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The Future of Fashion, According to the FIT Class of 2016

By Laura Gurfein
Photography by Jono Bernstein
  • Each year, the Fashion Institute of Technology celebrates "the Future of Fashion" with a runway presentation that features graduating students' best work. Ahead of tonight's show, we spoke with the nine Critic Award-winning students. Photo: Courtesy of FIT
  • Rosemary Paone, 21, of Staten Island. Specialization: Sportswear What's the future of fashion? "I studied abroad in Florence and Milan for three semesters, and one of the main things I learned there was about this movement to slow down fashion. That would be a good future, where fast fashion slows down and craftsmanship and couture aspects come back into everyday people’s lives."
  • What do you like about shopping in New York City? "The experience of shopping in New York, for me at least, is definitely window shopping. I love making a day of shopping with a friend, or when my mom comes in. We’ll go to Soho or Meatpacking and browse. Also, when I think of shopping in New York, I think of the window displays at Christmas at Bergdorf's. That, to me, is a quintessential New York shopping experience."
  • Where do you like to shop? "Reformation is great because they do a lot of sustainable stuff. I actually worked with them for a window display — I made a corset out of twigs. That store has a really cool vibe. But also, the department stores are just...It's amazing to go and experience Bergdorf's or Saks."
  • Paone's award-winning designs. Photo: Courtesy of FIT
  • Alexis Chung, 24, of Seoul, South Korea. Specialization: Knitwear What is the future of fashion? " I think people are appreciating fashion more, and not only for its practicality or comfort. People are having fun through what they wear. When I go to Dover Street Market or other stores that carry new, fresh fashion designers, it's changed — of course, people should be practical in a way, but in all the details, the shapes, and silhouettes, designers are trying to put in something fun. I think people are appreciating that more and more."
  • "When I see knitwear on the runway these days, I can see it becoming more popular. Designers are trying different techniques, and not only in sweaters. People think when I say 'knitwear,' I mean just a basic sweater, but I see knitwear techniques all over the runway."
  • Where do you like shopping in New York City? "My favorite store is Dear Rivington in Noho. The designer, she is like my mentor — I've been interning there for a year now. That store mixes old and new, which is inspiring for my design. Even in the really small things, I can feel its story and energy. Also, I like Dover Street Market because I can see a lot of fun things. Every time I go there, I spend an hour or more."
  • Chung's award-winning design. Photo: Courtesy of FIT
  • Kuanling "Queena" Ko, 22, of Taiwan. Specialization: Childrenswear What is the future of fashion? "Technology, from 3D printing to all the social media. High-tech fabrics and complicated design can be done easily now. I like something really constructed — even though it's not something I do in childrenswear — and I really like how 3D printing can create really complicated textures."
  • Where do you like shopping in New York City? "I go to Zara and Macy's and stuff, but when I see the garments, I think, 'I can I buy fabric and then manipulate it myself and make it in the way I want' instead of buying the clothes."
  • So where do you like to shop for fabrics? "Mood and Elegant and B&J. But B&J is a little bit pricey, so I get inspiration from B&J and then see if I can find a similar (and a little bit cheaper) fabric in Mood or Elegant."
  • Ko's award-winning design. Photo: Courtesy of FIT
  • Cemille Simsek, 24, of Istanbul, Turkey. Specialization: Sportswear What's the future of fashion? "I like using technology and innovation in terms of fashion. For example, I used a laser-cut system for one of my garments in my senior collection. I want to see more 3D applications, printings, and laser cuts in the future. I also want to see some high-tech fabrics on people’s feet."
  • What do you like about shopping in New York City? "I like shopping in New York because Turkey is still a developing country. I can find everything in New York: vintage, new, different brands."
  • What are your favorite stores to check out here? "Favorite stores is a difficult question! I like Saks Fifth Avenue, but I cannot buy anything right now. Now, I shop H&M and these kind of stores."
  • Simsek's award-winning design. Photo: Courtesy of FIT
  • Emily Jung, 25, born in South Korea and raised in Queens. Specialization: Sportswear What's the future of fashion? "I’ve been seeing a lot of interesting finishings. In school, when you start your education, you are taught a certain way to sew and a certain way to finish garments, but I think a lot of young designers now are finding their own way to assemble fabric. It doesn't necessarily even have to be sewn — they are using bonding and they are experimenting with 3D printing. It is very interesting to watch them break the rules."
  • What do you like about shopping in New York City? "What I like most about shopping in New York is the variety of stores that cater to different aesthetics and are all available to us. It's all collected here in New York and you don’t have to travel far. You can go to all these stores in a small area and still find very different things."
  • What's a favorite place to stop by? "I think Totokaelo is definitely cool. They carry everything that I want to wear."
  • Jung's award-winning designs. Photo: Courtesy of FIT
  • Namibia Viera Martinez, 34, of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Specialization: Sportswear What's the future of fashion? " The future of fashion is colorful — blue, red, turquoise, any bright color — and full of volume, with lots of textures both soft and rough."
  • Where do you like shopping in New York City? "What I shop the most are things from Apple. I don’t really buy clothes — I do almost all of my own clothes. I buy purses, and I like shoes from Camper."
  • When you're making clothes, where do you look for inspiration? "Most of my clothes are inspired by architecture. I like a lot of the new buildings along the High Line in Chelsea. For fabrics, I go to B&J, Elegant, and Mood."
  • Martinez's award-winning design. Photo: Courtesy of FIT
  • Samju Seo, 29, of Busan, South Korea. Specialization: Knitwear What's the future of fashion? "Technology is going to be the future of fashion — clothes looks great with 3D printing and laser cutting — but when it comes to fashion and daily life, people cannot apply that that much right now. From this year, I think cultural interpretation is leading the trend. For example, Vetements: Their stuff is just, like, regular sweaters, but because of their unique interpretation, they become really hip and trendy."
  • Where do you like shopping in New York City? "I really like that I am living here so I can go to Barneys New York, Dover Street Market, and Opening Ceremony to see emerging designer stuff, which I cannot see in Korea or anywhere else, but my taste level is higher than what I can buy with my budget. So when it comes to buying, I go to Zara. My aesthetic is very loose — I sometimes choose the extra-large size, and then nobody knows it’s from Zara or H&M. Sometimes I fix the details, and many times I make clothes, too."
  • Where do you go to buy fabric? "Anywhere in the Garment District. I don’t think expensive fabric makes good design — good design makes good design. Some people spend a lot of money for buying really high-quality fabric, but I think good design and good construction is first. The place I shop for fabrics doesn’t matter."
  • Seo's award-winning design. Photo: Courtesy of FIT
  • Stephanie Ali of Commack, NY. Specialization: Intimates What's the future of fashion? "I think that many of the branches of fashion have begun to intertwine more closely over the past few years, and I feel that will only continue to progress. Accessories and some articles of clothing are acting as crossover pieces from one style to another — that newness is unique. The customer has the power to change their wardrobe and has a feeling of versatility more than ever before."
  • What do you like about shopping in New York City? "When I'm in New York, I like to go shopping places that are local to me and my school. I usually shop anywhere around the Manhattan Mall because there are a lot of fun, cute stores and boutiques to try out."
  • What are your favorite stores? "Some of favorite stores are H&M and Forever 21 because they allow me to change my look. They bring new product in fairly frequently, so I always like to go in and look around. I also really like the accessories that these stores have for the same reason."
  • Ali's award-winning design. Photo: Courtesy of FIT
  • Jenny Seo of Carmel, Indiana. Specialization: Special Occasion What's the future of fashion? "As an eveningwear designer, I’m always pushing myself to be more experimental in draping and construction. There are so many eveningwear dresses out there that are simple in silhouette and just covered with embellishments. It’s always nice to see designs that have more thought put into them and are a little more outside the box. Two designers that I really admire are Iris Van Herpen and Yiqing Yin for their thought-provoking and imaginative designs."
  • How do you utilize the shopping scene in New York City? "I don’t find myself shopping that much. As a designer, I wear clothing out of comfort, as we work long hours draping, sewing, or running errands in the Garment District. Once in a while, I’ll want to shop for something new, and I mostly shop online out of convenience. It’s faster to browse through the internet than to commute to a store and wait in line for a fitting room. When I’m not working on a Saturday or Sunday, I’ll spend the day in Brooklyn and find interesting pieces in thrift stores."
  • So when you do go shopping, where do you like to go? "Beacon’s Closet is my go-to thrift store in Brooklyn. If I’m in Soho, I like to checkout Opening Ceremony, Oak and If."
  • Seo's award-winning design. Photo: Courtesy of FIT

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Tonight, fashion designers, editors, and more will head to Chelsea to discover the future at the Fashion Institute of Technology. The school's "Future of Fashion" runway presentation, sponsored by Calvin Klein and hosted by Leandra Medine, features the best of the best of the class of 2016's work in sportswear, knitwear, intimates, eveningwear, children's apparel, and more.

Designers including Dennis Basso, Stacey Bendet of Alice + Olivia, Sachin and Babi Ahluwalia of Sachin & Babi, Jennifer Zuccarini from Fleur du Mal, and Lisa Di Napoli of Tommy Hilfiger mentored students throughout the spring semester and selected Critic Award winners who demonstrated excellence in their respective categories.

We spoke to this year's nine recipients — who hail from as close as Staten Island and Queens to as far as Turkey and South Korea — to discuss their take on the future of fashion and how they shop in New York City. No surprise here: Many of them head out to stores for inspiration in making their own apparel.

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