Current Exhibitions
African Diaspora
Fashion Design AAS Exhibition
December 14, 2024 - January 29, 2025
African Diaspora, presented by the Fashion Design AAS exhibition committee honors
the
powerful influence of African culture on contemporary fashion. Opening December 14
in FIT’s Art and
Design Gallery, African Diaspora is free and open to the public daily.
FIT’s Fashion Design, Illustration, and Photography AAS students created works inspired
by the current
exhibition Africa’s Fashion Diaspora, on view at The Museum at FIT (MFIT) through
January 29. This
showcase of student work delves into themes of identity, resilience, and creativity,
celebrating the
contributions of African-descendant communities to style and self-expression in fashion
design. By
exploring the interconnectedness of Black culture across borders, the exhibition invites
visitors from all
backgrounds to engage in this shared narrative, emphasizing the dynamic role of African
influence in
today’s fashion landscape.
The students’ design process began with in-depth research, which held particular significance
for some
students as they explored their own cultural heritage within the African Diaspora
and incorporated elements into their work. Once the initial design concepts were completed,
students collaborated closely with their professors and industry critics to transform
their 2D illustrations into fully realized 3D garments.
This year is the first time the Fashion Design AAS exhibition is interdisciplinary,
featuring work from the
Photography and Illustration departments. FIT’s students from the Department of Photography
and Related Media documented each stage of the project’s development, capturing moments
from Fashion Design AAS classes as students refined and prepared their work for the
final garment presentations. Exploring patterns and forms relating to the human figure,
students worked with models dressed in African-influenced textiles to bring their
concepts to life. Illustration AAS faculty incorporated MFIT’s Africa’s Fashion Diaspora
into their coursework through student drawing sessions with live models, African sculpture,
textiles, and patterns. The faculty was impressed by how the students immersed themselves
in the subject matter. The diversity aspect and the African Diaspora touches on so
many genres, and reached each student in a different way, as each student added their
own visual interpretation to the African Diaspora through their line drawings.
Photo: by Photography student, Mia Baric