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US NNFIT SC.FITA.3.20.4.9.1.77 · item · circa 1980s
Part of Academic Affairs records

In this interview, Robert L. Green interviews costume and fashion designer Bob Mackie about his life and career. They discuss his methods and his experiences with specific projects and the costume industry. They discuss their experiences with Edith Head, as well as Mackie's work with a wide variety of celebrities.

Mackie, Bob
George Simonton records
US NNFIT SC.FITA.3.7.9.2 · sub-sub-series · 1978-2018
Part of Academic Affairs records

This collection is comprised of original sketches and photographs, business and promotional materials, and materials related to the fashion career of George Simonton as well as his work at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Simonton, George
US NNFIT SC.FITA.3.20.4.9.1.11 · item · 1986 May
Part of Academic Affairs records

In this interview Liz Claiborne sat down with Estelle Ellis to discuss all aspects of Liz Claiborne Inc. Aware that her label represents a promise between her brand and the customer, Claiborne insists on being a part of every aspect of the design process for each label, from the initial color choices (which Claiborne stresses as being of paramount importance) to the final sample edits. Claiborne reveals the difficulties she faces when working with the menswear and childrenswear departments. In explaining why the Liz Claiborne company hires so many interns, Claiborne makes a point to explain the importance of learning on the job.

Claiborne, Liz, 1929-2007
US NNFIT SC.FITA.3.20.4.9.1.12 · item · 1990 July 10 and 17
Part of Academic Affairs records

This interview with Liz Claiborne discusses her experiences as she worked her way up as a designer. She describes her past work with designers and firms such as Ben Reig, Omar Kiam, Dave Schwartz, Juniorite, and the Rhea manufacturing company. Claiborne provides insight to the growth of her own company and all of the factors that go into the production of it.

Claiborne, Liz, 1929-2007
US NNFIT SC.FITA.3.20.4.9.1.89 · item · 1982 June 02
Part of Academic Affairs records

This interview opens with Mollie Parnis talking about her latest project, a prize for three young journalists that she began in memory of her son. She then segues into the origins of her company and her early biography. She commenced her career by designing blouses after being frustrated at the quality of the designs while working in a design showroom on Madison Avenue. The Parnis-Livingston company began in a studio Seventh Avenue about five-years after Mollie Parnis and Leon Livingston married in 1930, with Mollie designing and Leon managing the business needs. After her husband died in 1960 she closed the business for three-months. Diana Vreeland convinced Mollie to stay open by putting two of her sketches in Harper’s Bazaar. The name of the business remained Parnis-Livingston until 1970 when it changed to Mollie Parnis. She now has three divisions: Mollie Parnis, Inc.; Mollie Parnis Studio; and Mollie Parnis at Home. Upon success, she began doing philanthropic work, including a grant foundation called “Mollie Parnis Dress up Your Neighborhood”; scholarships at FIT and Parsons; and the aforementioned journalistic prizes. Topics touched on include: the impersonalization of the current fashion industry; her friendship with various First Ladies, including Mamie Eisenhower, Lady Bird Johnson, and Nancy Reagan; how the changes in the industry have necessitated changes in her business-model, including the prevalence of licensing from designers in the 1980s.

Parnis, Mollie
US NNFIT SC.FITA.3.20.4.9.10.11 · item · 2017 June 20
Part of Academic Affairs records

Stan Herman discusses his career as a fashion designer starting in the mid century and continuing into the 2010s with a successful design business for QVC.

Herman, Stan
Symposium records
US NNFIT SC.FITA.3.10.1.2.35 · digital folder · 2020
Part of Academic Affairs records

This folder includes digital copies of the papers and presentations delivered at the 2020 Symposium, which occurred completely online due to restrictions placed upon students and faculty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, 2020. The names of the presenters and the title of their presentations contained in this folder are:

  • Bobbi Wall - "Ruth Reeves’ Lasting Imprint on Modern American Fashion"
  • Anna Lucia Uihlein: "Louella Ballerino: Fashioning California"
  • Brynnea Irvine: "The Fall of Luxury: The Forgotten History of Farquharson & Wheelock"
  • Molly Hartvigsen: "Tobé-Coburn School for Fashion Careers"
  • Brigid Gerstenecker: "Elizabeth Hawes: Mass Production for the Millions?"