Past Commencement Speakers
| Year | Speaker(s) |
| 2024 |
Sarah Davis, Founder and President, Fashionphile Mickey Drexler, CEO, Alex Mill B Michael, Fashion Designer, Author, and FIT Alumnus Bibhu Mohapatra, Fashion Designer and FIT Alumnus Rebecca Moses, Designer, Author, Artist, and FIT Alumna |
| 2023 |
Francisco Costa, Creator, Costa Brazil, and FIT Alumnus Dayna Isom Johnson, Trend Expert for Etsy, and FIT Alumna Byron Lars, Fashion Designer, In Earnest, and FIT Alumnus Fern Mallis, Creator, New York Fashion Week Jennifer Walsh, Beauty Entrepreneur Gary Wassner, CEO, Hilldun Corporation |
| 2022 |
Ken Downing, Chief Brand Officer, Hearst Luxury Collections Ecommerce, Hearst, and FIT Alumnus Laure Heriard Dubreuil '01, Founder and Creative Director, The Webster Stacy Flynn '99, CEO and Co-Founder, Evrnu SPC Ralph Rucci '80, Fashion Designer, RR 331 LLC Karin Tracy '93, Head of Industry, Retail, Fashion, Beauty, Luxury, Meta |
| 2020 and 2021 | Tracee Ellis Ross, Actress, Singer, Producer, Director, and Entrepreneur |
| 2019 | Tommy Hilfiger, Principal Designer, Tommy Hilfiger Global |
| 2019 | David Yurman, Jewelry Designer and Founder, David Yurman |
| 2018 | Chuck Hoberman, Designer, Engineer, Inventor, Innovator |
| 2018 | Lilliana Vazquez, Style Correspondent |
| 2017 | Essie Weingarten, Founder, Essie Cosmetics, Fashion Buying and Merchandising '70 |
| 2016 | Ivy Ross, Vice President and Head of Project Aura, Google, Inc. |
| 2016 | Joe Zee, Creative Director, Yahoo Style |
| 2015 | Marc J. Metrick, President, Saks Fifth Avenue |
| 2015 | Brooke Shields, Actor, Author, and Entrepreneur |
| 2014 | Bobbi Brown, Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics |
| 2014 | Christian Louboutin, Founder, Christian Louboutin SA |
| 2013 | Fern Mallis, President, Fern Mallis LLC |
| 2013 | Rebecca Minkoff, Creative Director and Founder, Rebecca Minkoff LLC |
| 2012 | Leslie Blodgett, Executive Chair and Co-principal Executive Officer of Bare Escentuals Inc. |
| 2012 | Davin Stowell, Co-founder, CEO of Smart Design, Inc. |
| 2011 | Tony Hsieh, Chief Executive Officer of Zappos.com |
| 2011 | Aerin Lauder, Creative Director and Chairman of AERIN LLC and Style and Image Director of Estée Lauder |
| 2010 | Nina Garcia, Fashion Director, Marie Claire |
| 2009 | Annie Liebovitz, Photographer |
| 2008 | Katherine Betts, Editor, TIME Style & Design |
| 2007 | Stephen I. Sadove, CEO, Saks Incorporated |
| 2006 | John R. Ryan, Vice Admiral, USN (Ret.) and Chancellor, SUNY |
| 2005 | Charles Osgood, Anchor, CBS Sunday Morning and The Osgood File |
| 2004 | Robin Burns, President, Intimate Beauty Corporation |
| 2003 | Anna Wintour, Editor in Chief, Vogue |
| 2002 | Alec Baldwin, Actor |
| 2001 | Elsa Klensch, Producer and Host, Style with Elsa Klensch, CNN |
| 1999 | Shirley MacLaine, Actress, Dancer, Author, Director |
| 1998 | Anna Quindlen, Novelist and Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist |
| 1997 | Aaron M. Feuerstein, President and CEO, Malden Mills |
| 1996 | Martha Stewart, Editor in Chief and Chairman, Martha Stewart Living |
| 1995 | Norma Kamali, CEO, Norma Kamali, Inc. |
| 1994 | Sally Frame Kasaks, Chairman and CEO, Ann Taylor |
| 1993 | The Honorable Ruth W. Messinger, President, Borough of Manhattan |
| 1992 | Lawrence S. Phillips, Chairman and CEO, Phillips Van Heusen Corp. |
| 1991 | The Honorable David N. Dinkins, Mayor, City of New York |
| 1990 | John Weitz, Chairman, John Weitz, Inc. |
| 1989 | John J. Pomerantz, Trustee, FIT, Chairman and CEO, The Leslie Fay Cos. |
| 1988 | Jeffrey Banks, Trustee, FIT, President, Jeffrey Banks, Ltd. |
| 1987 | Oscar de la Renta, Fashion Designer |
| 1986 | Dr. Clifton R. Wharton, Jr., Chancellor, SUNY |
| 1985 | The Honorable Edward I. Koch, Mayor, City of New York |
| 1984 | Dr. Marvin Feldman, President, FIT |
| 1983 | Bill Blass, Fashion Designer |
| 1982 | Charles Osgood, WCBS Radio and TV Newscaster |
| 1981 | Peter G. Scotese, Trustee, FIT, Vice Chairman and CEO, Springs Mills, Inc. |
| 1980 | Jim Jensen, WCBS-TV News Anchorman |
| 1979 | The Honorable Edward I. Koch, Mayor, City of New York |
| 1978 | Newton Everett Godnick, Chairperson, Fashion Buying and Marketing |
| 1977 | Shirley Goodman, Executive Vice President, FIT |
| 1976 | Jerry Silverman, President, Jerry Silverman, Inc. |
| 1975 | Richard J. Schwartz, President, Jonathan Logan, Inc. |
| 1974 | Arniece Russell, Fashion Design 1972, Miss Black America 1974 |
| 1973 | Marvin J. Feldman, President, FIT |
| 1972 | The Honorable Bella S. Abzug, Member of Congress, New York |
| 1971 | Eleanor Holmes Norton, Chairman, New York City Commission on Human Rights |
| 1970 | The Honorable Louis J. Lefkowitz, Attorney General, State of New York |
| 1969 | Dr. Lawrence L. Jarvie, President, FIT |
| 1968 | Dr. Lawrence L. Jarvie, President, FIT |
| 1967 | Dr. Lawrence L. Jarvie, President, FIT |
| 1966 | Dr. Lawrence L. Jarvie, President, FIT |
| 1965 | Dr. Lawrence L. Jarvie, General Superintendent of Community Education, Flint, Michigan |
| 1964 | Lawrence L. Bethel, President, FIT |
| 1963 | Lawrence L. Bethel, President, FIT |
| 1962 | David Schwartz, President, Educational Foundation for the Apparel Industry |
| 1961 | David Zelinka, Chairman, Educational Foundation for the Apparel Industry |
| 1960 | David Zelinka, Chairman, Educational Foundation for the Apparel Industry |
| 1959 | David Zelinka, Chairman, Educational Foundation for the Apparel Industry |
| 1958 | David Zelinka, Chairman, Educational Foundation for the Apparel Industry |
| 1956 | Dr. Lawrence L. Jarvie, Executive Dean, SUNY |
| 1953 | John J. Theobald, President, Queens College |
| 1952 | John R. Dunning, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Columbia University |