{{Short description|Fashion school of the State University of New York}} {{Use American English|date=September 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2019}} {{infobox university | name = Fashion Institute of Technology | image = Fashion Institute of Technology Logo High Quality.png | image_size = 175px | established = {{start date and age|1944}} | city = New York City | country = United States | coordinates = {{coord|40|44|48|N|73|59|39|W|type:edu_region:US-NY|display=title,inline}} | students = 8,158 (fall 2025)<ref>{{cite web |title=SUNY Enrollment |url=https://tableauserver.suny.edu/t/IRPublic/views/Enrollment2015-2025/CampusEnrollment?%3Aembed=y&%3AisGuestRedirectFromVizportal=y |publisher=State University of New York |access-date=16 February 2026}}</ref> | former_name = Fashion Institute of Technology and Design | parent = State University of New York | campus = Urban, 1.5 blocks | website = {{ofurl}} | president = Jason Schupbach | postgrad = 278 (fall 2025) | undergrad = 7,880 (fall 2025) | type = Public community college and fashion school | sports_nickname = Tigers | mascot = Stitch }}
The '''Fashion Institute of Technology''' ('''FIT''') is a public community college{{Efn|Though it now has bachelor's and master's degree programs, the school is still classified as a community college.}} and fashion school under the State University of New York, in New York City. It focuses on art, business, design, mass communication, and technology connected to the fashion industry. It was founded in 1944.<ref name="About FIT - fitnyc.edu">{{cite web|url=http://www.fitnyc.edu/about/history.php|title=Our History|publisher=Fashion Institute of Technology|access-date=January 14, 2016|archive-date=September 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190908071348/http://www.fitnyc.edu/about/history.php|url-status=live}}</ref>
==History== The Fashion Institute of Technology and Design was founded in 1944 as a two-year technical institute, operated by the New York City Board of Education and Educational Foundation for the Apparel Industry, a group composed of members of management and labor in the garment and fashion industry. The institute operated out of the Central High School of Needle Trades, and tuition was free.<ref>{{cite web|work=The New York Times|date= 1944 |title=Fashion Institute Plans Advanced |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1944/04/30/archives/fashion-institute-plans-advanced.html |url-access=subscription}}</ref> In 1951, the institute was named the Fashion Institute of Technology when it became a community college in the State University of New York (SUNY) and began offering associate degrees. Mortimer C. Ritter, who ran the institute since its founding, become the college's first president. It was the first public community college in New York City, and the second in the SUNY system.<ref>{{cite news |title=Fashion Institute is Made a College |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1951/11/15/archives/fashion-institute-is-made-a-college-dedicated-as-state-university.html |access-date=12 April 2026 |work=The New York Times |date=15 November 1951}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Fine |first1=Benjamin |title=EDUCATION IN REVIEW; Newly Opened Fashion Institute Offers Good Example of State-City-Industry Cooperation |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1951/12/02/archives/education-in-review-newly-opened-fashion-institute-offers-good.html |access-date=12 April 2026 |work=The New York Times |date=2 December 1951 |archive-date=January 3, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250103210044/https://www.nytimes.com/1951/12/02/archives/education-in-review-newly-opened-fashion-institute-offers-good.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="About FIT - fitnyc.edu" />
In 1967, FIT faculty and staff won the first higher education union contract in New York State.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Our History|url=http://www.aft.org/highered/about-higher-education/our-history|publisher=American Federation of Teachers|date=July 18, 2014|access-date=February 23, 2016|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304033242/http://www.aft.org/highered/about-higher-education/our-history|url-status=live}}</ref> In the 1970s, FIT received permission from the state legislature to grant bachelor's and master's degrees.<ref name="About FIT - fitnyc.edu" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=1979-06-21 |title=A Summary of the Actions Taken This Year by the New York State Legislature |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/06/21/archives/a-summary-of-the-actions-taken-this-year-by-the-new-york-state.html |access-date=2026-04-12 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> As a New York State community college, county governments contribute to the tuition costs of residents of those counties attending the school.<ref name="lohud">{{Cite web |last=Stern |first=Gary |date=December 27, 2021 |title=Gov. Kathy Hochul called on to declassify FIT as community college, save money for northern counties |url=https://www.lohud.com/story/news/education/2021/12/27/hudson-valley-counties-want-fashion-institute-technology-declassified-community-college/9008470002/ |access-date=2026-04-10 |website=The Journal News |language=en-US |archive-date=April 13, 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260413225523/https://www.lohud.com/story/news/education/2021/12/27/hudson-valley-counties-want-fashion-institute-technology-declassified-community-college/9008470002/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
In June 1998 Joyce F. Brown became the first woman and the first African American president of the school, and she remained president for 27.5 years, stepping down in December 2025.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Presidents |journal=FIT |url=https://www.fitnyc.edu/about/administration/board-of-trustees/private/resource-guide/presidents.php |access-date=22 May 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=President Joyce F. Brown Announces Plans to Step Down in 2025 |journal=FIT News Room |date=19 August 2024 |url=https://news.fitnyc.edu/2024/08/19/president-joyce-f-brown-announces-plans-to-step-down-in-2025/ |access-date=22 May 2026}}</ref>
==Academics== {{stack|float=left |thumb|left|The 27th Street campus of the Fashion Institute of Technology thumb|left|The Marvin Feldman Center thumb|left|Nagler Hall dormitory thumb|left|The David Dubinsky Student Center }} Seventeen majors are offered through the School of Art and Design,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fitnyc.edu/art-and-design/majors.php|title=FIT School of Art and Design|publisher=Fashion Institute of Technology|access-date=April 17, 2014|archive-date=December 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151220153641/http://www.fitnyc.edu/art-and-design/majors.php|url-status=live}}</ref> and ten through the Jay and Patty Baker School of Business and Technology<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fitnyc.edu/business-and-technology/|title=FIT Jay and Patty Baker School of Business and Technology|publisher=fitnyc.edu|access-date=April 17, 2014|archive-date=December 19, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151219011328/http://www.fitnyc.edu/business-and-technology/|url-status=live}}</ref> leading to degrees of Associate of Applied Science, Bachelor of Fine Arts, or Bachelor of Science. The School of Liberal Arts offers a degree program of Bachelor of Science in art history and museum professions and a degree program of Bachelor of Science in film and media.<ref>{{Cite web |title=School of Liberal Arts |url=http://www.fitnyc.edu/liberal-arts/ |publisher=Fashion Institute of Technology |access-date=January 24, 2016 |archive-date=January 21, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160121133529/http://www.fitnyc.edu/liberal-arts/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The School of Graduate Studies offers seven programs leading to degrees of Master of Arts, Master of Fine Arts, or Master of Professional Studies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fitnyc.edu/graduate-studies/|title=FIT School of Graduate Studies|publisher=Fashion Institute of Technology|access-date=April 17, 2014|archive-date=December 19, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151219011412/http://www.fitnyc.edu/graduate-studies/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
In addition to the degree programs, FIT offers a wide selection of non-credit courses through the Center for Professional Studies. One of the most popular programs is the "Sew Like a Pro" series, which teaches basic through advanced sewing skills.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fitnyc.edu/ccps/courses/noncredit/index.php|title=Noncredit Courses {{!}} Fashion Institute of Technology|website=www.fitnyc.edu|language=en|access-date=November 15, 2017|archive-date=November 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115054840/http://www.fitnyc.edu/ccps/courses/noncredit/index.php|url-status=live}}</ref>
FIT is an accredited institutional member of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools,<ref>{{Cite web|title = Middle States Commission on Higher Education|url = http://www.msche.org/Institutions_Directory.asp|website = www.msche.org|access-date = January 24, 2016|publisher= Info724, Ltd.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206005001/http://www.msche.org/Institutions_Directory.asp|archive-date=2015-02-06}}</ref> the National Association of Schools of Art and Design,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Accredited Institutional Members |url=http://nasad.arts-accredit.org/index.jsp?page=List_Accredited_Members&memberId=0f485b4fc47dcbac5b9609e9fe4226c5 |website=nasad.arts-accredit.org |access-date=January 24, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131050648/http://nasad.arts-accredit.org/index.jsp?page=List_Accredited_Members&memberId=0f485b4fc47dcbac5b9609e9fe4226c5 |archive-date=January 31, 2016}}</ref> and the Council for Interior Design Accreditation.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Accredited Programs {{!}} CIDA|url=http://accredit-id.org/accredited-programs/|website=accredit-id.org|access-date=January 24, 2016|archive-date=March 9, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140309052459/http://accredit-id.org/accredited-programs|url-status=live}}</ref> FIT publishes research on store branding and store positioning.<ref name="Luxury">{{cite book |title=Luxury Brand Management |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |author=Chevalier, Michel |year=2012 |location=Singapore |isbn=978-1-118-17176-9}}</ref> It is also a part of the Beta Theta Sigma chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, which has been active since 1999.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ptk.org/chapters/chapter-details/?chapter_id=000012003649|title=Chapter Details|website=Phi Theta Kappa|access-date=September 27, 2024|archive-date=July 27, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240727064722/https://www.ptk.org/chapters/chapter-details/?chapter_id=000012003649|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Campus== The nine-building campus in the Midtown South neighborhood of Manhattan<ref>{{cite book|url=https://a002-ceqraccess.nyc.gov/ceqr/ProjectInformation/GetFile?fileName=06BSA014M_EAS_12052005&fileExt=.pdf&ceqrNum=06BSA014M&latestMS=EAS&token=62120c07-c8a0-4ca6-ad3f-c04cd845489a|title=Environmental Assessment Statement: 299 Seventh Avenue, New York City (prepared for NYC Board of Standards and Appeals)|publisher=Environmental Project Data Statements Co.|page=19|date=2005-12-15|quote=The project site is located in Manhattan's Midtown South neighborhood, and the 400-foot radius area around the property is predominantly characterized by large, bulky, older loft buildings that are occupIed by commercial or residential uses, and by buildings associated with the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT).|archive-date=October 12, 2018|access-date=October 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012053907/https://a002-ceqraccess.nyc.gov/ceqr/ProjectInformation/GetFile?fileName=06BSA014M_EAS_12052005&fileExt=.pdf&ceqrNum=06BSA014M&latestMS=EAS&token=62120c07-c8a0-4ca6-ad3f-c04cd845489a|url-status=live}}</ref> includes classrooms, television and radio studios, labs, design workshops, and multiple exhibition galleries.
The Conference Center at FIT features the John E. Reeves Great Hall, a space suitable for conferences, fashion shows, lectures, and other events. The campus also has two large theaters: the Haft Auditorium and the Katie Murphy Amphitheatre.
FIT serves more than 7,578 full-time and 2,186 part-time students.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fitnyc.edu/about/get-to-know/enrollment-data.php|title=Fashion Institute of Technology—Enrollment Data publisher|access-date=January 14, 2016|archive-date=June 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200607171748/http://www.fitnyc.edu/about/get-to-know/enrollment-data.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> Four dormitories, three of which are on campus, serve approximately 2,300 students and offer a variety of accommodations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://fitnyc.edu/aspx/Content.aspx?menu=Future:StudentServices:ResidentialLife|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070404074718/http://fitnyc.edu/aspx/Content.aspx?menu=Future%3AStudentServices%3AResidentialLife|url-status=dead|title=FIT Residential Life Homepage|archive-date=April 4, 2007}}</ref> The George S. and Mariana Kaufman Residence Hall located at 406 West 31st Street—formerly a book bindery factory—was converted into residential apartments, to offer more housing near the campus for FIT students. The campus also has a retail food court/dining hall, a deli and a Starbucks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.campusdish.com/en-US/CSE/FIT/Locations/LocationsHome.htm |title=Welcome to CampusDish at the Fashion Institute of Technology! |publisher=Campusdish.com |access-date=April 17, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140403183706/http://www.campusdish.com/en-US/CSE/FIT/Locations/LocationsHome.htm |archive-date=April 3, 2014}}</ref>
=== Academic facilities === thumb|The Fred P. Pomerantz Art & Design Center (near) and the Shirley Goodman Resource Center (far) straddle the 27th Street entrance to the campus.
The Fred P. Pomerantz Art and Design Center offers facilities for design studies: photography studios with black-and-white darkrooms, painting rooms, a sculpture studio, a printmaking room, a graphics laboratory, display and exhibit design rooms, life-sketching rooms, and a model-making workshop. The Shirley Goodman Resource Center houses the Museum at FIT and the Library/Media Services, with references for history, sociology, technology, art, and literature; international journals and periodicals; sketchbooks and records donated by designers, manufacturers, and merchants; slides, tapes, and periodicals; and a clipping file. The Gladys Marcus Library provides access to books, periodicals, DVDs and non-print materials, and houses Fashion Institute of Technology Special Collections and College Archives.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Mzezewa|first1=Tariro|title=Fashion Institute of Technology's Library Gets a Makeover|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/03/fashion/fashion-institute-of-technology-library.html|access-date=February 9, 2018|work=The New York Times|date=2018|archive-date=February 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180208065913/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/03/fashion/fashion-institute-of-technology-library.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fitnyc.edu/library/|title=Gladys Marcus Library|access-date=January 14, 2016|publisher=fitnyc.edu|archive-date=January 21, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160121171444/http://www.fitnyc.edu/library/|url-status=live}}</ref> FIT also has many computer labs for student use. The Instructional Media Services Department provides audiovisual and TV support and an in-house TV studio. Student work is also displayed throughout the campus. Fashion shows featuring the work of graduating Bachelor of Fine Arts students occur each academic year.
The Design/Research Lighting Laboratory, a development facility for interior design and other academic disciplines, features 400 commercially available lighting fixtures controlled by a computer. The Annette Green/Fragrance Foundation Laboratory is an environment for the study of fragrance development.
== Museum at FIT == {{Infobox museum | name = The Museum at FIT | image = File:The_Museum_at_FIT_(48206542922).jpg | image_size = | map_type = | latitude = | longitude = | established = 1969<ref>[http://www.fitnyc.edu/3399.asp "History of the Museum"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718205541/http://www.fitnyc.edu/3399.asp |date=July 18, 2011}} on the FIT website</ref> | type = Design/Textile Museum<ref>[http://www.fitnyc.edu/332.asp "About the Museum"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419055658/https://www.fitnyc.edu/332.asp |date=April 19, 2014}} on the FIT website</ref> | visitors = | director = Valerie Steele | curator = | public_transit = '''New York City Subway:''' {{NYCS Broadway-Seventh local day|time=bullets}} at 28th Street<br />'''New York City Bus:''' {{NYC bus link|M5|M7|M20|M23}} | website = {{url|https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum/|fitnyc.edu/museum}} }}
The '''Museum at FIT''', founded in 1969 as the Design Laboratory, includes collections of clothing, textiles, and accessories.
It began presenting exhibitions in the 1970s, utilizing a collection on long-term loan from the Brooklyn Museum of Art, and then over time acquiring its own collection as well as thousands of textiles and other fashion-related material. In 1993, the Board of Trustees of FIT, noting the significance of the Design Laboratory's collections and exhibitions, changed the institution's name to The Museum at FIT.<ref>Steele, Valerie, Suzy Menkes, Fred Dennis, Robert Nippoldt, N.Y.) Fashion Institute of Technology (New York, and Museum. 2012. ''Fashion designers: the collection of the Museum at FIT''. Köln; London: Taschen.</ref> In 2012, the museum was awarded accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums.
The museum's permanent collection now includes more than 50,000 garments and accessories from the 18th century to the present.<ref name="MenkesNYT">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/11/fashion/11iht-rsteele18.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 |title=The Freud of Fashion |date=February 10, 2012 |work=The New York Times |access-date=January 11, 2013 |archive-date=May 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522152458/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/11/fashion/11iht-rsteele18.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 |url-status=live}}</ref> Important designers such as Adrian, Balenciaga, Chanel, and Dior are represented. The collecting policy of the museum focuses on aesthetically and historically significant clothing, accessories, textiles and visual materials, with emphasis on contemporary avant-garde fashion.<ref name="MenkesNYT" />
There are three galleries in the museum. The lower level gallery is devoted to special exhibitions. The Fashion and Textile History Gallery on the main floor features a rotating selection of approximately 200 historically and artistically significant objects from the museum's permanent collection. Gallery FIT, also located on the main floor, is dedicated to student and faculty exhibitions.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fitnyc.edu/332.asp |title=About the Museum |publisher=fitnyc.edu |access-date=April 17, 2014 |archive-date=April 19, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419055658/https://www.fitnyc.edu/332.asp |url-status=dead}}</ref>
Past exhibitions include: ''London Fashion'', which received the first Richard Martin Award for Excellence in Costume Exhibitions from The Costume Society of America, ''The Corset: Fashioning the Body'', and ''Gothic: Dark Glamour''.<ref name="MenkesNYT" /> Other special exhibitions have included ''Isabel Toledo: Fashion From the Inside Out'', in which the inauguration day ensemble Isabel Toledo designed for Michelle Obama in 2008 was on display, and a look at sustainable fashion with ''Eco-Fashion: Going Green'', an exhibition from 2010 examining the past two centuries of fashion's good—and bad—environmental and ethical practices.
More than 100,000 people visit the Museum at FIT each year, attending exhibitions, lectures, and other events. Admission is free to the public.
Fashion historian Valerie Steele became director of the Museum in 2003,<ref name="MenkesNYT" /><ref name="The Couture Council to Honor Carolina Herrera">{{cite web |url=http://www.wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/herreras-honor-7417294?src=nl/mornReport/20140207 |title=The Couture Council to Honor Carolina Herrera |publisher=WWD |date=February 7, 2014 |access-date=February 7, 2014 |author=Karimzadeh, Marc |archive-date=February 26, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140226033621/http://www.wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/herreras-honor-7417294?src=nl/mornReport/20140207 |url-status=live}}</ref> and has also been named chief curator.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://valeriesteelefashion.com/blog/biography/|title=Valerie Steele Fashion » Biography|website=valeriesteelefashion.com|access-date=March 8, 2016|archive-date=May 31, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190531085338/http://valeriesteelefashion.com/blog/biography/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Controversies== In February 2020, the social media watchdog Diet Prada posted a critique of FIT after a fashion showcase that it alleged was racist.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Asmelash |first=Leah |date=2020-02-23 |title=Fashion Institute of Technology apologizes after fashion show evokes controversy over racist imagery |url=https://www.cnn.com/style/article/fashion-institute-of-technology-show-racist-trnd |access-date=2026-04-14 |agency=CNN |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Milman |first=Oliver |date=2020-02-20 |title=New York fashion college apologizes for runway show criticised as 'clearly racist' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/feb/20/fashion-institute-of-technology-apologizes-clearly-racist-runway-show |access-date=2026-04-14 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Freytas-Tamura |first=Kimiko de |date=2020-02-23 |title=F.I.T. Model Refuses to Wear ‘Clearly Racist’ Accessories |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/23/nyregion/fit-racist-fashion-show.html |access-date=2026-04-14 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=November 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241116095659/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/23/nyregion/fit-racist-fashion-show.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The show depicted models wearing exaggerated plastic lips and ear accessories.<ref name=":0" /> The sole black model in the showcase, Amy LeFevre declined to wear the items upon seeing the accessories, feeling that it entertained a history of racial caricature.<ref name=":0" /> The organizer of the controversial segment, Junkai Huang, was a recent MFA graduate from FIT and said that he was not aware of the history,<ref name=":1" /> that the paraphernalia was meant to reflect his "own body features and perceptions of their enlarged proportions, which should be celebrated and embraced."<ref name=":0" />
After the social media outcry, FIT President Joyce Brown publicly apologized to LeFevre and the other models, as well as Huang, who she excused from any racist intent.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Joyce |date=2020-02-22 |title=An Official Message from President Brown |url=https://news.fitnyc.edu/2020/02/21/an-official-message-to-the-fit-community-from-president-brown/ |access-date=2026-04-14 |website=FIT Newsroom |language=en-US |archive-date=May 9, 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260509214825/https://news.fitnyc.edu/2020/02/21/an-official-message-to-the-fit-community-from-president-brown/ |url-status=live}}</ref> She wrote that, instead of Huang,"those in charge of and responsible for overseeing the show failed to recognize or anticipate the racist references and cultural insensitivities that were obvious to almost everybody else."<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":0" /> She put the head of the graduate school, Amy Brown, and the chair of the fashion design department Jonathan Kyle Farmer on temporary administrative leave during the investigation.<ref name=":1" /> FIT students and faculty continued to criticize the school after Brown's apology, feeling that FIT had broader problems with racial discrimination and diversity, and that the administration had waited until a controversy to address the problems with the fashion show.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Freytas-Tamura |first=Kimiko de |date=2020-03-16 |title=Upheaval at Fashion Institute Over Accusations of Racism |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/16/nyregion/fashion-institute-technology-racism-lawsuit.html |access-date=2026-04-14 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=November 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241101175539/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/16/nyregion/fashion-institute-technology-racism-lawsuit.html |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2022, FIT opened a center for social justice, a decision it rooted in the 2020 conversations around racism at the school.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Weissman |first=Sara |title=Fashion Misstep Leads to New Social Justice Center |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/01/05/fit-launches-social-justice-center |access-date=2026-04-14 |website=Inside Higher Ed |language=en |archive-date=July 22, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250722074455/https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/01/05/fit-launches-social-justice-center |url-status=live}}</ref>
In November 2020, Davis was officially terminated from FIT.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Sundar |first=Sindhu |date=2021-07-20 |title=Former FIT Grad School Dean Doubles Down On Defamation Claims |url=https://wwd.com/business-news/legal/former-fit-grad-dean-doubles-down-on-defamation-claims-1234885716/ |access-date=2026-04-14 |website=WWD |language=en-US}}</ref> She sued the college, alleging that Brown's letter had defamed her and made her the scapegoat for the incident.<ref name=":4" /> New York State Supreme Court judge Lynn Kotler dismissed Davis's claim, ruling that the letter had not claimed anything untrue about Davis or her conduct.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Davis v Brown |url=https://law.justia.com/cases/new-york/other-courts/2024/2024-ny-slip-op-33777-u.html |access-date=2026-04-14 |website=Justia Law |language=en}}</ref> A separate FIT employee, longtime clerical worker Marjorie Phillips—who is black—sued the college in the Southern District of New York (SDNY) for what she claimed was FIT's failure to respond to reports she had made about racist behavior in the graduate school.<ref name=":3" /> SDNY magistrate judge Sarah Netburn dismissed Phillips case and ordered that her lawyer pay FIT's attorney fees.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Phillips v. Fashion Institute of Technology et al, No. 1:2020cv00221 - Document 164 (S.D.N.Y. 2024) |url=https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/new-york/nysdce/1:2020cv00221/529798/164/ |access-date=2026-04-14 |website=Justia Law |language=en}}</ref>
In September 2024, the Brandeis Center and the Anti Defamation League filed a civil rights complaint against FIT.<ref name="jns">Bandler, Aaron (6 November 2025). [https://www.jns.org/ed-dept-to-investigate-complaint-against-ny-fashion-school-over-jew-hatred-says-brandeis-center/ Ed Dept to investigate complaint against NY fashion school over Jew-hatred, says Brandeis Center] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251221211912/https://www.jns.org/ed-dept-to-investigate-complaint-against-ny-fashion-school-over-jew-hatred-says-brandeis-center/ |date=December 21, 2025}} Jewish National Syndicate. Retrieved on 18 December 2025</ref> The complaint alleged that Jewish students at FIT were subjected to "severe and pervasive" antisemitic harassment, discrimination, and disparate treatment in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.<ref name="jns" /> An anonymous Jewish student sued FIT in 2025, alleging that she was wrongly suspended after an incident with an anti-Israel protester during the 2024 protests against the Gaza war.<ref name="jns" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Pierre |first=Dion |date=November 7, 2025 |title=Brandeis Center Seeks Anonymity for Jewish Victim in Antisemitism Lawsuit |url=https://www.algemeiner.com/2025/11/07/brandeis-center-seeks-anonymity-jewish-victim-antisemitism-lawsuit/ |access-date=2026-04-14 |website=Algemeiner.com |language=en-US |archive-date=November 7, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251107215405/https://www.algemeiner.com/2025/11/07/brandeis-center-seeks-anonymity-jewish-victim-antisemitism-lawsuit/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Culhane |first=Mallory |date=February 5, 2025 |title=Jewish FIT Student Can Remain Anonymous for Now in Bias Lawsuit |url=https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/jewish-fit-student-can-remain-anonymous-for-now-in-bias-lawsuit |agency=Bloomberg Law}}</ref> SDNY judge John P. Cronan dismissed the case in July 2025 on the basis of the plaintiff's insubstantial justification for her anonymity.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Volokh |first=Eugene |date=2025-07-11 |title=No Pseudonymity for Plaintiff Suing Fashion Institute of Technology Over Alleged Anti-Semitic Discrimination |url=https://reason.com/volokh/2025/07/11/no-pseudonymity-for-plaintiff-suing-fashion-institute-of-technology-over-alleged-anti-semitic-discrimination/ |access-date=2026-04-14 |website=Reason.com |language=en-US |archive-date=March 10, 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260310192233/https://reason.com/volokh/2025/07/11/no-pseudonymity-for-plaintiff-suing-fashion-institute-of-technology-over-alleged-anti-semitic-discrimination/ |url-status=live}}</ref> FIT has stated that it "does not and will not tolerate antisemitism."<ref name="jns" />
== Alumni == {{main|List of Fashion Institute of Technology alumni}} <!-- Only the very best known, A-list people should go in this paragraph, the kind of person a non-fashion-oriented reader would recognize the name of. Everyone else should go into the separate alumni list. Please obtain talk-page consensus before adding other names here. --> <gallery mode="nolines"> File:Calvin Klein 2011 Shankbone.JPG|Calvin Klein, founder of Calvin Klein, Inc. File:Michael Kors, Photographed by Ed Kavishe for Fashion Wire Press.jpg|Michael Kors, fashion designer, President and CEO of Michael Kors File:Karenallen17 cropped.jpg|Karen Allen, actress File:Melissa McCarthy in 2018 (cropped).jpg|Melissa McCarthy, actress, comedian, writer and producer File:Laverne Cox at "The Apprentice" in NYC 01.jpg|Laverne Cox, actress and LGBT advocate File:Joel Schumacher at Taormina Film Fest 2003 (cropped).jpg|Joel Schumacher, director, producer, writer, costume designer </gallery> Well-known alumni of the school include the fashion designers Norma Kamali,<ref>Jackson, Kenneth, ed. 1995. "Fashion Institute of Technology". In ''The Encyclopedia of New York City'', 392–393. Yale University Press.</ref><ref>"Norma Kamali Fashion Designer | Norma Kamali Biography, Information, Videos, News and the Latest Runway Collections". 2016. Accessed January 24. http://fashion.infomat.com/norma-kamali-designer.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011034756/http://fashion.infomat.com/norma-kamali-designer.html|date=October 11, 2016}}.</ref> Calvin Klein,<ref name="FIT Alumni">{{Cite web|url=https://catalog.fitnyc.edu/undergraduate/thecollege/alumnioffit/|title=Alumni of FIT < Fashion Institute of Technology|website=catalog.fitnyc.edu}}</ref><ref>[http://www.cfda.com/index.php?option=com_cfda_content&task=members_display&user_name=CalvinKlein CFDA Member Profile: Calvin Klein]{{Dead link|date=May 2026 |bot=InternetArchiveBot}}. Council of Fashion Designers of America.</ref> Michael Kors (who did not complete his studies there),<ref name="deal">William Alden (February 4, 2014). [https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/02/04/michael-kors-is-now-a-billionaire/ "Michael Kors Is Now a Billionaire"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180124135809/https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/02/04/michael-kors-is-now-a-billionaire/ |date=January 24, 2018 }}. Dealbook. ''The New York Times''. Accessed September 2015.</ref> interior designer Scott Salvator,<ref name="Master Class">{{cite book |last1=Dellatore |first1=Carl |url=http://www.rizzoliusa.com/book.php?isbn=9780847848904 |title=Interior Design Master Class100 Lessons from America's Finest Designers on the Art of Decoration |date=October 11, 2016 |publisher=Rizzoli |isbn=978-0-8478-4890-4 |location=New York |page=cover, 54, 55}}</ref> actress and comedian Janelle James,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2023/tv/features/janelle-james-age-abbott-elementary-future-sexy-roles-1235587065/ |title=Janelle James on Refusing to Disclose Her Age, Hoping 'Abbott Elementary' Doesn't Last Forever and Why She's Not Interested in 'Sexy' Roles |date=April 19, 2023 |access-date=April 7, 2024 |archive-date=February 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240226045036/https://variety.com/2023/tv/features/janelle-james-age-abbott-elementary-future-sexy-roles-1235587065/ |url-status=live }}</ref> actresses Karen Allen and Melissa McCarthy,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nyswritersinstitute.org/post/albany-film-festival-spotlight-karen-allen |title=Albany Film Festival spotlight: Karen Allen |date=17 March 2022}}</ref> actress and LGBT advocate Laverne Cox<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.fitnyc.edu/2020/04/23/an-fit-guide-to-binge-watching/ |title=An FIT Guide to Binge-Watching |date=April 23, 2020 |access-date=April 25, 2024 |archive-date=April 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240425233155/https://news.fitnyc.edu/2020/04/23/an-fit-guide-to-binge-watching/ |url-status=live}}</ref> and film director Joel Schumacher.<ref>[https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800018580/bio Joel Schumacher Biography] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118041228/http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800018580/bio|date=January 18, 2012}}. Yahoo! Movies.</ref>
== Notes == {{Reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category}} *{{official|http://www.fitnyc.edu/}}
{{SUNY}} {{Northeast U.S. Art Colleges}} {{Four year Colleges and Universities in metropolitan New York|state=collapsed}} {{Museums in Manhattan}} {{authority control}}
Category:Fashion Institute of Technology Category:1944 establishments in New York City Category:Art schools in New York City Category:Chelsea, Manhattan Category:Universities and colleges established in 1944 Category:Fashion schools in the United States Category:Midtown Manhattan Category:NJCAA schools Category:Seventh Avenue (Manhattan) Category:Universities and colleges in Manhattan Category:Universities and colleges in New York City Category:State University of New York community colleges Category:Community colleges in New York City