Inspiration
Making It: The Bubble of Imagination
On a perfectly perfect spring day I found myself wandering through Midtown. I had a long to-do list, none of which I was particularly inspired to dive into. Then, like a gift to my procrastination, I remembered I was just a few blocks away from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and the Graduating Student Exhibition was currently on.
The exhibition is part celebration, part culmination of months of hard work and study. Students spend the semester toiling in studios, patterning, stitching, revising, scrapping, redoing, and learning.
I can remember what it was like—the long nights, the pressure, the tiny triumphs. Then suddenly, it’s time to show your work to the world and finally say to your friends and families, “Here’s what I’ve made.”
This year’s show felt more intimate than those I’ve seen in the past.
When I went to the show in 2019, the fashion department’s display took over entire floors. This show was quieter, but still striking. I found myself wondering how the current times we live in have shaped enrollment in fashion schools, the resources students have to create with, and, even, how they dream.
Here’s something they don’t tell you in school: your final student exhibition might be the last time you create something entirely, unapologetically for yourself.
Once you graduate, everything you make is filtered through a lens. It becomes making for your resume, your future employer, the aesthetic of the brand that hires you.
Even if you go solo and launch a design house, you’ll find yourself asking: will this sell? Will this trend? Are these materials practical? There’s always a bit of the outside world whispering in your ear.
Some students are already designing with one foot in the industry, thinking about how their pieces align with a future job. But others? They remain in a bubble of imagination. They know this is their moment to fully express their creativity, and they take it.
There wasn’t much knitwear in the show this year, but the few pieces left quite an impression.
The first piece that drew me in wasn’t actually hand-knit at all. The designer, Allison Margaret Smith (@margaret__ia) used raffia to hand-knot the hay pile onto fabric to create an incredible texture. It was joyful, experimental, and unapologetically fun.
Then there was the black-on-black ensemble by designer Lauryn Ilasco (@i.lovelaur). It looked like a rich sea of loop stitch at first, but upon closer inspection, I realized the texture came from meticulously machine-knit I-cord loops.
The look included a knit coat, a button-up, shorts, knit heels (yes, heels), and a crochet necklace. Black yarn is notoriously tricky! Anyone who’s worked with dark yarn knows the challenge of seeing your stitches. Now imagine manipulating them into complex textures in a time crunch!
My personal soft spot is always for a good cable sweater. One sweater, with sculptural cables and a topstitched shoulder detail, had me swooning in the menswear section. Designer Genesis Vargas’s sweater makes you want to reach out and squish it.
Just beneath the sweater, I spotted a hand-woven wool brocade tag hanging between it and a pair of pants. A small and subtle detail that probably took more time than anything to weave up. It was a love letter to the art of handcrafts.
Finally, the showstopper: a dreamy ensemble by designer Paris Liu (@paris_liu_portfolio).
The base fabric was embellished with wool roving, tucked and sewn into floral arrangements. Every few inches revealed a new technique—beads hidden in plain sight, embroidery layered over textured stitches. The silhouette of the top/cape added drama to the look.
This wasn’t a sellable piece and I mean that as the highest compliment. You can tell that it was a labor of love.
That’s what I love about student work: the possibility. When else do you get to throw every idea at the wall and experiment to see, every technique and every dream come to life?
The only downside of the exhibition this year was the setup. With the exhibition housed in the FIT lobby, some pieces, especially those tucked into the second row, were hard to view up close. That black knit look I mentioned? You could miss its brilliance entirely if you didn’t lean in.
I left feeling hopeful and inspired. These designers will one day be working at the design houses that we all love. They will be setting the trends that will eventually trickle down to us. After seeing this show, I’m hopeful for what’s to come.
To this year’s graduating class: thank you for the work, the inspiration, and the beauty. As you move into the world, I hope you take with you not just your skills, but your sense of wonder and that willingness to take risks.
Because the world needs your creativity.
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What a wonderful review and so incredibly well-observed. Thank you for sharing this.
Thank you for this! I have followed each of them on Instagram and cannot wait to see what comes next.
Wow–how inspiring! Thank you for featuring their vision and creativity.
This is brilliant! It made me think about the “lens” that future designers must design through. Is it sellable? Practical? Producible? Makes me want to watch Project Runway with a new “lens”!
Thank you for taking this side trek and showing this exhibition! These are amazing!
Top shelf “procrastination!!!” LOVE these beautifully rendered pieces, and the great observations that bring them to life.
Thank you for this, Samantha. Taking us with you on your travels is one of my favorite things. You have such excellent eyeballs for noticing.
Love this review! Bravo for all the creatives that make our world such a beautiful place ♥️
What a lovely tribute to the students. The work is remarkable. I have no talent in fashion, but I know great work when I see it! The photos are fantastic. Thank you!
Wow!
Amazing!
Thank You.
That cabled sweater definitely could go commercial!
Thank you for highlighting the FIT design student’s final projects. they are an incredible group and the future of the fashion industry. I am an adjunct professor at FIT, in the FBM department. I appreciate that their work and the school is reaching a wider audience. FIT has one of the few free admission museums in the city, highlighting fashion in creative and thoughtful ways. Check it out!
Thanks for sharing! I’d love the pattern for the cable sweater, it’s a knock out
Please, please keep these kinds of articles coming! They are an inspiration and just plain fun to look at. Excellent descriptions too.
I would knit and wear that cabled sweater. And my factory default settings don’t really mix short sleeves and sweaters.