Returning to Her Roots

THE PIVOT PANDEMIC

When COVID-19 shut down campus life at FIT, some students, against all odds, flourished. We asked some of these “students in the time of corona’’ how they’ve adapted to the pandemic.

BY ALEX JOSEPH ’15

FIT IN TEXAS

Name: Muskan Manzoor

Major: Fashion Business Management The Pivot: Stuck at home in Houston, fi rst-year student Manzoor started writing for Blush, FIT’s student magazine about beauty, fashion, and culture. She’s also found work as a social media manager for a jewelry company.

How did you first get interested in the fashion industry?

I was born in Brooklyn but I grew up in Bangladesh, and we moved to Texas eight years ago. In Bangladeshi culture you see a lot of rich, ethnic styles, but not high fashion, so here in Houston at first I was like a kid in a candy shop. Then I visited New York, I went to The Met and saw the fashion exhibition there, and I was like, “This is what I want to do.”

I bet you never thought you’d be spending your first semester at home in Houston?

FIT was my dream school, partly because it’s in Manhattan. It feels a little lonely here. The biggest loss is meeting everyone in person and going places together. My fashion business classes at least give me a sense of what it’s like in New York.

You’ve joined the FIT community as a writer for the student beauty, fashion, culture magazine Blush. What have you written about?

I did a piece about body-positive TikTokers. My favorite was Nabela. She’s Bangladeshi-American, like me, and she’s like the older sister we all wish we had. Her clothing line Zeba, a size-inclusive brand, is all about changing the sizing standard with the message, “You are more than a label.” Seeing her take on the world of fashion and beauty is inspiring. I can’t wait to be on campus so I can do the Blush photo shoots.

Meanwhile, you’ve found a job that’s relevant to your future business degree.

I’m the social media manager for a local jewelry store. Their audience is an older crowd, so I’m learning new strategies for engagement. I already had my own blog, Live With Mimi (that’s my nickname), where I analyze current trends. I’m also really active on social media, so being virtual wasn’t such a big adjustment.

ALL THE RIGHT MOVES

Over the summer, you found a position with Fashion Week Brooklyn.

It started as an internship, but then I got promoted to Young Designers Coordinator. I sourced designers from all around New York. Some were alumni, some were friends, and some were just super talented. It was a virtual fashion show, filmed with drones at an indoor soccer field in Sunset Park in September. Everyone had to wear a mask.

Name: Joi Berry Major: Communication Design ’21 The Pivot: Berry had a challenging spring ’20 semester, but last fall she took on an ambitious role in a signifi cant Brooklyn fashion event, and she’s planning to start her own business.

During the pandemic, FIT forged a relationship with the National Society of Leadership and Success, which you qualified for. What’s the experience been like?

NSLS trains student leaders on a national level—there are scholarships and job listings, and virtual workshops on how to be a leader and how to be a team player. One was with Suze Orman, the financial advisor. When I was 7 or 8, my mom and I watched her on TV. People would ask her banking questions, and she’d say, “Denied! Next question!” I love her.

Last spring, you helped organize the exhibition, a celebration of Black in Time Black culture through fashion, featuring work by students, faculty, and alumni, in FIT’s Art and Design Gallery. What was it like?

I was super, super hands-on. I was the director of digital marketing and public relations of FIT’s Black Student Union (now I’m the president), which organized the exhibition, and I helped bring designer Dapper Dan and stylist Misa Hylton to campus. We also held a runway presentation I curated and coordinated called “Fashion Comes to Life.”

Are you planning to stay in New York after graduation?

It’s kind of the perfect time to kickstart personal projects, with so many apart- ments available without a broker’s fee or with two months rent free. I signed a lease for the next six months, so that’s very exciting. I’m really good at branding, marketing, and promotion, so I’m starting my own agency to promote inclusivity in the industry. If I want to be an entrepre- neur, coordinate fashion shows, curate exhibitions, and go forward with my passion, it means staying here.

Why did you join the BSU? What does it mean for you personally?

I grew up in predominantly white spaces, so I was looking for a place where I could feel loved and included for the color of my skin. In the BSU, I instantly felt that. I didn’t need to conform to a stereotype, or filter myself. There’s no sense of competi- tion. We all want the best for each other.

And then COVID hit.

When classes first moved online in March, I went home to Florida. Then FIT shut down, and all I had was a suitcase full of clothes and my laptop. This semester, it’s not horrible, but some things are just not as good online. We had to build a model in a software program that’s hard to teach well online.

Joshua Villas (FIT Photography Sophomore student @ghast.raw via Instagram) from The Reinvented Agency