FIT Alumni

🎓 🎉 Graduation is an exciting milestone worth celebrating. But after the party's over, what comes next? 😵‍💫 Navigating the job market, landing your first "big girl job," or starting your own venture?

Whatever path you take, or how far along you've gotten, here's some words of encouragement before you take your next step, from our alumni commencement speakers:
Jeriana San Juan, Fashion Design BFA ’04
Abigail DeVille, Fine Arts BFA ’09
Chris Mazzilli, Menswear Design and Marketing ’85
Brandice Daniel, International Trade and Marketing BS ’12
Robert Geronimo, Illustration MFA ’17
Malene Djenaba Barnett, Textile/Surface Design BFA ’96 .barnett

📰 Read on in FIT Newsroom: https://news.fitnyc.edu/2026/05/26/career-advice-from-fits-2026-commencement-speakers/

Inspired by her TEDx talk, “How Fashion Won the War on Waste,” Stacy Flynn (BS Textile Development & Marketing ‘99) will return to campus to deliver the closing keynote at FIT’s 20th annual Sustainable Business and Design Conference on April 9. The CEO and co-founder of Evrnu will explore how innovation and creativity can transform waste into opportunity in the fashion industry. Learn more about the journey that led her to developing NuCycl r-lyocell— a sturdy fiber made entirely from cotton textile waste—by watching her TEDx talk at our link in bio.

Fellow alumni and industry disruptors also speaking at the two-day conference include:

Aleks Gosiewski, BFA Fashion Design ‘17, Co-Founder, Keel Labs
Andrea Reyes, MPS Global Fashion Management ‘12
Deanna Crevecoeur , BS Production Management, ‘23 Founder Coeur
Kara Mac, AAS Fashion Design ‘85, Founder and CEO Kara Mac Shoes
Miranda Morrison, AAS Accessories Design, ‘89
Sarah Scaturro, MA Fashion and Textile Studies ‘10

Celebrate Earth Month AND 20 Years of Collective Progress with FIT by joining for one or both days of panels, keynotes, workshops, and opportunities to connect with like-minded earth warriors.

Register at fitnyc.edu/sustainabilityconference

Congratulations to Corey Moran, Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing Management MPS ’15, as he steps into his new role as chief marketing officer at Michael Kors. Corey will lead brand storytelling for the iconic label founded by a fellow alum.

In addition to his prior role at Google as the head of industry for fashion and luxury segments, Corey stays close to his FIT roots—teaching graduate students in the FIT Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing and Management MPS, serving on the FIT Foundation Board, collaborating with alumni, the campus community, and industry stakeholders—continuing to champion FIT on 27th street and beyond.

Headshot by .photo courtesy of Corey Moran.

While the catwalk is glamorous, eventually fashions have to leave the runway... to walk the red carpet! And for our FIT alumni, you never quite know where that path might lead. At the 98th Academy Awards, we saw just that:

Miyako Bellizzi (Advertising and Marketing Communications '11) nominee for best Costume Design for her work on Marty Supreme, sported vintage treasure: a Christian Dior Spring/Summer '99 bias cut gown.

Bibhu Mohapatra (Fashion Design AAS '00) showcased heritage craftmanship, dressing pre-show host Tamron Hall in a Fall 2025 gown with Odisha ikat embroidery, a centuries-old textile tradition from India. In a pre-ceremony event, Ndey Buri (Advertising and Marketing Communications '19) did the same--representing the best of African fashion in Dakar-based brand Romzy Studio.

Alum Wayman Bannerman, 1/2 of celebrity styling duo kept it fun with a custom Louis Vuittion gown for Chase Infiniti (star of best picture, "One Battle After Another"), a lively garden of Eden dress from Chanel for Quenlin Blackwell, host of Vanity Fair after-party, and a Jacquemus sparkle pin stripe suit for two-time nominee Colman Domingo.

Just as predicted by our Alumni Advisory Council member and style expert Joe Zee (Advertising and Marketing Communications '92), speaking to last week, the sculptural silhouettes of Daniel Roseberry's (Fashion Design AAS '08) Schiaparelli were fan favorites, with Kylie Jenner and Dua Lipa's afterparty looks standing out from the crowd.

Twenty years of turning ideas into action!
FIT’s 20th Annual Sustainable Business and Design Conference, “Your Voice, Our Future: 20 Years of Collective Progress,” returns April 8 and 9.

FIT alumni, register now via link in bio to get early bird pricing, available through Wednesday, March 18.

Your ticket includes:
- Full access to all main-stage sessions across both days
- Exclusive networking opportunities with industry leaders, innovators, and changemakers
- Daily meals and refreshments (breakfast, lunch, and light bites during conference hours)
- Entry to the FIT Changemaker Award ceremony and reception
- Continued access to on-demand content available through Earth month in April

Industry disruptors, designers, entrepreneurs, activists, and changemakers will come together to explore the future of sustainable fashion and business. Through conversations, panels, and hands-on workshops, the conference highlights how creative industries are rethinking systems, materials, and practices to build a more responsible future.

Learn more and register at fitnyc.edu/industrydisruptors

Four Fashion Design alumni shows. Four totally different ways to do New York Fashion Week.

Tula deBaer '25, Yuval Sorotzkin '25, Evangeline Ellingsworth AAS '23 and Noah Savas (Menswear) transformed a Brooklyn industrial loft into a volunteer-powered, self-produced runway moment. Aisling Camps '13 presented in a light-filled space at the Starrett-Lehigh Building, featuring immersive installation elements. Peleg Assulin '25 presented his thesis collection featuring Supima materials inside a Chelsea gallery, complete with live drawing activations. And Talia Abbe MFA '24 hosted a vibrant, curated showroom experience at the Moxy Hotel, set against sprawling Manhattan skyline views.

No single blueprint. No one formula. Just vision, community, and FIT alumni making NYFW their own.

Featured Designers:




(.workwear )


()

We want to thank our amazing panelists for sharing their unique insights and experiences at our annual ❤️🖤💚 event with FIT’s Black Student Union and the Social Justice Center at FIT:

💚Mackenzie Harding (moderator), Advertising and Marketing Communications BS ‘24, member, FIT Alumni Advisory Council, former president, FIT Black Student Union
❤️Kareem Gayle, Senior vice president of human resources, North America at Parfums Christian Dior, Board Member, FIT Foundation
🖤Antoine Gregory, Fabric Styling BFA ‘17, creative director and founder, Black Fashion Fair
💚Jirah Joshua, Designer and director of Room–file, a New York and London-based interior design studio
❤️Corey Smith, Vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion, LVMH Inc., Board Member, FIT Foundation

While the month may be ending, amplifying talent, diversity, and celebrating the creativity and leadership of black students and alumni is always integral to our community ❤️🖤💚

FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 11 am–noon | Next week, join us and these illustrious alumni leaders as they share their wins, challenges, and lessons learned throughout their career during our alumni panel, “Her Story - Defining Eras of Alumni Leadership,” which brings together six distinguished alumni, each representing a different decade of leadership, innovation, and impact in the fashion and creative industries.

FEATURED SPEAKERS
⭐️ Cara Araneta, Fabric Styling ’05 - MODERATOR
Alumni Advisory Council Member, Cultural Strategist, and Community Builder
⭐️ Madeline Gardner, Fashion Design ‘79
FIT Foundation Board Member, Designer / Creative Director / Business Owner
⭐️ Nayantara Sam, International Trade & Marketing for the Fashion Industries '17
Digital Marketing and Media Manager, Fendi
⭐️ Molly Taylor, Fashion Buying & Merchandising ‘88, FIT Foundation Board Member, SVP Merchandising; Fashion & Editorial | Rue-Gilt Groupe
⭐️ Christina Treviño, Fashion Design ‘92, Partner and VP - Latin Biz Today, Award-Winning Children’s Author & Fashion Executive

🔗Register for the conference at our link in bio.

ABOUT
Held in celebration of Women’s History Month, the Womxn’s Empowerment Conference is hosted by the Department of Residential Life and Student Life. The conference features a full-day of programming featuring guest speakers, networking opportunities, panel discussions, hands-on activities, and more—all designed to inspire women to be confident in their careers, their bodies, and their lives.

The Vilcek Foundation () celebrates its 20th year of awarding immigrants and cultural leaders, recognizing four of FIT’s very own with prizes for exceptional work in Fashion, Culture, and Design.

Peter Do (.peterdo) received the $100,000 Vilcek Prize in Fashion & Design for his ability to create unique and versatile clothing designs for everyday life without sacrificing durability or comfort. Do moved from his native Vietnam to the suburbs of Philadelphia when he was 14, which exposed him to the often turbulent life of immigrants in the United States.

Tanya Meléndez-Escalante (.melendez.fashion) received the $100,000 Vilcek Prize for Fashion & Culture for her work at the Museum at FIT, curating exhibitions and programs that challenge perceptions of Latin American fashion through exhibitions like ¡Moda Hoy! (2024), an international collaboration between students at FIT and LASALLE College of Arts in Singapore.

Diego Bendezu (), BFA Photography ‘15, was awarded the 2026 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Fashion & Culture for his work documenting the beauty of working-class life in Latin-American communities. Originally from Peru, in Bendezu’s first year at FIT, he met mentor Tom Caravaglia, whose respect for culture and heritage inspired Bendezu’s forthcoming photobook on traditional Peruvian and South American dance.

Faculty member Natalie Nudell () also received the 2026 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Fashion & Culture for her writing, research, and database development, including the Fashion Calendar Research Database (FCRD), which details how underrepresented communities are integral to the foundation of the industry.