List of Fashion Institute of Technology alumni explained

This is a list of graduates, past students and alumni of the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.

Alumni

Artists

• Jamie Beck – photographer and author^[1]
• Tony Chi – interior designer^[2]
• Molly Crabapple – artist and writer^[3]
• Rosetta DeBerardinis – artist^[4]
• Danielle De Jesus – visual artist and photographer^[5]
• Daria Dorosh – Ukrainian artist, educator and activist^[6]
• Marie-Denise Douyon – Canadian painter, illustrator and graphic artist^[7]
• Anna Frangiosa – artist and cabaret performer
• Gloria Garfinkel – visual artist^{[8] [9] [10]}
• Lynn Gilbert – photographer and author^[11]
• CYJO – fine-art photographer
• Roxanne Lowit – fashion and celebrity photographer
• Ryan Ashley Malarkey – tattoo artist, 2007^[12]
• Janet McKenzie – painter of religious themes
• Lady Starlight – performance artist; muse of pop star Lady Gaga
• Sara Rahbar (1976) – fine artist, attended 1996–2000^[13]
• Fabrice Simon – Haitian American abstract artist and fashion designer.
• Dean Skira – lighting designer^[14]
• Frederick Weston – African-American gay artist whose collages were recognized for their importance late in his life

Actors, entertainment industry

• Karen Allen – actress^[15]
• Madison Anderson – Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2019
• Aquaria – winner of RuPaul's Drag Race season 10
• Fonzworth Bentley – hip hop artist, entertainer, fashion designer
• Lady Colin Campbell – writer and television personality
• Helen Castillo – fashion designer; cast member on season 12 of the reality television series Project Runway
• Laverne Cox – actress and LGBT advocate^[16]
• Chloe Dao – winner of the TV series Project Runway (season 2)
• Betty Davis – singer, songwriter, and model^{[17] [18]}
• Amy Devers – furniture designer and TV personality (Freeform Furniture, Designer People, Trading Spaces)
• Peter DiPilato – entertainment photographer^[19]
• Mich Dulce – Filipina fashion designer, reality show actor, and musician^[20]
• Amber Lee Ettinger – model and actress^[21]
• Scarlet Envy – drag queen, contestant on Rupaul's Drag Race season 11 and "Rupaul's Drag Race All Stars" season 6
• Randy Fenoli – television personality (Say Yes to the Dress), bridal designer, and CEO, Randy Fenoli Enterprises, Inc.^[22]
• Gregory Gale – costume designer
• Kayne Gillaspie – fashion designer and Project Runway cast member^{[23] [24]}
• Kimberly Goldson – fashion designer and Project Runway cast member^{[25] [26]}
• Elena Goode – actress and Ford model
• Max Hechtman - filmmaker, video editor and videographer^{[27] [28] [29]}
• Caroline Hirsch – founder and owner of Caroline's Comedy Club
• Agot Isidro – actress, singer, and TV show host in the Philippines
• Janelle James – actress and comedian^[30]
• Jasmine Kennedie - drag queen, trans woman and contestant on Rupaul's Drag Race season 14
• Kilo Kish – singer/songwriter, textile artist, and painter^[31]
• Frankie Knuckles – DJ and producer best known for his involvement in pioneering house music.
• Melissa McCarthy – film and television actress, comedian, writer and producer; attended for two years
• Oscar Nunez – actor and comedian^[32]
• Audrey Quock – model and actress
• Joel Schumacher – director, producer, writer, costume designer
• Angela Simmons – TV personality, fashion designer, CEO of Pastry Kicks.
• Ramona Singer – TV personality, starred on Bravo TV series The Real Housewives of New York City.
• Stephen A. Smith – sportscaster; attended for one year
• Robert Verdi – television personality and style expert^[33]
• Daniel Vosovic – runner-up of TV series Project Runway (season 2)
• Joe Zee – Creative Director of Elle Magazine, host of the Sundance Channel's original program All on the Line

Entrepreneurs

• Laure Hériard-Dubreuil – French entrepreneur and founder of a luxury multi-brand retailer, The Webster Miami^[34]
• Elisabeth Jensen – former Disney Consumer Products executive; education advocate and candidate for United States House of Representatives elections in Kentucky, 2014.

Fashion designers

• Robert Abajian^[35] - fashion designer who was Senior Vice President of Liz Claiborne Inc. and succeeded Claiborne as head of design in 1989
• Amsale Aberra – fashion designer of couture bridal gowns and eveningwear
• Reem Acra – fashion designer of couture bridal gowns and eveningwear
• Jeffrey Ampratwum - fashion designer
• Jhane Barnes – fashion designer
• Polly Barton – textile artist^[36]
• Stephen Burrows – fashion designer, one of the first African-American fashion designer to sell internationally.
• Grace Chen – fashion designer^{[37] [38]}
• David Chu – fashion designer, president, and CEO of Nautica International, Inc.
• Mandy Coon – fashion designer
• Francisco Costa – designer, Calvin Klein collection for women
• Laura Dahl – fashion designer
• Marisol Deluna – fashion designer^[39]
• Alan Eckstein – fashion designer and co-founder of Timo Weiland^[40]
• Andrew Fezza – fashion designer^[41]
• Carolina Herrera – fashion designer, President of Carolina Herrera New York
• Norma Kamali – fashion designer
• Calvin Klein (1962) – founder of Calvin Klein, Inc.
• Michael Kors – Fashion designer, President and CEO of Michael Kors
• Nanette Lepore^[42] – fashion designer and owner, Robespierre, Inc.
• Leon Max – fashion designer, president and CEO of Max Studios
• Arthur McGee – fashion designer, first African American designer hired to run a design studio on Seventh Avenue in the Garment District in New York City.^[43]
• Bibhu Mohapatra – fashion designer^[44]
• Charles Nolan - fashion designer^[45]
• Babette Pinsky - fashion designer
• Ralph Rucci (1980) – fashion designer, Chado Ralph Rucci
• Steve Summers - Costume designer and creative director for Dolly Parton
• Kate Stoltz – fashion designer and model
• Ivy Supersonic – hat designer
• Ouigi Theodore – African - American designer behind the Brooklyn Circus label^[46]
• Isabel Toledo – fashion designer
• Hector Torres – fashion designer^[47]
• Zaldy – designer for RuPaul^[48]

Illustrators

• Timothy D. Bellavia – children's author and illustrator
  • Enrico Casarosa - Animator at Pixar Chris Eliopoulos - cartoonist
• Antonio Lopez^[49] – fashion illustrator

Jewelry, accessories designers

• Gessica Brooke – fashion and accessories designer
• Carolina Bucci – jewelry designer
• James de Givenchy – jewelry designer and owner of the jewelry company Taffin^{[50] [51]}

Writers

• Sydney Biddle Barrows – businesswoman, socialite, management consultant and writer^[52]
• Cailli and Sam Beckerman^[53] – fashion bloggers
• Angie Cruz – novelist and author
• Erica De Mane - chef, food writer, cookbook author^[54]
• Nina García – editor-in-Chief, Elle, and Project Runway judge^{[55] [56]}
• Radhika Khanna – fashion designer and author of Yoga: From the Ganges to Wall Street and two other books.
• Naomi Sims – model and author

Other

• Greta Zimmer Friedman – Austrian-born American who was photographed being grabbed and kissed by Navy sailor George Mendonsa in Alfred Eisenstaedt's iconic 1945 V-J Day in Times Square photograph^[57]

Notes and References

1. Web site: July 8, 2011 . NYC Photographer Jamie Beck Discusses The Cinemagraph . 2022-05-09 . Film Industry Network . en-US.
2. Web site: The Soul of a Space . Joseph, Alexander . Hue . 12 August 2015.
3. http://www.fitnyc.edu/4422.asp Profile: Jennifer Caban and John Leavitt, Illustration Alums
4. Web site: Rosetta DeBerardinis. Brooke. 2016-09-08. Let's Talk Art With Brooke. en. 2019-02-05.
5. Web site: Latinx and Hispanic Heritage Month Alumni Identity Spotlight: Danielle De Jesus ’21 MFA Yale Alumni Association . 2024-06-18 . alumni.yale.edu . en.
6. Web site: Daria Dorosh, Ph.D. Fashion Lab in Process. 30 March 2016.
7. Web site: Works by Marie-Denise Douyon. Galerie d'art Viva Vida. 8 March 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150402175141/http://www.vivavidaartgallery.com/index.php/en/art-gallery/artists/marie-denise-douyon. 2 April 2015.
8. News: Alumni Notes . Spring 2016 . HUE FIT Magazine.
9. News: Miss Backman, Researcher, Wed. New York Times . October 3, 1990.
10. Web site: Gloria Garfinkel, 1929-2024. Legacy.com . 2024.
11. News: Sadof . Karly Domb . 2018-03-30 . 12 iconic portraits of women who transformed the American landscape . 2024-09-09 . The Washington Post.
12. Web site: Remling . Amanda . 'Ink Master' Showrunner Breaks Down Season 8 Female Alliance . . 2016-10-18 . 2018-12-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180503230817/http://www.ibtimes.com/ink-master-showrunner-breaks-down-season-8-female-alliance-2433542 . 3 May 2018 . live .
13. Web site: Sara Rahbar Biography. ArtNet.com. 2017-06-20.
14. Web site: 4aMagazine: A sustainable talk with the lighting designer Dean Skira . New4amagazine.com . 2018-09-06.
15. Web site: Albany Film Festival spotlight: Karen Allen . 17 March 2022 .
16. https://news.fitnyc.edu/2020/04/23/an-fit-guide-to-binge-watching/
17. Book: Mahon, Maureen. Black diamond queens : African American women and rock and roll. 2020. 978-1-4780-1019-7. Durham. 1141516276.
18. Web site: Betty Davis. Soulwalking.co.uk. June 10, 2012.
19. Web site: Hue Magazine.
20. Web site: The Winner of the International Young Fashion Entrepreneur . 2010-03-04 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100315035612/http://www.britishcouncil.org/philippines-common-know-our-projects-current-projects-young-creative-entrepreneur-fashionentrepreneur.htm . 2010-03-15 .
21. Q&A: Amber Lee Ettinger (A.k.a. Obama Girl) . Wired . Buskirk . Eliot Van .
22. News: Rohrlich. Marianne. Randy Fenoli of 'Say Yes to the Dress' Is a Bride's Therapist. The New York Times. 8 October 2015 . 29 March 2017. 1.
23. Web site: Kayne Gillaspie's Official Biographical Information . 2008-05-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080524205910/http://johnathankayne.com/bio.php . 2008-05-24 . dead .
24. VIDEO: Gillaspie Interview - KWTV - April 30, 2008
25. News: La Ferla . Ruth . She’s Taking the Show Uptown . The New York Times . 6 September 2017.
26. News: Montgomery . Daniel . ‘Project Runway All Stars’: Did Kimberly Goldson really deserve to be eliminated in ‘A Kick in the Astro’? [POLL] ]. Gold Derby . 23 February 2018.
27. Web site: Vatner. Jonathan. Take Five: Max Hechtman. FIT Newsroom. July 31, 2019 . en.
28. Web site: East Meadow filmmaker nominated for three awards at local festival. Brian. Stieglitz. 2020-10-12. Herald Community Newspapers. September 22, 2020 . en.
29. Web site: Satnick. Randi. The Real Deal: A look through the lens of a young Long Island filmmaker. Your News Mag. 2024-02-04. en.
30. Web site: Janelle James on Refusing to Disclose Her Age, Hoping 'Abbott Elementary' Doesn't Last Forever and Why She's Not Interested in 'Sexy' Roles . April 19, 2023 .
31. https://www.spin.com/2016/03/review-kilo-kish-reflections-in-real-time/
32. http://www.nbc.com/The_Office/bios/oscar_nunez.shtml "The Office Cast Biographies"
33. Web site: SO WHAT DO YOU DO, ROBERT VERDI, LOGO TV HOST? . Mediabistro.com . February 3, 2010 . Diane . Clehane . November 21, 2014 .
34. News: Laure Hériard Dubreuil: Stylish Advice for Effortless Chic. Polla. Ada. 17 June 2014. The Huffington Post. 25 March 2015.
35. News: . Robert Abajian, 62, A Fashion Designer. January 13, 1995 . A25.
36. Web site: Silk Weaver – Santa Fe, New Mexico . Polly Barton . 2012-10-31.
37. Web site: Chin . Andrea W. . 2016-11-03 . Meet China’s Most Sought After Couturier . 2024-11-06 . The Hollywood Reporter . en-US.
38. Web site: Feitelberg . Rosemary . 2024-01-24 . Designer Grace Chen Returns to FIT, Maps Out Future Plans . 2024-11-06 . WWD . en-US.
39. News: The New York Times Style Weddings. The New York Times . 28 April 2020. 13 June 1999.
40. Web site: HOW I'M MAKING IT: TIMO WEILAND. DHANI MAU. 10 September 2010. Fashionista. 11 October 2014.
41. News: Award-winning Andrew Fezza Creative Force Here And Abroad.. 13 February 2014. Schenectady Gazette. 27 March 1985.
42. https://web.archive.org/web/20150818054846/http://wfitnyc.com/ WFIT NYC
43. Web site: Traphagen Alumni The Traphagen School: Fostering American Fashion. Museum at FIT. 2019-12-06.
44. Web site: Bibhu Mohapatra - NYFW: The Shows. nyfw.com. en. 2020-04-15.
45. Web site: Fashion designer Charles Nolan, partner of Andrew Tobias, dies of cancer at age 53 | Steve Rothaus' Gay South Florida. miamiherald.typepad.com. 2014-05-27.
46. News: Williams . Alex . The Bearded Dandy of Brooklyn . 14 May 2022 . The New York Times . 5 January 2011.
47. News: July 27, 1990 . Hector Torres Is Dead; Fashion Designer, 46 . The New York Times.
48. News: Feldman. Jenny. Notes From the Underground: Zaldy Goco Spins a Darkly Beautiful Signature Collection of Victorian-Goth Coats and Dresses. Elle. July 2005. 38. 20. 11.
49. Padilha, Roger, and Mauricio Padilha. 2012. Antonio Lopez: Fashion, Art, Sex & Disco. Random House Incorporated.
50. Web site: Best Fantasy Jewelry. NYMag.com. 3 March 2005.
51. Web site: Best Of The Best 2006: James De Givenchy For Taffin. Jill. Newman. 1 June 2006.
52. News: Hornblower . Margot . Tsiantar . Dody . The Case of the 'Mayflower Madam' . The Washington Post . 6 June 2018 . 2 November 1984.
53. News: 'Human Glitter.' The Beckerman Twins Are Fashion Week Stars. Kurutz. Steven. The New York Times. 14 September 2016 . 21 March 2017.
54. Web site: Erica De Mane Fashions a Springtime Dish. Urrabazo. Yolanda. FIT Alumni. Fashion Institute of Technology. 9 October 2014.
55. Fashion Institute of Technology, Nina Garcia to Give Keynote Address at FIT's Graduation Ceremonies on May 25 2010-05-18. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
56. Web site: So What Do You Do, Nina Garcia, Marie Claire Fashion Director & Project Runway Judge? . Mediabistro.com . January 20, 2010 . Diane . Clehane . November 21, 2014 .
57. Web site: The true story behind the iconic V-J Day sailor and 'nurse' smooch. Callahan. Maureen. June 17, 2012. New York Post. 2016-09-15.