Senem Oezdogan makes abstract geometric fiber art by wrapping colored floss around rope, then winding the rope around a wooden board. Her work is represented by Uprise Art, a virtual gallery that exhibits at art fairs, organizes group shows, and connects one-on-one with collectors. Her inspirations range from Ellsworth Kelly to Martha Graham, who “has…
Lily Chehrazi founded Together California, an eco-conscious “active glamwear” brand, with her husband, Benedict, in 2014. She creates repeats from Benedict’s photography and prints them on high-tech, sustainable materials, including a seaweed-based textile called SeaCell, spandex made from recycled plastic bottles, and bamboo charcoal. The clothes are manufactured in downtown Los Angeles and sold at…
Michelle Hernández is a compost educator/coordinator for New York City’s Zero Waste Programs at GrowNYC, a nonprofit sustainability resource that runs New York City’s Greenmarkets. She staffs compost collection at the Bowling Green, Brooklyn Borough Hall, and Carroll Gardens markets, teaching residents about composting and textile recycling. She also works at a GrowNYC Fresh Food…
Jon Gorman is a project manager at PhotoShelter, a cloud-based online service that helps professional photographers display and sell their work and organize their archives. Hosting interdepartmental meetings and communicating constantly, Gorman keeps everyone at the company informed about new features and products in the pipeline.
Marvin Menke founded Hemel, a brand of affordably priced, military-inspired wristwatches. A graphic designer and lifelong timepiece aficionado, Menke used seed funding from a Kickstarter campaign to design and manufacture a collectible, state-of-the-art watch selling at $400, less than half of what the major brands charge for similar quality. Features include a movement (that is,…
Authentic, high-quality, and dapper describe Ankari Floruss, a new online men’s footwear brand inspiring the gent in all of us. Founders Moti Ankari and Marcel Floruss sought to create a direct-to-consumer business that provides high-octane design while educating its wearers on the grammar of elegance. Culling from his experiences as an associate fashion editor at…
Zachary Cavaluzzi put on an exhibition of eight “Tape Babes” at Lambs and Wolves, an edgy hair salon in Red Bank, NJ. He created the wild-haired bombshells with colored tape on wood or foam board, then sealed them with a fluid medium to make a traditionally fleeting art form permanent. He was inspired by the…
Dennis Basso ’73 is living his best life. Well into his fourth decade in business, the designer has a brand-new flagship boutique on Madison Avenue and a fashion empire that includes the highest of high-end furs, ready-to-wear, and a robust mass-market QVC collection. His roster of fabulous clients spans Washington power players (Hillary Clinton), New…
The call went out early this summer for designers of color to apply for the chance to present their fashions gratis during New York Fashion Week in September. Who could turn that down? By simply applying, designers who likely could not get a Condé Nast editrix or an Italian blogger to return their DM, let…
In December, Jennifer Swanson was at a factory in China reviewing the Israeli designer Kobi Halperin’s spring 2016 collection. Swanson fit each garment on the company’s custom dress form, ensuring that embellishments, lace trims, and layers of silk draped properly. She noticed that the side seams of one jet-black pleated skirt looked unflattering. There wasn’t…
This fall begins the 54th year that Wallace Sloves has taught at FIT. He trained numerous current Fashion Design faculty when they studied at the college, including Professor Colette Wong, Assistant Professor Christopher Uvenio, and Adjunct Instructor Gerard Dellova, as well as Joanne Arbuckle, who recently retired as dean for the School of Art and…
Adult coloring books are having a moment right now. All of a sudden, grown-ups are discovering that it’s fun to color again. I was chatting about this craze with Natalie Zaman, a writer with whom I collaborate on illustrated books, and I thought it would be great if we could do something different, something that…