The Museum at FIT Fashion Culture Podcast

Paul Martineau, curator of photographs at the J. Paul Getty Museum, and author of the new book "Rodney Smith: A Leap of Faith," joins David Campany, ICP curator at large, in conversation. They discuss the work of photographers Rodney Smith (1947-2016) and William Klein (1926-2022) and what makes fashion photography art. This event was held September 27, 2023. Read Transcript | Watch the full video with captions on YouTube. The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion in New York City. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum

Nick Knight and Amy de la Haye engage in a conversation about his photographs of roses for The Museum at FIT's 24th academic symposium Ravishing: The Rose in Fashion held on April 30, 2021. This virtual event explored how the beauty, mythology, and symbolism of the rose have long influenced fashionable dress. #RoseInFashion Nick Knight OBE is one of the world's most visionary, innovative and creative image makers. Working primarily in the realms of fashion and style, his award-winning images have been instrumental in challenging conventional notions of beauty and identity. In order to champion fashion film and develop a forum to explore experimental technologies, he launched what was to become the award-winning SHOWStudio website in 2000. He has developed his passion for posting iPhone photographs of “Roses from my Garden” on Instagram to create major unique artworks that explore AI. Amy de la Haye is Professor of Dress History & Curatorship and Joint Director of the Centre for Fashion Curation at London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London. She has worked as a curator, interpreting museum collections and archives for thirty years; from 1990 to 1991 she was Curator of 20th Century Dress at the Victoria and Albert Museum. She has published extensively on subjects including British fashion, curatorship and practices of collecting; the Women’s Land Army; subcultures; the Worth archive and is author of the V&A’s "Clara Button" books for children. Her next major project involves working, with Simon Costin, on a series of exhibitions on British folklore costume. Watch the video with captions on YouTube. The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion in New York City. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum Image: "Sunday 6th, November 2016." Courtesy of Nick Knight.

Leading celebrity stylist Misa Hylton joined FIT professor Elena Romero in conversation on November 17, 2022. Hylton is acclaimed for creating iconic looks such as the purple pastie-and-pantsuit ensemble worn by Lil’ Kim at MTV’s 1999 Video Music Awards and Beyoncé’s leather MCM bustier and trench coat worn in the 2018 “Apesh*t” music video. Hylton’s past clients include Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent, Missy Elliott, Faith Evans, and Kimora Lee Simmons. She is the founder of the Misa Hylton Fashion Academy, which offers education for creatives looking to build a successful career in the fashion world. Watch the full video with captions on YouTube. The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion in New York City. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum Image courtesy of Misa Hylton.

In February of 2021, Stella Jean, the Italian-Haitian fashion designer, joined Dr. Valerie Steele, director of MFIT, for a discussion on expanding diversity in the Italian fashion system. Stella Jean, whose clients include Rihanna and Beyoncé, collaborates with artisans in Africa and Haiti, and has been an advocate for Black designers in Italy. Watch the full video with captions on YouTube. The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion in New York City. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum

New York-based fashion designer, Nicole Miller joined Dr. Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of The Museum at FIT, in conversation to discuss Miller’s career in fashion. After studying at Rhode Island School of Design and mastering the classic French techniques of Haute Couture while at Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in Paris, Miller founded her namesake brand in 1982. Her vision is grounded in empowering women who want to look and feel their best, while also making the world a better place through her philanthropy. Miller’s designs have been seen on Beyoncé, Blake Lively, Miley Cyrus, Keke Palmer, and Angelina Jolie among others. She has been the recipient of multiple industry awards and is a CFDA member. (Recorded October 26, 2022) Watch the full video with captions on YouTube. The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion in New York City. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum Intro music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/corinne/ecstatic License code: 5UKIMK33CBRHVVEZ

In a special collaboration with Radio Cherry Bombe, host Kerry Diamond interviews Melissa Marra-Alvarez and Elizabeth Way, curators of The Museum at FIT exhibition Food & Fashion. Together, they discuss Elsa Schiaparelli’s lobster dress, Rachel Antonoff’s pasta puffer, this summer’s grocery girl trend, and more. This episode first launched on Radio Cherry Bombe’s podcast on September 18, 2023. View transcript | Learn more about Radio Cherry Bombe The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion in New York City. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum Intro music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/corinne/ecstatic License code: 5UKIMK33CBRHVVEZ

Co-curators of ¡Moda Hoy! Latin American and Latinx Fashion– Tanya Meléndez-Escalante and Melissa Marra-Alvarez – discuss their curatorial process in putting together the exhibition, which showcased the fashion contributions of designers of Latin American descent. On view from May 31 - August 27, 2023, the exhibition was organized into thematic sections such as art, craftsmanship, elegance, gender, Indigenous heritage, politics, popular culture, and sustainability. It sought to challenge stereotypes about fashion by designers of Latin American heritage, moving away from a notion of a singular Latin American style and drawing attention to a diversity of talent. View transcript. The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion in New York City. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/corinne/ecstatic License code: 5UKIMK33CBRHVVEZ Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/sensho/glow License code: APID38PS7AJZ7CHA

Recorded in 2021, Uruguayan-born fashion designer Gabriela Hearst takes a stroll down memory lane with Dr. Valerie Steele as they discuss how growing up on the family ranch influenced Hearst’s designs as well as how she rolled out not one but three collections during the pandemic. She is the winner of the 2016/2017 International Woolmark Prize for Womenswear, the 2020 CFDA American Womenswear Designer of the Year Award, and the recipient of the 2023 Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion. (Recorded October 4, 2021) Watch the full video with captions on YouTube. The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion in New York City. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum

Elizabeth Hawes is known for her timeless fashion designs and her written critique of the fashion system, such as in her 1940 book Fashion is Spinach. In this conversation moderated by author and podcaster April Calahan, professors and fashion historians Lourdes Font (FIT) and Francesca Granata (The New School) discuss the importance of Hawes in American fashion. She was an American designer, author, labor organizer, and social critic whose ideas many praise to be decades before her time. Over the course of her career, Hawes questioned the division between menswear and womenswear, advocated for what we call today “slow fashion", designed elegant yet practical pieces, and sought to reform working conditions in the fashion industry. (Recorded March 7, 2023) Watch the full video with captions on YouTube. The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion in New York City. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum

In 2013, The Museum at FIT hosted its A Queer History of Fashion symposium in conjunction with the exhibition of the same name. The cultural commentator Fran Lebowitz was one of the more than twenty participants, and she joined Valerie Steele to discuss – in her quintessential acerbic style – Marlene Dietrich suits, San Francisco vs New York, the appeal of leather, and recurring ("horrible") fashions. (Recorded Friday, November 8, 2013) View transcript. The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion in New York City. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum

Philip Gefter’s book What Becomes a Legend Most: A Biography of Richard Avedon is a study of the legendary photographer’s life. A fashion photographer and portrait artist, Avedon’s subjects included some of the most notable figures of the twentieth century including James Baldwin, Audrey Hepburn, Truman Capote, and Marilyn Monroe, as well as iconic models such as Donyale Luna and Jean Shrimpton. The book offers a detailed and luminous portrait of the man and his era. Gefter talks with MFIT curator Melissa Marra-Alvarez about Avedon’s early years and his transformative work for Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue, among other topics. Watch the full video with captions on YouTube. The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion in New York City. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum

In 2019, Zandra Rhodes and Fern Mallis discussed "Zandra Rhodes: 50 Fabulous Years in Fashion," a book that celebrates Rhodes' 50-year career in fashion and textile design. Both a fashion trailblazer and a consummate textile designer, Zandra Rhodes influences the work of contemporary labels such as Mary Katrantzou and Alice Temperley. The book honors the centrality of textile design in Rhodes’s work, while exploring the versatility of her imagination throughout her long career. Watch the full video with captions on YouTube. The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion in New York City. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum

Berlin was a fashion capital in the 1920s, with hundreds of thriving clothing manufacturers, most of them Jewish, before it was destroyed by the Nazis. Author Uwe Westphal shares this history in a discussion with FIT historian Keren Ben-Horin and journalist Jennifer Altmann, whose grandfather ran one of Berlin’s fashion houses. Organized in collaboration with the Museum at Eldridge Street. Watch the full video with captions on YouTube. The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion in New York City. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum

Couture designer Ronald van der Kemp and The New Fashion Initiative founder Lauren B. Fay discuss van der Kemp's career and his devotion to craftsmanship, upcycling and reducing waste in fashion. Ronald van der Kemp is a Dutch fashion designer and founder of demi-couture fashion house RVDK, his namesake label, which shows at Paris Couture week and uses exclusively upcycled fabric. Lauren Fay has spent her career committed to improving sustainability, transparency and accountability in the fashion industry. The New Fashion Initiative (TNFI) was born out of a need to create a more collaborative and interdisciplinary approach to fashion and brings together brands, nonprofits and academics to educate future industry leaders. Watch the full video with captions on YouTube. The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion in New York City. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum

On November 5, 2022, Regan de Loggans (Mississippi Choctaw) moderated a conversation with Jeffrey Gibson and Korina Emmerich. Each discussed their experience working as Native Americans in creative industries, weaving in current issues of diversity and sustainability. Gibson is an award-winning Choctaw-Cherokee artist, whose work combines traditional Native American elements with contemporary references. Emmerich is the founder of EMME, a fashion brand, which reflects her indigenous heritage stemming from the Coast Salish territory, Puyallup tribe. Watch the full video with captions on YouTube. The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion in New York City. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum

Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Robin Givhan, in conversation with Dr. Valerie Steele, discuss the current relationship between fashion, politics, and power. Drawing on her experience as The Washington Post's senior critic-at-large, Givhan addresses such potent sartorial symbols as the Hawaiian and golf shirts worn by the boogaloo boys and the yellow ensembles worn by mothers protesting in Portland. Watch the full video with captions on YouTube. The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion in New York City. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum

On September 15, 2020, Fashion designer Prabal Gurung and MFIT Director Valerie Steele discussed the designer's innovative and international career. With over 80 percent of his collections made in New York, Gurung is committed to sustaining domestic employment, income, and production. His family’s Shikshya Foundation Nepal provides education to children to impact his country’s future. Watch the full video with captions on YouTube. The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion in New York City. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum

On October 16, 2019, model Veronica Webb and Rory Tahari, the CEO and founder of State of Mind Partners, discussed the future of fashion and the impact of digital technology. Drawing on their decades of fashion experience, Webb and Tahari addressed blogging, online/mobile shopping, and innovative manufacturing methods, such as 3D printing and robotic sewing. Watch the full video with captions on YouTube. The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion in New York City. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum

For The Museum at FIT's Pink Symposium, Tanya Melendez-Escalante, MFIT senior curator of education and public program, explored the history of the color “Mexican pink” and how it has been used by fashion designers and architects from Mexico. Watch the full video with captions on YouTube. The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion in New York City. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum

Randy Cohen, creator of the public radio program Person Place Thing, says his guests are at their most engaging when they talk about whatever they find most meaningful. In an interview recorded for broadcast, Cohen asks MFIT Director Valerie Steele about her own most memorable person, place, and thing. Watch the full video with captions on YouTube. The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion in New York City. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum