Fashion Institute of Technology’s Graduates Show Specular

Forget TikTok trends and fast fashion fads—if you want to see where style is really heading, look no further than the Fashion Institute of Technology’s annual Future of Fashion show. This year, 67 graduating students took to the runway to debut 82 jaw-dropping looks, spanning sportswear to special occasion wear. Sponsored by Macy’s, who’ve pledged to produce selected designs IRL, this was more than just a grad show—it was a glimpse into the next generation of fashion innovators.

But this wasn’t your usual parade of wild silhouettes and rule-breaking gender blur. Interestingly, FIT’s class of 2024 went a little more understated. “What I feel like I’ve experienced this year was an almost overcorrection from some of the progressive politics that we were advancing,” said Troy Richards, dean of FIT’s School of Art and Design. The manosphere was notably absent (possibly because FIT’s menswear is only offered as an associate degree), but that didn’t mean students weren’t making statements.

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Image @fit_intimates via Instagram

In fact, if there was one standout trend this year, it was tech meets tactility. Post-pandemic, students have seriously reconnected with materials and process. “We’ve seen a rapid improvement in their hand skills and an interest in a variety of textures, of materials, of structure,” Richards noted. Enter Allison Margaret Smith, who opened the show with sculptural pieces crafted from raffia, jute and balsa wood—her homage to the American landscape.

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Others took inspiration from personal heritage and cultural rituals. Evelyn Hernandez created a leg shawl inspired by her Mexican roots, while Jegu Kim reimagined Korean traditional wear with dreamy volume. Amanda McVey got experimental, shaving plaid into shearling to honour Scottish diaspora traditions. And Servan Bilici wove Turkish folklore into fashion, transforming a jacket and trousers in honour of the mythic serpent Şahmeran.

There were AI-style smarts in the creativity too—students like Alexandra Dayton built panniered silhouettes mimicking insect anatomy, while Analiese Harden’s surreal “bubble pants” were drawn from her experience of Alice in Wonderland Syndrome. Meanwhile, corsetry, religious iconography, and war were reinterpreted through unexpected textures, like burlap skirts and overalls-turned-trains (courtesy of Peleg Assulin).

Image @fit_intimates via Instagram

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For all the philosophical flair, there was still joy in the mix. Zoja Zegarac’s Diana Ross-inspired denim, Jesus Garcia’s clean-lined minimalism, and Burak Turp’s printed jeans reminded us that fashion can be fun and functional.

In short? FIT’s class of 2024 is fluent in both hand-stitched storytelling and future-facing design. If this is the next gen of fashion, we’re in very good (and very creative) hands.