provocative, but as everyday hygiene. “We’re not in the business of sexual wellness. We’re in the business of hygiene,” Breuer says. “That distinction is important, because people tend to shut down when they think something is sexual, even if it’s just about keeping clean.”
—Dana Flores, Advertising and Marketing Communications ’22
River and Post’s popular paella.
Sergia Rebraca, Textile/Surface Design ’04, serves up memories at his Hudson Valley restaurant
Inside River and Post, an upscale restaurant in the hamlet of Staatsburg, New York, diners enjoy creative American dishes in the intimate, chocolate-colored dining room. Atmospheric dance music sets the mood. The proprietor, Sergia Rebraca, keeps an eye on the proceedings, helping out his staff and welcoming guests, who often tell him their dinner is the best meal they’ve ever eaten.
Rebraca has been fine-tuning this symphony of food, service, and ambience nearly his entire
life, starting when he worked for his parents, romantic American dreamers who founded a beloved restaurant called Panarella on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in
1979. The family moved to the Hudson Valley in 1994 to open the Belvedere Mansion, a Staatsburg inn and restaurant that became a sought-after wedding venue.
From these formative experiences, Rebraca learned that hospitality goes far deeper than feeding people. “There’s an intangible emotional ingredient,” he says. “It should stir your soul.”
From 2010 to 2020, Rebraca owned the Liberty Public House, a sprawling 200-seater in Rhinebeck with three bars, including one made from a 24foot sailboat. “It did really well, especially because it was in a touristy town,” he says. “I’d be there until four in the morning.”
When the pandemic hit and the landlord wouldn’t budge on the rent, Rebraca reconsidered his future. He didn’t want to work round-the-clock anymore. He found an affordable space, less than half the size of the Liberty Public House, in a 19thcentury building in Staatsburg. It had been a red sauce joint with low ceilings and tacky banquettes; Rebraca applied reflective paint to the ceiling to create the illusion of height and divided the booths with antique windows. For the walls, he had the chocolate shade customblended based on a paint chip from a noted London designer, because the larger high-end
brands like Benjamin Moore and Farrow and Ball did not carry dark enough colors.
Rebraca invited his longtime chef, Antonio Cerón, to helm the kitchen at the new restaurant. Rebraca appreciates the love he pours into everything he makes, even the family meal that the staff share. Perennial customer favorites include crispy artichokes with lemon-caper aioli and diver scallops with sweet corn puree—which is replaced with Japanese sweet potato come fall. Some dishes have graced Rebraca menus since the Panarella days.
River and Post is only open four nights a week, and Rebraca doesn’t actively promote it to the media. Yet somehow, the diners who find it are exactly the company he likes keeping: “friendly, open-hearted, intellectual, creative people. I feel like I set a crab trap for this specific type of catch.”
In choosing to operate at a comfortable capacity, Rebraca is able to maintain his high standards while living a more balanced life: “I don’t want to sacrifice quality to make more money,” he says. “You’re going into contracts with tons of people every evening, and you want them to turn out in a good way. Thankfully it does, for the most part.”
—Jonathan Vatner
Victoria Orlovskaya, Advertising and Digital Design ’21, created a vending machine for art
Unlike your typical vending machine, a Mystry Mart machine is stocked not with snacks but with snack-size pouches of original art made by local creatives. The catch is, you can’t see the art until you buy it.
Each Mystry Mart pouch is nearly identical: pink, opaque, and punctuated with a large question mark. A small QR code provides the only clue about what’s inside. Scanning the code lets you view an artist’s work online and decide if you like it before taking a gamble and buying a piece. “People get very excited about that aspect—it’s hard to resist the element of surprise,” says Mystry Mart cofounder Victoria Orlovskaya.
As for what a pouch might contain, the possibilities are as boundless as human creativity. If an item can fit in a pouch and withstand the drop from its coil to the vending machine floor, it’s a contender. “We focus on passionate unrepresented artists with a unique style,” Orlovskaya says. Her machines have dispensed miniature oil paintings, signed numbered prints, tiny toys, petite papiermâché pigeons, one-of-a-kind tarot decks, and much more. “We’re constantly on the lookout for more artists—our
“We focus on passionate unrepresented artists with a unique style.”
machines sell out so quickly— and once an artist is with us, we encourage them to keep making new pieces, not just to restock a slot, but to stay connected to their spark, to keep bringing new art into the world,” she says. Artists set their own prices, which have ranged from $5 to upwards of $100, and the artist and Mystry Mart split the profits.
“It’s very important to me to make sure people get paid for their work,” says Orlovskaya, whose Staten Island childhood was marred by constant financial turmoil. “We have worked with over 120 artists to date and I love hearing their success stories. People selling more work, gaining new fans, realizing they deserve to be seen and celebrated. That’s what fuels me.”
Art-vending entrepreneur was not the career Orlovskaya had in mind when she enrolled at FIT. The idea for Mystry Mart popped to mind when she was in Vegas and noticed that the most popular selection in a trinket vending machine was the mystery item. “I thought, ‘If I made a vending machine, I would make it all mystery art,’” she says. Back
home, she filed for an LLC, trademarked the name Mystry Mart, and devoted herself to launching the business.
After debuting in 2024 at Brooklyn Art Cave, Mystry Mart had trouble finding a site for another machine, never mind finding inventory to fill it. “It was hard to get artists to trust us—I had to make 100 pieces of art myself to sell—and I thought, ‘How can we get people to take us seriously?’” she says. In a light bulb moment, Orlovskaya reached out to Time Out New York; an article followed and then the Brooklyn Museum commissioned a machine.“Everything I learned at FIT helped in the creation of Mystry Mart. Most importantly, I learned the power of the press.”
VICTORIA ORLOVSKAYA
artists during Art Basel Miami Beach. And where might a fourth Mystry Mart machine pop up? For now, that remains a big question mark, which is right on brand.
—Kim Masibay
Two Mystry Mart machines now operate in New York City. Each machine is an eye-catching site-specific work of art. Illustrator Lizzy Itzkowitz painted the vibrant BrooklynMuseum machine. The second machine—located at the Bushwick nightclub House of Yes, founded by Fashion Design alums Kae Burke and Anya Sapozhnikova—is a glittering disco-ball-inspired number created by Orlovskaya’s team.
In December, a third machine is slated for Red Dot Miami, the juried contemporary art fair that showcases international galleries and
By Kim Masibay
1. THE HUMPED ZEBRA
NEW YORK BUT … UNISEX
SWEATSHIRT
$40, thehumpedzebra.com
Tiffany Davis, Fashion Merchandising Management ’11
A crewneck, hoodie, or tee from Davis’ neighborhood collection would be perfect for the person who loves New York—or at least their corner of it.
2. BINATA MILLINERY
GABI HAT
$180, binatamillinery.com
Rowell Concepcion, Millinery Certificate ’21, Fashion Merchandising Management ’11
Milliner and vintage enthusiast Ro Concepcion is known for his bold riffs on classic styles. The Gabi wide-brim sailor hat is but one example of his distinctive head-turners. The Binata line is designed in Concepcion’s NYC atelier and made to order by artisans in the Philippines. In addition to millinery, the online shop stocks a curated selection of vintage hat pins and jewelry, with most pieces priced under $50.
3. BROOKLYN CANDLE STUDIO
DISCOVERY SET
$95, brooklyncandlestudio.com
Tamara Jerardo Mayne, Communication Design ’11
A six-candle gift box is a lovely way to explore Brooklyn Candle Studio’s botanical scents, which include woodsy Palo Santo, herbaceous Fern + Moss, earthy Santal, and more. Packaged in luxe travel-friendly tins, the candles are 100% soy wax with lead-free cotton wicks, delivering a clean, eco-friendly burn for up to 30 hours. “Brooklyn” isn’t just in the brand name: The candles are poured and labeled by hand in Brooklyn’s Industry City.
BASSET HOUNDS BUNDLE, SET OF 10 CARDS AND ENVELOPES
$20.95, pipsqueakproductions.com
Mary Badenhop, Illustration ’75
An adorable Basset Hound holiday card set features original art by Illustration alum Mary Badenhop, who creates home decor and stationery for animal lovers. All are printed on sustainably sourced recycled paper using soy-based inks.
5. BROOKS AVENUE
SCALLOPED PAJAMA SET
$108, shopbrooksavenue.com
Lawson Park, Fashion Design MFA ’25
Loungewear has never looked better than these comfy coordinates, crafted from four layers of printed cotton muslin and stylish enough to wear all day. All of Lawson’s designs, from the PJs and robes to her dresses, tops, jackets, and bags, feature her signature colorful patterns and exquisite attention to detail.
6. BOLSA NOVA
LILY MINIBAG
$195, bolsanovahandbags.com
Karen Cardoso, Illustration ’92
This thoughtfully structured compact bag, crafted of 100% Italian washed leather, features a removable crossbody strap and top handle. Each bag is made in Florence by hand, so no two are alike. Cardoso designs Bolsa Nova bags to transition effortlessly from day to night and age gracefully at a fair price.
7. ENID B.
ARTISAN SOAP SUBSCRIPTION
BOX
From $40, enidb.com
Kareen Harmon, Jewelry Design ’05
An Enid b. gift subscription delivers four handmade bar soaps every month, in formulations such as turmeric and papaya, avocado and rosemary, and rustic lavender. Harmon’s artisan skin and haircare products are inspired by her Jamaican heritage and thoughtfully crafted in small batches, using organic oils, plant butters, and wild-sourced ingredients—including herbs from Harmon’s garden and goat milk from a local farm.
8. FLORA SYCEE
BUTTERFLY TRELLIS RING
$160, florasycee.com
Flora Jin, Jewelry Design ’23
Crafted with traditional silversmithing techniques, this 100% recycled sterling silver ring forms a trellis of butterflies. Jin designed this ring especially for the thumb, but it can be sized to any finger. Rings are made to order in NYC and ship in about two weeks.
WALL ART
“COW ABDUCTION”
$60
Ethan Minsker, adjunct instructor, Film and Media
Space aliens abducting a cow? Why not? Your favorite folk-art fan will fall in love with this original work made of recycled materials, paint, and papier-mâché. Perfect for lovers of UFO lore or outsider art—or anyone looking to add an imaginative pop to their wall—“Cow Abduction” is available for in-person purchase at these community-driven NYC shops, which showcase the work of local artists: Vintage Reserve, East Village Vintage Collective, and 3rd & B’Zaar.
10. LOJA
GROOVY COASTERS
$30, loja.nyc
Bárbara Astrini, adjunct instructor, Illustration and Interactive Media
We can’t resist the lively mid-century vibe of this cork-back coaster set from Loja. Water-repellent, heat-resistant, and non-slip, they’re everything a coaster ought to be—but groovier.
11. AASHKA
CASHMERE CLOUD BEANIE
$69, shopaashka.com
Aashka Mehta, Fashion Design ’18
These ultra-soft beanies from slow-fashion knitwear brand Aashka are a responsible alternative to mass-market woolens. The Cloud Capsule collection features ethically produced cashmere yarn, sustainably certified by the Responsible Wool Standard and The Good Cashmere Standard.
Do you want your product to be considered for next year’s holiday gift spotlight? Email a description and photo to hue@fitnyc.edu.
Yazmin Perez, Fashion Design Milan ’14, Florence ’12
The guayabera is a traditional Caribbean men’s shirt with four pleated pockets. In Puerto Rico, they say farmers needed pockets to put different types of fruits in them. They also say it has four pockets because the farmers’ clothing was very worn, and they needed extra in case one broke. In Cuba, they say cigar makers put cigars in the pockets.
After Hurricane Maria, I came back to Puerto Rico, where I was born and raised, to do product development for a friend’s apparel manufacturing startup. The idea was a little ambitious with the limited resources available, so I spent more time working on my own collections and building my brand, Yayi.
I studied women’s wear at FIT, but here, I saw a need for dressier menswear—most of the market for men is streetwear. It was a no-brainer to start designing guayaberas. Now we sell more menswear than women’s wear.
I modernized the guayabera with slash pockets instead of patch pockets. I also designed a classic version with a V-neck and camp collar. We use 100% linen imported from Europe, cut everything at the studio, and hire local seamstresses to sew them in their home workrooms.
Last year, I opened a temporary Yayi store in Santurce, the San Juan neighborhood where I went to school, on a popular street with bars and restaurants and really good shops. We hosted a few pop-ups with other designers, and at one of them, a friend from before I went to FIT said he wanted to buy a shirt for someone special and give it to him on
Three Kings Day. (In Puerto Rico, Three Kings Day is a second opportunity after Christmas to share gifts and an excuse to keep the festivities going.)
I guessed who he was talking about—my friend is a photographer who tours with Bad Bunny. We made a custom guayabera in a color we hadn’t used before, Spring Green, with buttons made of real buffalo horn. Bad Bunny wore it to a release party for his new album in the same neighborhood where my store is. It was very exciting to see him wear the shirt! That’s the biggest compliment I could have gotten.
—As told to Jonathan Vatner
After the success of the guayabera gift, Perez made eight shirts and four pairs of pants for Bad Bunny’s Puerto Rico residency this summer. He wore at least one Yayi piece in all 30 shows.
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