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By Beatrice Nicolini (AMC ‘25)
In the reign of the unconventionals, one would expect womanhood to take up structures and tangents that differ, exploring “a room of one’s own” as the good old Virginia Woolf would say. Yet, as these four profiles unveil, one can’t help but think of womanhood as a unique, but shared experience.
For many women, the aspiration started from childhood.
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Learn how the MET Museum showcases their costume exhibit in honor of Women’s History Month by highlighting female designers.
“I started my photography business when I was 15,” says Alyssa Klein (AMC ‘26), “then I moved here and I heard back from the scout at State [modeling agency] that reached out to me when I was 16.” Now, after being on the cover of Shape, shot for Kylie Cosmetics, and being in charge of public relations for the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Blush Magazine, she reminisces with a smile, “I was always super insecure, I was shorter than the average…I never thought I would be able to [model], but I kept pushing.”
Similarly, Teresa Wright (TC ‘25) has a passion for stitching and sewing that began at 11 years old, a passion so strong that she pursued a degree in fashion design, went door-to-door to promote her work, and pivoted toward a career in corporate America that would span 27 years. Still, she retired with a dream, “once the pandemic happened, everything changed, and I thought, if there’s a time to be able to learn and not have to unlearn, now it’s the time.”
FIT seems to have filled the hole for many. Nina Ishii (FBM ‘24) recalls, “As a freshman, I remember having to create a mood board for a brand assignment. It took me all day to put it together, but the feedback I received was pretty straightforward: ‘You made this because you want to do it.’” At the time, Nina said she didn’t understand it, but with extensive experiences as an intern for Carolina Herrera and founder of her brand of crochet bags, Nina New York, she found her path.
Certainly, such success comes from a share of hard work. Mackenzie Harding (AMC ‘24) knows this well as president of BSU, secretary of Diversity and Inclusion for SGU, vice president of RHA, and an intern on top of it all. “Sometimes
people are like ‘why do you do so much,’ but you only get one life,” she says, “I wanna be the type of woman who left earth better than how she found it.”
In a world of adversities, bias, financial struggle, and sexism, women prevail despite their defenselessness against the male gaze that deems them vulnerable. After all, as Mackenzie and her friends often say, “one of the worst things you can do is to try to lead like a man,” recognizing the importance of sincere emotions and mentorship to build a communal vision based on team effort, “transforming dreams into tangible, handcrafted creations,” as Nina would say.
When asked, “What advice would you give to the next generation of women?” Teresa paused. “I wish I had a quick answer,” she said, “can I give it some thought?” Little did she know, she had already answered. Her experience, along with Mackenzie, Alyssa, and Nina’s, embodied the simplest of truths: although it would be impossible to represent every single woman here, we get it, even when the world doesn’t always get us.
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Dedicated to the women throughout history who have sculpted and paved the way for female sovereignty, Basin Art Gallery has taken on a new level of gravity.
SERVING THE COMMUNITY P09
What makes, or doesn’t make, FIT a community? Is it the students? Professors? Clubs? Read about how FIT’s adjunct professors serve our school’s community.
Beatrice Nicolini
Emily Simon
Ava Ferrise
Kinleigh Alnutt
Sydney Harmon
Abby Koehnen
Alice Liu
Kimberlyn Vasil
Haneen Elmeswari
Christian Centero
Lara Colome
Alisha Singh
Madison Barton
Grace O’Hanlon
Emerald Rucks
Norberto Perez
Emily Simon
Jessica Lyle
Danny Alvarado
Tiffany Hoang
Alex Zuniga
Sierra Gomez
Amina Sokolji
Madison Barton
Bonnie Wong
Jessica Ehrenfeld
Emily Simon
Thalia Merino
Amina Sokolji
Julia Kobeszko
Jessica Camargo
Abigail Koehnen
Ava Ferrise
Heer Sharma
Kimberlyn Vasil
Ellen Davidson
Alexandra Mann
In honor of International Women’s History Month, I believe it’s beyond evident to mention the world-challenging journalist and social activist, Gloria Steinem. From her decadeslong fight for women’s equality to her ability to stand up for all women everywhere, she and her accomplishments should never be overlooked by anyone.
Steinem was born on March 25, 1934, in a world with a completely different idea of womanhood. She attended Smith College, a private women’s school in Massachusetts, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree. After graduating, Steinem went to India for a few years as a Chester Bowles Asian Fellow, where she met Mahatma Gandhi (whom she modeled her entire career after.) Once back in the States, she took her first journalism job in 1960 at the short-lived satire magazine “Help!”
From the 1960s onward, she has constantly been in the limelight of both the journalism and activism worlds. Her groundbreaking stories have challenged even the most unchallengeable opinions of the time. Steinem’s 1969 article for New York Magazine discussed an abortion speak-out event, which caused her to shift towards being an activist for women’s rights everywhere after listening to the pro-reproductive freedom stories told. She proceeded to co-found the feminist magazine, “Ms.” which was viewed by many as a voice for women by women.
Between fighting revolutions and ignoring resistance, Steinem also had her notorious retro-fashion sense to keep ahead. Her “power outfit” would be her go-to attire while either in the office of Ms. Magazine or marching for women’s rights. According to the British Vogue article, “It’s Okay To Be Obsessed With Gloria Steinem’s Style,” “70s Steinem was most often to be found in a polo-neck and flares, accessorized with a low-slung belt, waist-grazing pendant, and any number of slogan badges.” She would particularly wear concho belts, from Navajo tradition worn in pre-patriarchal society.
Ms. Steinem was certainly fighting against oppressive stereotypes and writing what she believes, no matter the consequence; Gloria was going to look and feel like a “rad bitch” in charge, to quote the American writer Lena Dunham.
March 8th, 2024. This brisk Friday evening, dedicated to the women throughout history who have sculpted and paved the way for female sovereignty, has taken on a new level of gravity for Basin Art Gallery in quiet Red Hook Brooklyn.
Redolences of herbs and spices waft about the air. The room smells of the color red when you walk in, like the balmy embrace of a nurturer, a virtuoso. Upon initial gait into the ornamental haven that is Basin Gallery located in the quaint neighborhood of Red Hook Brooklyn you are met with the riveting works of Valero Larko, guest curator for “Speak Up! Women Art & Social Justice.” Tonight is Basin’s opening night.
There is oil on wood framed and stretched canvas. A train of vapor plays tag with the plane flying across the canvas. The plane, hovering above a billboard reads “Abortionfunds.org.’’
Basin Gallery, owned and operated by Jaimie Walker and Liz Galvin, is an allfemale enterprise. Walker and Galvin have taken the reposing neighborhood by storm. The opening night for, “Speak Up! Women Art & Social Justice,” is bustling. Herds of people parade in and out throughout the evening, offering their congratulations to these female composers. “It’s an exhibition that hits home in a lot of ways, we are proud to put controversy out there,”Galvin says.
“I consider myself more a visual storyteller, I like to get to know the places I paint,” says Larko, the artist behind this painting and the guest curator for the exhibition.
“There are significant changes [to the Abortion.org painting], the red under the wording used to be black,” Larko continues, “The red signifies the blood shed by the women who will get injured trying to conduct abortions using hangers, and similar dangerous practices because they are desperate. We need not go back to that horrible time.”
Larko speaks with a tenacious inelasticity, “Abortion is healthcare, anyone who disagrees does not understand women or women’s healthcare.” Primitive resources for women’s health have been not only trademarked as taboo but also lacerated from accessibility.
Airco Caravan, one of four artists commissioned at Basin’s exhibition, takes the interpretation quite literally. A handmade crown glistens atop her fiery red hair with the aluminum encasing of birth control pills.
Variability takes its form in Caravna’s art as well. Cleaning spray bottles, cans resembling Raid, and tapestries depict various phrases such as, “Bans off our Bodies, Reproductive Freedom,” and “Zap A Racist.” “Wouldn’t it be nice if we had products like spray cans to get rid of all the garbage in our society, racism, misogyny, everything,” Caravan says..
Although relatively new to New York City, the Swedish artist recognizes the disparities amongst women and women of color in creative spaces. “Women, particularly women of color, are very much not seen, equally treated, or equally paid. There is still a lot of work to do before men and women are equal,” Caravan says.
Even at a swift glance, you cannot withdraw from the shackles of eye contact with the subject in Rodriguez Calero’s acrollage (collage) painting, “Demystify.” Colors, rich and caked, exude the sweet impeccability of Calero’s use of patterns and singularity. Her conceptions for this exhibition are her interpretations of master artist work. It addresses contentions such as rape and tragedies within her Puerto Rican heritage.
“Women are abused and thrown. I chose a woman of color [for this painting] because I wanted to bring that to the surface,” Calero says. The devotion to art and advocacy is primitive in each artist’s disposition.
Arlene Rush, an artist behind the resin and acrylic crosses resembling that of female reproductive systems, becomes more roused with each piece we review together. Addressing issues of feminism, societal norms, and capitalism, Rush transfuses spirit directly into her sculptures. “The whole idea of women getting engaged, told to find a man who will take care of them, well, that’s not life!” Referencing her sculptures, Rush continues, “Is that all there is?”
Red bricks line up in succession expanding across the wall. Their warmth juxtaposes the somber sentiments of Diana Higgin’s masonry. She divulges, “I really approach this as a graffiti artist, that’s how I started,
it taught me how to take the power for myself.” Oil paintings depict stone-cold statues, standing for decrepit ideals of predilection. With animosity, Higgins slathers the sculptures with blistering graffiti, calling for their demise.
Higgins’ passion extends beyond advocacy. Her physical ambition practically bursts through the expression on her face. “This series focuses on the pandemic protest, I felt F.O.M.O (fear of missing out) quarantining when I really wanted to be out tackling monuments.”
Larko, Walker, Galvin, Calero, Caravan, Rush, and Higgins stand as a paragon of feminine eminence and artistry. The blossoming of female continuance in a space where men are sanctioned serves to physically house female momentum in the world of ingenuity and advocacy.
The whole idea of women getting engaged told to find a man who will take care of them, well, that’s not life! Is that all there is?
In 2024, it’s no secret that this has been the decade of female empowerment, shedding lightonindividualsandgroupswhodeserve our love and attention. Diversifying and remodeling creative industries for the betterment of the next generation of artists has quickly become a mainstream goal.
It is also the goal of leaders such as Dr. Joyce F.Brown, president of the Fashion Institute of Technology, the first woman and person of color to hold this position; stylist, model and fashion director of Interview Magazine, Dara Allen; portrait photographer Camila Falquez, Rujeko Hockley, the assistant art curator at the Whitney Museum of Art and an immigrant from Zimbabwe; and Wendy Whelan, associate art director at the New York City Ballet.
On March 14th, in the middle of Women’s History Month, FIT hosted a panel discussion, “Defying Expectations: A Talk Celebrating Women in the Arts and Education,” featuring these influential women. The discussion was led by award-winning journalist Alina Cho, a contributor to CBS Sunday Morning.
Don’t give away your power,” Dr. Brown strongly advises.
Indeed, the panelists serve as examples of defying expectations. They have all had their share of difficulties that they overcame to reach their positions of power.
In her forties, Whelan suffered a fall that led to her retirement from ballet dancing, which she pursued despite being diagnosed with scoliosis at twelve. She wanted to remain active in the dancing world but struggled to find the right place for her.
“In the ballet world, it’s very patriarchal,” she explains. “I didn’t see women leadership.” Despite this, Whelan went on to become the first woman to hold a major role in the NYCB as an artistic director.
Additionally, Allen also had to conquer hardships when beginning her career. After moving to New York City to pursue fashion as a career in her early twenties, she struggled to get signed to a modeling agency due to being transgender.
However, in 2016, Allen received a message on Instagram from the Marc Jacobs casting team, asking her to model in the brand’s upcoming show. Since then, Allen has grown into a trailblazer in the fashion industry, promoting a more diverse runway.
It’s no surprise that these women are highly driven and dedicated to their respective forms of art. In the face of rejection, they all agree that staying focused on their paths has helped them take on the opposition.
Falquez, who has photographed the likes of Vice President Kamala Harris and Zendaya, tells the audience that she is motivated by surrounding herself with fellow creatives. In terms of overcoming rejection, Falquez avoids oppressive spaces and recommends creating your own structure to formulate and expand individual creativity.
“You belong in every room that you’re in. You belong in every space that you’re occupying, you’re there for a reason,” Hockley remembers learning from a similar panel she once attended.
Maintaining a positive mindset has aided her throughout her career as a curator. She’s mindful of the thoughts she feeds to herself, intending to stay as positive as possible and push out the negative thinking — the things she wouldn’t want someone else to say about her.
“Don’t give away your power,” Dr. Brown strongly advises.
She stresses the importance of making an impactful legacy in the field being tackled and pursued. “When I am gone, I want [them] to know I was here,” she says. Inspiringly, she finds her destiny to “make the path, to create open doors, to make a difference in the space you’re given.”
As president, Dr. Brown founded the
Social Justice Center, which has aided students from underprivileged
communities with the resources to educate them into future diverse leaders in creative and artistic industries. She calls this one of her proudest accomplishments.
During the panel, the question of how women should be invited to high-ranking, influential positions was raised, and the group was very enthusiastic and had several ideas.
For Whelan, it is about embracing diversity, which she makes a priority. Both on and off the stage, she has welcomed people of color to the NYCB. “Show them [the audience] what’s possible,” she encourages.
Allen added that it is important to lead and support women. She wants to inspire them, to which Cho adds that “setting an example” is key to getting more young women to use their artistic abilities to make careers for themselves.
Embark on a journey through winding forest paths with the FIT Theatre Club’s upcoming spring musical, “Into the Woods.” Follow the intertwining stories of beloved fairytale characters as they venture into the depths of the woods, each on a quest to fulfill their innermost desires at any cost. From Cinderella’s wish for a better life to Little Red Riding Hood’s encounter with the Big Bad Wolf, every twist and turn throughout the story holds secrets, surprises, and unexpected encounters. Join us for an unforgettable evening filled with laughter, romance, reflection, and adventure. Mark your calendars and experience the wonder of this spellbinding production from May 2 through May 4 at 7 p.m. in the Haft Theatre. Keep an eye out for announcements on how to acquire your tickets and prepare to be transported into a world where wishes are granted and stories expand well beyond the confines of “ever after.”
TThe Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute recently hosted an exhibition entitled “Women Dressing Women,” which was on display from Dec. 7, 2023, to March 10, 2024. It highlighted the work of over 70 different female womenswear designers and included garments dating from 1910 to the present day. Split into four different sections, Anonymity, Visibility, Agency, and Absence/Omission, the exhibition explored the complexities behind what it means to design for the female form. “Women Dressing Women” was a celebration of women’s legacies in fashion.
When visiting the exhibition, visitors were enamored by the stunning garments, the rich history, and the overall curation. However, what visitors weren’t able to see was the work
that went on behind the scenes during the preparation of the exhibition. Joyce Fung, the Installation Manager for Exhibitions and Special Projects at The Costume Institute, is one of the many professionals behind the making of “Women Dressing Women.” For Fung, a typical day at work is hands-on. Her responsibilities include dressing mannequins, photographing them for promotional materials, working on gallery installations, and, less glamorously, answering a lot of emails.
For “Women Dressing Women,” Fung was responsible for the mounting of costumes on mannequins, dress forms, and invisible mounts, as well as assisting in mannequin selection, posing, and styling. In tandem with collaborators in Collections, Curation, and Conservation, she and her colleagues
Mannequins provide cohesion within sections and also mark a progression in themes.”
were the faces behind the creation of visual elements for the exhibition. For Fung, mannequin selection is an important part of supporting curation themes within exhibitions. For “Women Dressing Women,” there were many considerations when choosing how to display these costumes.
“The use of clear mannequins was informed by the idea of erasure and played on the transparency and reflections of the 2-way mirror separating the paired costumes,” says Fung when discussing the mannequin choice for the Absence/Omission section. “Mannequins provide cohesion within sections and also mark a progression in themes.” The legacy of exhibitions such as this one will not go unnoticed. Fung hopes that visitors to “Women Dressing Women” recognize The Met’s dedication to highlighting the history of women and showcasing their powerful work. She also hopes visitors recognize “the limitless beauty, creativity, and intelligence of female designers.”
Cockrum encourages other students looking to enter this field of work to take advantage of every opportunity FIT has to offer. “Go to the library, visit special collections, see all of the exhibitions at the Museum and the Art and Design Gallery, and go to museums as often as you can,” she says. “I probably learn just as much going to museums as I did being in school.”
The importance of fashion in women’s lives [is] not in terms of selfexpression but also livelihood, craft, and community.
Though “Women Dressing Women” is an exhibition that was being developed for many years before Cockrum began her internship at The Costume Institute, she still enjoyed the part she got to play. For her role in the installation, she worked on mannequin dressing, assisting in their installation and press photography.
Working with Fung at The Costume Institute at The Met is FIT graduate and Virginia Barbato intern Izabel Cockrum. Having completed her associate’s in fashion design in May of 2023, she has been interning in this role at the museum since June. Cockrum feels that her time at FIT well prepared her for her current position with The Costume Institute. However, she says that her time working at the Art and Design Gallery in the Pomerantz building provided her with the most useful experience. It was in this role that she began working with gallery installations, art handling, and mannequin dressing.
Cockrum hopes museum visitors saw “that there is no singular, definitive answer to the question of what a woman designer is and what qualities as a designer she may possess.” Cockrum sees “Women Dressing Women” as an exhibition that achieved more than simply highlighting the achievements of various womenswear designers and their decades of work. “While all of these designers are in fact women, their lives, inspirations, and creativity are individual and varied, and I think the ensembles on view spoke to that,” says Cockrum. “The importance of fashion in women’s lives [is] not just in terms of self-expression but also in livelihood, craft, and community.”
AI technology is the talk of the age – full of excitement, anticipation, and fear. No one can deny the transformative potential of this new tool that many are looking to harness. At the DTech Symposium on March 24, 2024 at the Fashion Institute of Technology, industry leaders from business, art, design, and technology gathered together to discuss the power, potential, and caveats surrounding our increasingly advancing technology.
The program began with opening remarks from Dr. Joyce F. Brown, the president of FIT, followed by our speakers: Cyril Foiret, the founder and creative director of Maison Meta, Norma Kamali, Founder, fashion icon and FIT alumna, Marc Beckman, the CEO of DMA United, Senior Fellow Emerging Technology NYU and Professor Luxury Marketing NYU, Host, Some Future Day, Keven Fried, the managing director, branded apparel and durables luxury and business applications at Google, Carl Axel Wahlstrröm, creative director, Karl Haller, a partner, consumer center of competency leader at IBM, and Heather Gentile, the executive director of product management in IBM Data and AI.
Carl Axel Wahlström touches upon the ability of AI to promote equal representation across races and ethnicities in model casting. He states that, “by working with real models and real model agencies when you’re casting… you always have like 80% of Western types
of girls 20% from other nationalities, so it’s quite rare that you actually get the chance to book them but now with AI and with the advancements during the last six months, the representation of the public has has been so much bigger.”
To add to the positive hopes for AI, Karl Haller points to the potential for businesses to adopt AI to increase efficiency and automation, specially in acquiring and arming store associates with business and customer data that they can use to boost the customer experience. AI can also streamline and optimize information for employees, which would greatly improve the usual retail experiences Haller had in the past: …when I was in retail, we push out to PDFs and you have to go print it and read it in the backroom.
[Now] they’re all on their phones, but it’s still a mess of stuff. So now what we’re doing is going back and starting to apply AI…, to read everything that’s being pushed to the store manager or being pushed to the store associate and condense it so [it’s] like [a] smart summary powered by Watson X.”
To address the concerns surrounding using AI, Heather talks about the ethics of
AI, and the manner in which AI could be adapted responsibly into business models through data governance, to ensure that the data being utilized are accurately represented. She believes that implementing AI in a small internal use case and gradually building upon that before using it on customers would be an effective adoption strategy. She also notes that: “There’s’ a difference between when something is finished, or when it’s complete. And what we realized as a group, right is if your AI adoption strategy is not complete, your business will be finished.”
The collective interest to learn about AI is due to its powerful potential to disrupt and change every facet of our lives, and to be equipped with all that we can about it is the best preparation we can have. As AI continues to exponentially advance and outperform humans in specialized tasks, the anxiety of human replacement and displacement grows. However conversations like this remind us to continually grow with our technological advancements. If we cannot stop the train of progress, our choices may be to get on or be left behind.
Many of us know the Roosevelts in the same way we know the Kennedys. Influential, powerful, families that once held sway in the political landscape and left their mark, or some might say stain, on American history (be it the Kennedys were a little more sexy about it).
Often overlooked but wielding considerable influence was a particular Roosevelt figure who served as the puppet master behind many of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s legislative endeavors: his wife, Eleanor Roosevelt. Despite being distant cousins, FDR and Eleanor reconnected in adulthood, eventually falling in love and marrying.
Both were closely connected to Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States. From the Gilded Age of New York through the end of World War II and the Red Scare, they navigated influential circles.
Eleanor, preferring the shadows, spoke up when it counted. Despite shunning the limelight, she hosted a radio show, wrote a newspaper column, and taught for many years.
This Women’s History Month, embrace your inner Eleanor with these easy tips.
1. Practice the art of “diplomatic side-eye.” Perfect the subtle yet powerful glance that says, “I may be polite, but I see through your nonsense like a glass-bottom boat.”
2. Eleanor was a master of balance, and effortlessly juggled her duties as First Lady with her personal pursuits, including romantic interests while being in an open marriage. Embrace your inner multitasker by following her lead: champion noble causes by day and enjoy a touch of *extra* human interaction by night.
The jewelry that women wear often feels like an intimate extension of self; it tells stories and holds sentimental value. For the women at FIT, wearing jewelry is a meaningful mix of blinged out style and self expression.
Abbi Crossman (FBM ‘27) wears a key in the shape of a butterfly on a chain around her neck.
The key used to be the key to her family’s house before they changed the lock. She has had the key since she was in elementary school, as she holds a nostalgic and sentimental connection to it.
The key is one of her daily worn pieces, and if she doesn’t wear it she keeps it close to her in her purse. Crossman said, “Since it used to be the key to my house, it reminds me of home. My family has never moved away from the house this key was meant to unlock; so as long as I have this key, I’ll be connected to my childhood.”
Wearing a curated assortment of jewelry is important to many FIT students. Esha Lalwani (AMC ‘24) believes it to be essential that each piece of jewelry she wears holds personal value. She said, “If it doesn’t have a story behind it or personal meaning, it doesn’t have the same “wow” factor. Being in fashion school, it’s easy to want to shop; I want to be less materialistic, and only purchase and wear meaningful things that make me feel good.”
In building a personalized jewelry assortment, traveling is an essential part in collecting jewelry. Lalwani also wears a unique silver bracelet cuff shaped like a fork she bought in Italy. Her friends bring back jewelry as thoughtful gifts. Lalwani’s Palestinian friend gifted her a beaded bracelet with the flag of Palestine
to share the love of her beautiful home country.
Friendship plays a sweet, heartfelt role in people’s jewelry selections; Lalwani wears a charm bracelet made by a friend for her birthday. She wears a matching guitar pick necklace with her high school best friend. The guitar pick reads, “Close your eyes and let the music set you free” from “Phantom of the Opera”. Lalwani and her matching guitar pick friend wear the necklace in a shared love for music. Wearing her collection of jewelry each day is important.
“Jewelry is such a personal thing, more so than clothing. I get more attached to my jewelry than my clothes. Style will always go in and out, but my jewelry never changes,” she said.
“Jewelry brings together the outfit and how I’m feeling; it gives you so much more personality and sass,” Lalwani said.
Lalwani has also turned to FIT in her search for the perfect jewelry staple. She wears a bedazzled, red leather watch she bought from The Style Shop. On a sillier note, she
also wears two silver bracelets that she stole in elementary school from her sister.
3. Take a page from Eleanor’s playbook and embrace the power of the pen. Whether you’re writing love letters to your paramours or crafting scathing political critiques, let your words be as sharp as Eleanor’s wit.
For Larissa Partenio (FBM ‘26), she’s been working on curating the perfect assortment of everyday rings since middle school.
Two of Partenio’s rings were passed down by her mom, her others are from her boyfriend, Chelsea Market, and local crystal shops in her home state of Connecticut.
She said, “My rings are part of my identity, people know that I can’t leave the house without them.”
“My boyfriend buys me the perfect pieces, and it means a lot to me because it shows he listens. And the jewelry passed down from my mom makes me feel more connected to her,” Partenio said.
Jewelry is the intersection of intimacy, culture, home, and relationships. It offers wearers solace in their identity and style — making it an important aspect of individuality and comfort.
In honor of Women’s History Month, it’s time to recognize strong women in society, including Coco Gauff, a tennis player with seven Women’s Tennis Association singles titles and eight doubles titles. Coco Gauff is only 20 years old but has already had to deal with unfair umpires and interesting competitors. Nonetheless, her courage has always prevailed, as she has stood up for herself and defended her rights on the court. Let’s talk about the 2023 U.S. Open women’s first round, Coco Gauff versus Laura Siegemund.
In tennis, players have 25 seconds to initiate the game. Siegemund went over the time limit many times but received no penalties and Gauff let it slide until it affected her own serve. When it was Gauff’s turn, Siegemund pretended not to be ready, causing Gauff to serve again. Finally, Gauff had enough,
approached the umpire, and said, “I don’t care what she’s doing on her serve, on my serve she has to be ready.” In the 2024 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Gauff went against Karolina Pliskova. In the second set, Gauff served as usual, but the umpire, Pierre Bacchi, called it out which means he made a signal indicating that the serve had landed outside of the designated boundaries of the court after Pliskova had missed.
The issue arose when Bacchi claimed he called the ball out right away. Thanks to the replay, we all know that not only did he call the ball out after the fact, but the ball was also in bounds all along.
Gauff decided to go straight to the source and ask for the supervisor to clear up the problem, which was within her rights. Bacchi refused and instead of continuing the already five-
minute argument, Coco Gauff did what she does best. She won. She dedicated her win to the frustration she was feeling from the argument.
If there is anything to take away from Coco Gauff’s matches, it is her strength. To stand up for oneself in front of the whole world seems unimaginable, but she does it and goes home with a trophy because of it.
On May 10th and 11th the Fashion Institute of Technology’s dance company is set to ignite the stage with an electrifying showcase of talent with their long-awaited annual performance. The show takes place at the Katy Murphy theater at 7 p.m. on both days, this event promises a memorable night of passion and intricate rhythm.
Under the guidance of new coaches and accomplished professional dancers Quaintae Thomas and Rosanna Karabetsos, be ready to experience a lively performance that spans across many genres including hip hop, jazz and improvisation that will leave the audience mesmerized. The stage will be a testament to the collaborative spirit and creative freedom that has been encouraged by the coaches.
Embracing a fresh approach to the company, the choreography is done by both coaches, two outside guest choreographers and of course, the dancers themselves. Coach Quiante Thomas, renowned for her work on Broadway, expresses her excitement for the studentchoreographed pieces and the senior showcase. When asked about her feelings about this year’s performance she responded by saying, “I’m looking forward to how the dancers enjoy the show and how it all comes together.”
With 26 dancers, the dance company embodies a spirit of unity where creative freedom serves as both an emotional outlet and source of joy. From lengthy practices from 12-4 p.m. on Sundays and 6-9 p.m. on Mondays, the company’s commitment to excellence shines through in every graceful movement and step.
Junior, Rosie McCarthy, reflects on the evolution of the Fashion Institute’s dance company, noting a routine that leans towards a more free-driven, expressive style. Rosie has sustained an injury and sadly can’t perform, but has still remained a monumental factor leading from the sidelines as team manager and assistant choreographer. She has played a pivotal role in orchestrating the flow and production of the company.
Don’t miss your chance to witness the spectacle that is FIT’s dance company as they take center stage for a performance that will dazzle and entertain. As Rosie puts it, “it’s one to remember, it’s not conventional in any way,
you’ll be thoroughly intrigued and entertained the entire time.” From each energetic and touching dance, FIT’s dance company invites audiences to experience the magic of movement.
Dupe culture has taken over the world like an ant invasion. Who birthed this new trend? Are dupes hype or cancelworthy? Are dupes going to kill the Earth? What has inspired companies to act like they have fired their creative team, and pivot towards making dupes for other products?
The term dupe gained popularity on TikTok in 2022. Dupe products are defined as a cheaper alternative to premium or luxury products that do the same thing or look relatively the same. You should be able to use the two products and be challenged with telling them apart.
Dupes can be clothes, shoes, makeup, and other trendy goods. Any one of these products may have their own twin dupe. Amazon is a big contributor to this phenomenon online. Whereas in person, you can easily buy a luxury handbag dupe off a NYC street vendor.
Another form of dupe can be made by brands who copy a product and sell it under their own label. One such brand is E.L.F., which has acted like they’ve halted their creative team and sent them off to vacation until further notice. Recently, E.L.F. has been primarily creating dupes for other brands’ trendy products. One example is E.L.F.’s “Halo Glow,” which is a perfect dupe for Charlotte Tilbury’s “Flawless Filter.”
Dupe products help people achieve a trendy look without the high price tags. They allow makeup enthusiasts to experiment with different shades and textures without committing to a higher-priced product.
On the downside, dupes have birthed a new challenge for small designers and brands, because those creating dupes are stealing their creative designs. Dupes are mostly from fast fashion brands. Fast fashion is horrible for our environment and has been fueling the climate change crisis.
Do research before buying dupes to see if buying that product will promote climate change. Will you hop on the dupe bandwagon?
a beacon of community in a time when feelings of loneliness and isolation in American adults are at epidemic levels and anti-intellectualism is growing.
Reading, writing, critical thinking, and public speaking are skills that must continue to be exercised or they are lost over time. Public institutions have a responsibility to keep education accessible, not just for the sake of people’s ability to build credentials but for “the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake” as Albert Einstein, a beacon of knowledge, once said.
Written by Alisha Singh (TDM ‘25) Illustrated and designed by Amina Sokolji (IIM ‘25)
The United College Employees of FIT has been an integral part of the 27th Street community since 1967 when it became the first public higher education union in New York. It began with representing full-time employees. However, by 1970, staff and part-time employees were also included. The union has been key in ensuring the welfare of both employees and students on campus and making FIT the influential and accredited institution that it is. .
What many students may not be aware of is that teaching only makes up about ⅓ of full-time faculty’s roles. They are also expected to dedicate time to tasks such as advising and building curriculums as well as conducting fascinating research which has allowed FIT students to gain relevant experiences.
Adjunct faculty also make up a large portion of professors at the school and they provide extremely valuable industry experience and connections, bring in industry speakers for talks, and work extremely hard to provide students with up-to-date information on the everchanging fashion and art industries.
However, they’re only paid for their teaching — the research and advisement work that many adjunct faculty members conduct goes unpaid. Additionally, they are widely underpaid which forces them to take on additional classes at other schools, freelance work, and deal with a lack of stability. One part of this issue is that according to contractual requirements, adjunct faculty are only paid for around 30 minutes’ worth of office hours for each of their classes which must be conducted in the daytime to qualify. Any extra office hours that professors provide outside of that, including in the evening is unpaid
time that they are providing to their students.
The importance of our faculty cannot be overstated. For students, the subject that is being taught is not as important as the person who is teaching it. A student can go from feeling alienated and confused by a topic to finally grasping it for the first time in their academic careers all because of the right professors. FIT’s professors have the power to change the course of students’ lives with just one lecture, but they must receive fair compensation for the important work that they do and the precious contributions they make to the community at our school. Professor Isabella Bertoletti states, “People work incredibly hard. People love their students, but to understand that, you know, this career comes, for so many of your professors, with incredible sacrifices.”
Another aspect that has slowly contributed to the breakdown of a sense of community at FIT is the reduction of night classes. Looking back at the beginning of his time at FIT, Professor Daniel Levinson Wilk says, “When I first got here, in 2006, the hallways were full at night, there were so many people taking classes, and a lot of them were not full-time students.”
Night classes not only provide flexibility to students who are working and maintaining other responsibilities, but they also allow people who have been out of school or never had the opportunity to attend, the chance to take college courses. It gives people from all walks of life and backgrounds a chance to further explore topics they might be interested in or add to their skills.
The previous life experiences and insight that they can bring to the courses they take are also valuable for in-class discourse and work. It would help FIT to become
As political and economic turmoil continues and social media contributes to breakdowns in communication, FIT can teach people how to engage in debate, fact-check, and understand different perspectives. We can give people the resources to channel their creativity and expand their lives outside of the responsibilities and rigors of daily life. Levinson Wilk reminds us that, “The mission of a community college, which we are, is to help people in the community who aren’t necessarily just starting out.”
As these unseen issues continue to affect our school, it is important to remember that we as students have a voice and we can make changes that positively impact not just the current state of FIT but also future generations of students.
The first step is to stay informed by asking questions and learning about who and what makes FIT what it is today. The next is to organize and demand change, to ask that our professors be fairly compensated and that more night classes be made available for students to take advantage of. The success or breakdown of a community isn’t just caused by the people, but also by the conditions created by the institution and the state and we have the power to change that.
If a historian wrote an essay on escape, they would begin with an analysis of the human condition. They would discuss fight or flight, psychological imbalances, cognitive processes, stress factors, reflexes, memories, relationships, and the most principal: survival. It is humanity’s instinct to run from danger in a physical capacity, but equally as important, in the face of mental dangers as well.
Escapism is a term thrown around loosely to describe an individual’s conscious or subconscious detachment from reality. It is understood to be serious, and sometimes derogatory: an individual who shirks responsibilities, loses focus, or lacks concern for the future. People who identify as escapists are perceived as unearthly daydreamers, incapable of staying awake.
The world is too loud and judgemental for daydreamers.
In 2024, I find myself with an incessant list of tasks and responsibilities. Sometimes the workload is overbearing. I feel exhausted, and my nightly journal entries hint at signs of burnout and depression. It is during these nights that I begin a quest to seek distraction.
I have a lengthy list of coping mechanisms for life, but writing fiction has always been my favorite. At two in the morning, when I should be working on projects, I find myself typing away a
thriller, mapping a short story, or chipping away on a perpetually lengthy manuscript.
I have decided that, although it may not be the most productive way to complete a task, my form of escape is a replicant of the original human condition and an evolving self-defense mechanism. I enjoy building a world that I can go to to escape my own.
Escapism can be displayed on a spectrum. Levels of severity seek differentiated amounts of attention. When defined loosely, anyone who consumes entertainment or media can be labeled an escapist. It is broadly associated with digital engagement,
the most common being, doom-scrolling: where the partakers are not consuming the media, but searching for a distraction and deceiving themselves into passing time to evade life. Sometimes, the need to escape is a cry for help, an effort to avoid the unavoidable, to block the noise when life beats on the door. Other times, escape is the right option.
“I watch TV or movies, and I used to read a lot,” says Nadya Salloum (FBM ‘26). What’s your usual genre? I asked. “Fantasy,” she said. I questioned if she consumed media because it allowed
her to enter a different world. Nadya discussed Dungeons and Dragons, character playing, and how to leave reality. She likes to pretend she’s in another world. As an actress, Nadya’s passion is for characters and their stories. Acting gives you the freedom to leave yourself and to manipulate an audience into believing you are someone else entirely. As an art form, it is beautiful, but as a form of escape, it is invigorating.
If a historian wrote an essay on escape, they would begin with an analysis of the human condition: prehistoric feet moving quickly, minds seeking safety at whatever cost. The world is too loud and judgmental for daydreamers, so to avoid an overdose of reality, escape into someone else.
The sun is out. Bikinis are being bought. The sky is blue. But in this towering metropolis, where can we enjoy the sun without the masses?
I went on a journey to uncover hidden gems in New York City to enjoy this summer. If you are new to New York like me and have not yet found your summer spaces, look no further than these hidden gems.
Pier 35 is a hidden gem amongst the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridge with three big swings and a lot of outdoor seating. There is no better place to enjoy the sun and a stunning view; the sunsets here are breathtaking. It’s easy to get on the F train from FIT downtown towards Coney Island and head to this picturesque spot just off Chinatown. The views of the bridges are best at sunset or late evening to capture the glowing lights reflecting the river. I went around 6:00 p.m. and it wasn’t very busy.
Written & Photographed by Madison Barton (AMC’27) Designed by Jess Ehrenfeld (Graphic Design ‘25)toward the park’s main entrance, directly across from Little Island. Once inside, take the stairs or elevator to the roof.” Once upstairs, enjoy the two acres of green space overlooking the Hudson River. It’s tranquil and a suntrap during the mid-morning. I would definitely recommend giving this
is one of my favorite places in New York to hide away from crowds and find some tranquility. It’s the perfect place for a picnic with friends, especially if you want to avoid Central Park.
place a visit; accompanied by the international food stalls below.
Brooklyn Bridge Park. While I accept that Brooklyn Bridge Park is not a hidden gem, I would still consider it a gem from the way it sparkles against the river overlooking the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. Comprised of six piers and a sprawling green space this is a go-to spot to enjoy a blue sky, however, as it is more popular, you may have to enjoy the sun with the rest of New York City.
Green Acre Park on 51st St between
2nd and 3rd, is the most hidden gem on my list. It opens at the end of April. It’s a magical garden with a beautiful waterfall set back off the street covered in flowers and greenery. Once it reopens it will be everyone’s sunny day spot. It had an array of small tables, chairs, and benches. It opened in 1971 and as described by visitors as, “lush evergreen plantings, walls of ivy, and large urns of colorful seasonal flowers complete the Park’s restful, garden-like setting.”
These are my hidden gems of New York; places to enjoy the dazing sunshine and blue skies with fewer tourists around. As much as I would love to live the “Gossip Girl” life, where I could run off to the Hamptons each summer, these hidden gems bring me back to my love of the city. There is beauty hidden amongst the towering skyscrapers — and I hope you can see it too.
Pier 57 Rooftop Park is an easy place to access, the directions state: “When you arrive at Pier 57, head to the south gate near City Winery. Walk along the pathway
55 Water Street is in the Financial District. There is a hidden oasis of green called the “Elevated Acre”. Behind the 55 Water Street building is this hidden spot of green, amongst towering buildings. There is a collection of tables, chairs, benches and an acre of green space which is perfect for sunbathing away from the masses. This
Michael Schwamb Photography ‘26
Noe Eloi Menswear ‘25
Bupe Mucheka AMC ‘26
Luna Paluck Teeter Fine Arts ‘27
Photographed by Jess Lyle (Illustration ‘25) Danny Alvarado (Photography ‘25)
Designed by Jess Ehrenfeld Graphic Design ‘25
Priya Limbachiya FBM ‘24
Chidi Obieshi AMC ‘26