The Tamesis
What does the future of fashion look like for the Class of 2026? It’s not without its hurdles: The traditional retail landscape is cautious at best, while the luxury industry’s artificial intelligence dam appears to be starting to break. For Fashion Institute of Technology graduates, however, the answer seems to focus on adaptive dialogue rather than reactive objections. “We are not going to stand idly by as the industry evolves,” said Jason S. Schupbach, who took over as FIT president just four months ago. “We will go through the transformation at the same time as the industry.”
This manifests itself in dynamic business courses, as well as sitting down to learn how to integrate AI into the classroom and creative process in truly productive ways. “[AI] New jobs are created, others disappear – these are typical situations, but we want to be part of the conversation. ” said Schupbach. However, as he also points out, the humanoid algorithm isn’t what sends the finished product to the runway; it’s the students’ ability to actually make the garments.
While many of last night’s nearly 80 designs featured relatively subdued tones, there was an undercurrent of hope in much of the students’ work. Hye Ji Jo’s flowing silk chiffon scalloped trim (Look 26) and Naïma Naas’s ‘hunchback’ cut coat, which showcased a striking red ruffled back (Look 3), also reflected a sense of elegance. The latter’s steampunk aesthetic may well encapsulate the retro-futuristic attitude that has taken over much of the creative industry lately (see: Meruert Tolegen’s Rococo Renaissance or Colleen Allen’s subtle Victorian bustle gowns). Tyler Mervine, winner of the School Critics Circle Award, spoke of the immortality of human memory and creation, embodying this idea through the infinite draped loops of his charcoal coat (Fig. 17), partly inspired by the novels of Gabriel García Márquez chronicle of death prophecies. Artificial intelligence may be popping up in luxury ateliers around the world, but ChatGPT isn’t sewing Mervine’s fringed corset yet.
A lilt was introduced in the children’s wear interlude, when bass thumps appropriate for a student fashion show were replaced by The Jackson Five’s “ABC,” sowing the seeds of hope for the next generation of designers, photographers and stylists. The brightness is even more pronounced in knitwear—a particularly difficult class to master, as some students jokingly lament. Many designers in the category—including two other Critics’ Award winners, Beatrice Xu Mak’s homage to the energy of her native Malaysia (Look 61), and Rachel Marino’s felt ball-like sculptures (Looks 55 and 58)—choose to showcase the lightness of textiles in contrast to the heaviness of world events we’re seeing on every front today.
The evening is presented in partnership with Macy’s. Winner Marina Malkhasian’s pleated garments speak of her warm memories of her childhood in pre-war Russia (pictures 2 and 18), and her creations will be produced and sold in select Macy’s stores next spring. At its flagship store in Herald Square, last year’s winner sold out on its first night on the market. It’s a hopeful sign that the world still values young designers and their physical craftsmanship.
