In the last issue, we asked: Where is the most unexpected place you’ve come across an FIT alum? You answered: When I took a friend to a Middle Eastern restaurant called Magic Carpet, a belly dancer provided entertainment. After the show, the dancer said to me, “I know you! You were my career counselor at FIT.” She attributed the success of her belly-dancing career to the marketing skills she learned as an AMC student. – pam zuckerman, fit career services
I was living in Milan in the late ’80s, and as I was leaving the apartment I literally bumped into a blonde woman who looked somewhat familiar. She was a Fashion Illustration major I had known at FIT and had not seen in 13 years. We instantly recognized each other, had a quick aperitif, and never saw one another again. – bil donovan, fashion illustration ’77
While waiting to pick up my twins from pre-k, I started talking [with one of the other mothers] and we scheduled a play date for our sons. Over coffee, after talking about kids, houses, and families, we got to talking about life before kids and careers. We both attended FIT and shared majors, but she was an underclassman... Yes, I guess that makes me older. – christine cordeiro heinicke, fashion buying and merchandising ’82, marketing: fashion and related industries ’84
How does your life now compare to what you envisioned when you were at FIT? Email your story to hue@fitnyc.edu,
Second Sustainability Conference Held at FIT
Students Help Reinvent Harris Tweed
In what will become an annual event, FIT presented its second “green: conference, Designing Sustainability as the New Cultural Paradigm, on April 17, 2008. Topics ranged from theoretical to practical, drawing on the expertise of both FIT faculty and speakers from beyond campus. The daylong program gave an overview of sustainability issues, helping attendees understand everything from the science behind global climate change (presented by Geoffrey Rogers, chair of Science and Mathematics) to what “sustainability” actually means (from Arthur Kopelman, professor of Science) to the eco-friendly practices some companies are employing (Jim Thomas, JC Penney’s sustainability vice president, on the company’s corporate social responsibility, and Nate Paulson of Patagonia Westport on how his company is reducing its ecological footprint). SHoP Architects, the firm that is designing FIT’s new building, discussed sustainable architectural models. Two student presentations brought the sustainability issue home to FIT, showing how the campus and residence halls can go green. Suggestions included solar power, a rooftop organic garden, and ecofriendly dorm furnishings. Another more unconventional idea is to store and use energy produced by riding stationary exercise bikes. The students say it’s a “win-win situation: Students will physically and mentally benefit from exercising, while creating energy that can power FIT.”
Harris Tweed, the venerable wool fabric hand woven by islanders in the West of Scotland, is nothing if not traditional. But tradition must sometimes bend to changing market forces. The tweed itself had been made lighter and softer, but the brand’s somewhat stodgy image still needed to be updated. To take the makeover further, Harris Tweed Textiles and the American-Scottish Foundation sponsored an FIT Fashion Design competition in which students addressed what Art and Design Dean Joanne Arbuckle called the “nontraditional possibilities” of Harris Tweed. A fashion show of the finalists’ garments took place in March during New York Tartan Week. Alan Bain, president of HTT (USA), was pleased that the students’ designs not only successfully reinvented Harris Tweed, but reflected an understanding of the environment and culture the fabric comes from. The best-incompetition winner Jusil Carroll, received $2,500 and a trip to Edinburgh, Glasgow, and the Island of Harris and Lewis, where she’ll get an in-depth look at how Harris Tweed is woven.
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hue | summer 2008
Jusil Carroll’s winning design.