FIT opens its doors for free talks with fashion, toy and fragrance leaders
Fashion students, toy makers and perfume chiefs will share one stage in New York this autumn.
The Fashion Institute of Technology, the New York public college for fashion and design, will begin free public talks under FIT Future/Forward, a strategic initiative launched by FIT president Jason Schupbach, according to details reported by WWD.
The programme is called FIT Future/Forward Conversations. It brings together people shaping creative industries around the world. It will run in two formats.
The first is the Presidential Speaker Series. It puts chief executives, presidents and business leaders in conversation with Schupbach. The second is the Innovation Speaker Series. It pairs journalists and thought leaders with designers and creators. Both series are free and open to the public.
The Presidential series opens on Oct. 5 with Felita Harris, executive director and cofounder of RAISEfashion. Next up is Ronnen Harary, cofounder of Spin Master and co-creator of Paw Patrol, on Oct. 12. Ewa Abrams, president of Kering Americas, the US arm of the French luxury group, follows on Oct. 20. Matthieu Befve, head of fine fragrance at Givaudan, the Swiss maker of fragrances and flavours, closes the announced run on Dec. 2.
The Innovation series starts on Oct. 19 with Chloe Malle, head of editorial content at Vogue, in conversation with Sally Singer, president of Art + Commerce, the agency that represents photographers and stylists. Then Tanner Richie and Fletcher Kasell, designers and cofounders of the label Tanner Fletcher, speak with Fern Mallis, the organiser of New York Fashion Week's early runway shows, on Nov. 3.
All events take place in the Bob Fisch Presentation Hall in FIT's Joyce F. Brown Academic Building. They will also be livestreamed. FIT lists the full schedule on its dedicated Conversations events page.
What makes this stand out is the mix. One night is about luxury management. The next is about magazines, toys or scent. For fans, this means a front-row seat without enrolment or a ticket price.
