Fashion Design MFA Graduate Showcase

Showing 35 results
Uni/Versal: Fashion Design MFA 2023 Graduate Showcase

Uni/Versal: Fashion Design MFA 2023 Graduate Showcase

  • 2023-09-12
  • Fashion Design (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Fashion shows
  • Fashion photographs
  • Masters theses
The Fashion Design MFA 2023 graduating class presented their final thesis collections in a runway show during New York Fashion Week.
Soft Discomfort

Soft Discomfort

Youna Jin
  • 2023
  • Fashion Design (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Fashion shows
  • Fashion photographs
  • Masters theses
Born in Korea, Youna Jin is a ready-to-wear designer whose work focuses on the intersection between gender norms, the body, and the blurred lines of unisex fashion. Originally trained in jewelry design and metalworks, Jin uses progressive pattern cutting and traditional technical fabrics to organically highlight controversial parts of the human body in order to question the sexual and social gaze of the public.
Torus

Torus

Vasundhra Dhamija
  • 2023
  • Fashion Design (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Fashion shows
  • Fashion photographs
  • Masters theses
Dhamija is a multidisciplinary designer and 3D artist who bridges the worlds of technology, art, and nature. With a background in computer engineering and fashion, Dhamija aims to design visual stories that are beautiful and thought-provoking and are centered around the cacophonic splendor of mathematics. Born and raised in India, she is passionate about preserving the country's rich cultural heritage and bringing its handicrafts into the modern era by fusing these traditional art forms with innovative tools like Clo3D.
Sabor a mí, Sabor a tí

Sabor a mí, Sabor a tí

Valeria Watson
  • 2023
  • Fashion Design (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Fashion shows
  • Fashion photographs
  • Masters theses
Valeria Watson is a multidisciplinary artist and fashion designer based in New York City. She designs and constructs expressive, colorful, and playful garments that celebrate the bodies that carry them. Inspired by her Mexican-American heritage, her concepts are rooted in personal memories and are imbued with the traditional craft of Mexico. Collaged silhouettes, bold volumes, upcycled materials, and graphical prints are key characteristics that define her work and create collections that invite all to join in the celebration.
Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis

Tom Zhendong Wen
  • 2023
  • Fashion Design (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Fashion shows
  • Fashion photographs
  • Masters theses
Zhendong Wen is a socially conscious designer whose work is informed by the movements of contemporary society. Having lived in several metropolises, Wen possesses a unique ability to adapt to diverse cultural environments. This exposure has enabled him to identify and capture social patterns in his creative work, which often reflect his observations. His designs are a testament to his keen eye for capturing the spirit of his surroundings and the people who inhabit them.
Lamella

Lamella

Morgan Cardwell
  • 2023
  • Fashion Design (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Fashion shows
  • Fashion photographs
  • Masters theses
North Carolina-born Morgan Cardwell received her BFA from North Carolina State University before pursuing an MFA in Fashion Design from FIT. Her biophilic designs convey a symbiosis between human existence and the natural world, influencing patterns and textures. Her signatures include fluid contours and detailed craft created through a combination of traditional techniques and new technology. Her work centers around the vast range of human emotions, states of interconnectedness and the intensity of lived experiences.
Carnival of Apocalypse

Carnival of Apocalypse

Xinyue Maggie Tao
  • 2023
  • Fashion Design (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Fashion shows
  • Fashion photographs
  • Masters theses
Tao’s intention is to delve into the depths of human nature, philosophy, and the realm of material existence through her artistic creations. Her collections transcend the limitations of time and culture. They unfold captivating narratives, fueled by an exaggerated and dramatic storytelling style that ignites her creative inspiration. These collections often exist in a world untethered by time, untouched by the constraints of reality. Her distinctive essence resonates within each meticulously crafted collection she presents.
Fancy Inside

Fancy Inside

Zining Luna Ye
  • 2023
  • Fashion Design (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Fashion shows
  • Fashion photographs
  • Masters theses
Chinese-born, New York–based Zining Ye is a designer who strives to create a fashion language that juxtaposes chaos with tranquility and maximalism with restraint. Form and textile manipulation are central to her work. Traditional silhouettes are fused with architectonic textiles, and neutral palettes combine with rigid volumes to create collections that are quietly striking. During her studies in FIT’s Fashion Design MFA program, Ye found a balance between traditional Asian culture and modern expression.
DRESS_CODE

DRESS_CODE

Lilach Porges
  • 2023
  • Fashion Design (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Fashion shows
  • Fashion photographs
  • Masters theses
Lilach Porges is an Israeli fashion designer with an academic background in architecture. She uses parametric design methods to create textiles and garments. Lilach wishes to combine fashion with technology and to research more sustainable production methods to create the fashion of the future. Her work centers around developing innovative methods for 3D-printed garments with robotic arms, exploring architectonic shapes with the ambition to bring the worlds of science, engineering, and fashion together to empower women.
Independent Reality

Independent Reality

Kuai Li
  • 2023
  • Fashion Design (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Fashion shows
  • Fashion photographs
  • Masters theses
Kuai Li is a Chinese-born fashion designer whose work centers on sculptural aesthetics underpinned by her industrial design background. Passionate about exploring bold hues, geometric shapes, and the body's interaction with space, Li treats fashion with an industrial design approach. Her work bends physics, often using tech, performance, and traditional furniture materials to explore architectural forms on the body. In addition to designing garments, for the last several years Li has been creative director of the accessories brand she founded, Baohedu.
OCD and Fashion

OCD and Fashion

Yimeng Zhao
  • 2023
  • Fashion Design (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Fashion shows
  • Fashion photographs
  • Masters theses
Born in Beijing, Yimeng Zhao is a fashion designer whose work focuses on the purity of line and form. She believes in reducing everything to the essential while investigating geometric constructions. Patternmaking and craft in construction are central to her process; form is the basis of her love of design. Zhao also believes fashion can be used as a tool to depict and dissect mental health and social issues. Beyond her studies, Zhao has worked in both Beijing and New York and possesses a comprehensive understanding of both markets.
GREEDY DIRTIE BISEXUAL

GREEDY DIRTIE BISEXUAL

Kaylie Haueisen
  • 2023
  • Fashion Design (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Fashion shows
  • Fashion photographs
  • Masters theses
As a creative designer who is drawn to caustic and audacious subject matter, Haueisen’s work utilizes off-kilter elements, namely deconstruction of traditional patterns and garments, to distort the body in pleasing ways. She deeply enjoys reworking and upcycling existing traditional garments and accessories to create innovative shapes that compliment the body’s natural form and cause the viewer to question toxic views of femininity and masculinity that are pervasive in society.
The Urban Diver

The Urban Diver

Yitong Liu
  • 2023
  • Fashion Design (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Fashion shows
  • Fashion photographs
  • Masters theses
Yitong Liu is a ready-to-wear fashion designer whose style is inspired by her passions for athletics, nature, and social causes. With a professional background in free diving, she brings a deep appreciation of precision to her fashion work, whether in designs, craftsmanship, cuts, or performance-driven textiles that she applies to traditional suiting. Ultimately, Liu's goal is to create garments that not only functionally express a new take on active living but also capture the emotional implications of the times within which we live.
Arise

Arise

Deborah Won
  • 2023
  • Fashion Design (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Fashion shows
  • Fashion photographs
  • Masters theses
Deborah Won is an award-winning designer who creates work that is influenced by sensory play. By utilizing innovation-driven techniques and materials, she makes concept-forward clothes that promote interaction in personal and shared space. Influenced by movement, technology, and feminine paradigms, her work is a cross section of classical forms with progressive design details that blur the line between past and future. Converse, Opening Ceremony, and Sandy Liang are among the brands she has worked for in her materials and women’s wear design career.
The Song of Samsara

The Song of Samsara

Catherine Ziyue Tang
  • 2023
  • Fashion Design (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Fashion shows
  • Fashion photographs
  • Masters theses
Catherine Tang is a New York–based women’s wear designer whose work deals with sustainable fashion and wabi-sabi style using bold patterns. Born in China and raised by a mother from the Dong minority, much of her inspiration is rooted in the Dong cultural heritage and traditional craft. Her work aims to fuse these traditions with modern ready-to-wear by exploring how sustainable practices and forward patternmaking can combine with folk craft.
Regina

Regina

Anthony Oyer
  • 2023
  • Fashion Design (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Fashion shows
  • Fashion photographs
  • Masters theses
Inspired by two worlds—fantasy and history—Anthony Oyer merges past with present through silhouettes taken from historical references and fantastical stories. His is a viewpoint formed while growing up in a small Midwestern town, watching old films and exploring antique stores. Oyer’s deepest desire is to make his wearer smile. His muse is one who wears their finest to the grocery store and diamonds while taking a bath. His universe is a place where more is always welcomed.
Unbound: Fashion Design MFA Showcase

Unbound: Fashion Design MFA Showcase

  • 2022-06-08
  • Fashion Design (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Runway collections
  • Fashion shows
  • Thesis
The graduating class of the MFA Fashion Design program presented their final pieces in a runway show on Wednesday, June 8 at 3 pm in the Katie Murphy Amphitheatre.
Sentiment Dilemma

Sentiment Dilemma

Zhendong (Samson) Jiang
  • 2022
  • Fashion Design (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Runway collections
  • Fashion shows
  • Thesis
Forty years after deconstruction shocked the world, the coronavirus pandemic, ethnic barriers, and wars tore us apart. People are getting confused, as if the impulse is still in their heart but cannot find the direction. Such a "Sentiment Dilemma" unintentionally reveals reconstruction. It has the same form as deconstruction but in the opposite direction. Not to show the rifts, but to hide and heal. By adding wrinkles, folds, and silk organza, the boundaries of the deconstructed clothes are blurred and a state of coexistence is created. Hidden in the folds of jackets and dresses to indicate a process of reconstruction, fabric flowers bloom and try to heal the broken garments and soften the rough structures.
Implicit Beauty in Eastern Culture

Implicit Beauty in Eastern Culture

Yunjiao (Ciea) Mao
  • 2022
  • Fashion Design (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Runway collections
  • Fashion shows
  • Fashion photographs
  • Thesis
"I cannot say that my dreams and reality are entirely separate. They are intertwined. Dreams are a kind of subconscious. They reflect our subconscious cognition of things during the daytime. Scenes of our dreams may also appear in our real lives as a kind of prediction. With the passage of time, this dreamland seems to become a part of my memory. As more time passes, I sometimes can't tell if something that happened was a dream or something that I actually experienced."
¿Dusk /Dawn?

¿Dusk /Dawn?

Yuning Gong
  • 2022
  • Fashion Design (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Runway collections
  • Fashion shows
  • Thesis
Mimicking the trajectory of tragic hero stories, I decided to write a tale with garments to document my six-year journey in fashion. Recognizing the comical absurdity of this journey, ¿Dusk /Dawn? aims to celebrate both virtues and flaws within, and to make peace with such conflict for growth and development. This collection is highly personal and plays a crucial role in her transformation from a student to a designer.
For Her

For Her

Yu-Hsuan (Stephanie) Chen
  • 2022
  • Fashion Design (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Runway collections
  • Fashion shows
  • Fashion photographs
  • Thesis
As designers, we often ask ourselves: Who is your muse? Who is the woman you are designing for? My answer to that question would be "Soft and delicate on the outside. On the inside, she holds passion, and is strong and untouchable. A sophisticated warrior." This collection introduces my definition of women that are seen as soft, gentle, but there is a strength to her personality. I reflect my personal observation onto clothing and fashion – finding a balance in the looks, and generating the idea of harmony in technique, fabrication, soft tailoring and draping around the female form.
Gallop

Gallop

Xiaolin (Kristen) Wu
  • 2022
  • Fashion Design (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Runway collections
  • Fashion shows
  • Fashion photographs
  • Thesis
Kristen Wu's graduate collection explores the fusion between Western and Eastern equestrian culture. In her two years of researching and creating functional and innovative fashion, Kristen draws on her understanding of practical details and explores the evolution of equestrian clothing through time using past, present, and future silhouettes and techniques. She consistently tries to remove and simplify traditional trims, fabrics and shapes without losing the Western and Eastern equestrian elements. Always collecting and absorbing new research to combine with unique functional concepts, her design process creates infinite possibilities for the development of modern womenswear.
彝Yi

彝Yi

Wenwen Lei
  • 2022
  • Fashion Design (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Runway collections
  • Fashion shows
  • Fashion photographs
  • Thesis
​​With my collection name 彝Yi, I chose to combine Chinese and English characters, which echoes my design idea of combining Eastern elements with Western silhouettes. I was inspired by the mountains, birds, and animals in my hometown, and I fused the technique of Chinese ink painting to depict nature in my garments.In this graduation collection, I show five kinds of intangible cultural heritage crafts: handmade wool tassels, handmade pleating, silver bubble embroidery, patchwork embroidery and lingering embroidery. I created this collection with the intention of giving new blood to millennia-old civilizations by using modern and futuristic silhouettes to bring forward the old craftsmanship.
Sapiomatica

Sapiomatica

Stephanie Kim
  • 2022
  • Fashion Design (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Runway collections
  • Fashion shows
  • Fashion photographs
  • Thesis
Stephanie Kim's graduate collection "Sapiomatica" is based on the fictional story of a young heroine living in a distant dystopian future. The heroine's life is closely intertwined with machines. She lives amongst toxic waste in an unforgiving industrial landscape. The garments of this collection contain industrial pipes sewn into the seams. Acid-treated radio frequency shielding fabrics, rubber and plastic form the basis of many pieces in the collection. The film that accompanies the collection explores the heroine's escape from her factory job as she emancipates herself from the inhumane servitude on the factory floor and runs towards freedom.
The Freedom of Confinement

The Freedom of Confinement

Shumeng Zhang
  • 2022
  • Fashion Design (School of Graduate Studies)
  • Runway collections
  • Fashion shows
  • Fashion photographs
  • Thesis
This collection represents our experience with clothes as the second skin and the contrast between masculinity and femininity. It is inspired by Martha Graham's "Lamentation" and the New York dance floor. The collection combines menswear and womenswear elements in a distorted way, by mixing ruffles and bold colors with tailored jackets, shirts, and menswear fabrics. It aims to question gender stereotypes. With stretchable fabrics, the wearer's body is restricted but is still free to move, showing the conflict that a dressed body faces.