The Museum at FIT Fashion Culture Podcast

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The Museum at FIT’s Fashion Culture podcast provides new perspectives on the history, impact, and evolution of fashion.

  1. DEC 1

    Fashion Design in Colombia | Africa's Fashion Diaspora Symposium

    Colombian designer Lia Samantha Lozano, a pioneer of Afro-Colombian fashion and speaks with Professor Dr. Tamara J. Walker about Lozano's eponymous brand, Lia Samantha, which translates the power of Black and Indigenous peoples’ cosmovisions, traditions, wisdom, spirituality, and beauty into contemporary design. Walker, an associate professor of Africana studies at Barnard College, Columbia University, centers her research on slavery, gender, and racial formation in Latin America. Walker’s first book, Exquisite Slaves: Race, Clothing, and Status in Colonial Lima (2017), won the 2018 Harriet Tubman Prize. This talk occurred on October 25, 2024 at The Museum at the FIT's Africa’s Fashion Diaspora Symposium at the Fashion Institute of Technology. The symposium explored key histories, networks, and industries led by Black designers who are actively shaping fashion culture. Scholars and designers illustrated the breadth and depth of diasporic fashion networks, from the African continent to South America and the United States. #FashionCulture Transcript (pdf) The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion in New York City. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum

    38 min

  2. NOV 1

    Transforming Fashion Education | New Directions in Fashion Research Symposium

    How can fashion schools institutionally cultivate support and accelerate the many changes already happening in the classroom around inclusion and equity? Ben Barry, Dean of Fashion at Parsons School of Design, explores the decolonization work at Parsons and the successes, challenges, and discussions that arose from that process. Ben Barry was named to the Vogue Business inaugural “100 Innovators” list in 2022. Barry is leading the Parsons fashion community to embed equity, inclusion, and justice in its curriculum and culture. His current research, funded by the Ford Foundation, explores how to redesign fashion education and the fashion industry to enable disabled designers to thrive. This talk, "Transforming Fashion Education: Possibilities and Limits of Equity, Inclusion, and Decolonization," was originally given in 2024 at MFIT’s New Direction in Fashion Research Symposium.  The Museum at FIT’s 31st symposium, New Directions in Fashion Research, focused on new avenues of study in the interdisciplinary field of fashion. Scholars, curators, and collectors explored topics such as practice-based research, collecting practices, theories and methodologies, and the role of diversity, equity, and inclusion in fashion education. Read Transcript (pdf) The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion in New York City. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum

    29 min

  3. OCT 1

    Olivier Rousteing in Conversation with Valerie Steele

    Olivier Rousteing, creative director of the house of Balmain, joins Dr. Valerie Steele for an intimate conversation with FIT students. He recalls his personal struggles and hardships, offering a candid look into his journey and the lessons he’s carried along the way. Speaking on diversity and inclusivity in fashion, Rousteing shares: “We always win when there is love… We can build a community of people that believe in the same world, and we’re all here to shape this world.” He takes a number of audience questions and gives thoughtful and personal answers to the students' questions. This talk was recorded September 3, 2025. Watch the full video with captions on YouTube. The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion in New York City. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum

    1h 6m

  4. JUL 1

    Television's Most Stylish Shows with Hal Rubenstein | Fashion Culture

    Costume design can make or break a character or TV show. Author, consultant, fashion director, and media personality Hal Rubenstein shares amusing insights about the most influential fashion on television from the 1950s to today. Based on research from his book Dressing the Part: Television's Most Stylish Shows, Mr. Rubenstein reveals the surprising ways our favorite shows have reflected and often shaped the way we dress. He is joined by costume designer Eric Daman, whose work includes looks for the TV show Gossip Girl. This talk was recorded February 15, 2024. Watch the full video with captions on YouTube. The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion in New York City. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum

    1h 5m

  5. JUN 1

    Hilfiger and Hip Hop Artists | Fashion Culture

    Andy Hilfiger reminisces with MFIT curator Elizabeth Way about the early days of Tommy Hilfiger and how Hip Hop artists incorporated the brand into their style. This talk was part of MFIT’s 2023 fashion symposium Fresh, Fly, and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style. Andy Hilfiger has been blurring the lines between music and fashion for decades. He began his fashion career at 12, selling jeans at his brother Tommy Hilfiger's first business, The People's Place. Hilfiger relocated to New York City to perform in the downtown rock scene. He was instrumental in introducing the Tommy Hilfiger brand to pop culture. He currently serves as the vice president of Business Development for Authentic Brands Group. Dr. Elizabeth Way is curator of costume and accessories at The Museum at FIT and co-curator of the Fresh, Fly, and Fabulous: 50 Years of Hip Hop Style exhibition. Her past exhibitions include Global Fashion Capitals (2015), Black Fashion Designers (2016), Fabric in Fashion (2018), and Head to Toe (2021). Way edited Black Designers in American Fashion (Bloomsbury, 2021). Watch the full video with captions on YouTube. The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion in New York City. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum

    27 min

  6. MAY 1

    Sustainable Solutions: Circularity in Fashion Businesses | Fashion Culture

    What is circular design and how does it fit in the fashion industry? A circular economy is a production and consumption model that emphasizes sharing, reusing, repairing, and recycling materials and products to extend their lifecycle. Lauren B. Fay and Cynthia Power discuss the work of brands and retailers working in this way and answer some great audience questions.  This talk was recorded September 26, 2024. Watch the full video with captions on YouTube. The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion in New York City. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum

    1h 1m

  7. APR 1

    Objects of Wonder in "Fashioning Wonder: A Cabinet of Curiosities" | Fashion Culture

    The Museum at FIT's current exhibition Fashioning Wonder: A Cabinet of Curiosities is all about sparking awe. In conversation with Randy Cohen of the podcast “Person Place Thing,” Dr. Colleen Hill, MFIT’s curator of costume, discusses how three objects from the exhibition piqued her own curiosity. Cohen's interview approach is to delve into what people are most passionate about, showing that the most captivating conversations happen when we talk about something we care deeply about – not just ourselves.  This conversation was recorded as part of MFIT's Fashion Culture program series on March 4, 2025.  Fashioning Wonder: A Cabinet of Curiosities is on view in NYC through April 20, 2025. Read Transcript (pdf) The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion in New York City. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum

    58 min

  8. MAR 1

    Carolyn Bessette Kennedy: A Life in Fashion | Fashion Culture

    For #WomensHistoryMonth, listen in to this MFIT Fashion Culture Podcast episode highlighting Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s life and influence as a business woman, muse, and style icon. This conversation between fashion creative director Sunita Kumar Nair and CFDA CEO Steven Kolb was recorded at a 2024 MFIT Fashion Culture program.  Sunita Kumar Nair is the author of CBK: Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, which gathers the greats of the fashion world to speak about Bessette Kennedy's timeless style.  As chief executive of the CFDA, Steven Kolb is a driving force behind New York Fashion Week and many initiatives for young designers. Read Transcript (pdf) The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion in New York City. https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum

    36 min
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The Museum at FIT’s Fashion Culture podcast provides new perspectives on the history, impact, and evolution of fashion.

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