HUE Q

One question for an FIT community member

Angelo Toteda, Fashion Buying and Merchandising ’85, coordinator, fabrics

If the faculty want to demonstrate how to make a garment, they come to the Fabrics Room for materials. I have all the fabrics measured and labeled, and I can give them yardage. Or they can borrow an “illustrative” garment from our collection so the students can copy from a prototype. We have illustrative sleeves, epaulets, pleats—you name it. Sometimes faculty want muslin of various grades or fabric for interfacings. Buttons, trims, notions—whatever they need. 

The Fabric Lab has over 2,000 fabrics sorted by type: wools, cottons, lingerie, menswear. It’s primarily for inspiration, and to give students an idea of what’s available for when they go sourcing. They can take up to 25 swatches per week; they put the swatches on the bottoms of their sketches when they create their line. There’s also buckles, beads, real and fake fur, leather. We can give them buttons, zippers, and all kinds of trims, too. We even have a machine that makes snaps. 

Growing up, I had a cousin who worked for Bill Blass, so I’ve sold fabric since I was 11. I’ve worked here since 1985; I came in to apply for the job and the woman in charge said, “Can you identify these five fabrics?” And I said, “Do you want to know the fiber content and the weave?” Now all the kids call me The Fabric Man.