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Archival description
US NNFIT SC.FITA.3.20.4.9.4.26 · item · circa 1994-1995
Part of Academic Affairs records

Chair of the Manufacturing and Management Department at the time of this interview, Saul Smilowitz discusses his life at FIT. He began as a student, graduating in 1953, and returned to teach in 1965 and again in 1989 after a brief hiatus. He talks about FIT’s dress code in the 1950s and how the student body has evolved over the years. Smilowitz discusses the department’s difficulty in recruiting for middle management positions in the industry. He describes their upcoming evaluation by the American Apparel Manufacturers Association; only four colleges have been accepted by the AAMA, FIT being one of them. Smilowitz talks about how they train students for the manufacturing industry and how emphasis on swift, mass production has intensified. He mentions the various degree levels offered in his department, and their move from a factory-oriented focus to a liaison-oriented focus. Graduates of the department have high placement rates and have ended up in major manufacturers such as Liz Claiborne, Nike, and Anne Klein. He talks about how alumni come back to check in at premier industry seminars and events such as the Bobbin Show. Smilowitz then discusses ethnic changes at FIT and how many international students return home with a coveted degree. He details remedial and bridge classes that allow students to matriculate to the upper division, and then talks about how active faculty involvement and continuous evaluation of course offerings keep the department current. Smilowitz goes on to discuss issues in the industry such as sweatshops and how they educate their students on OSHA to avoid such abuses. He then talks about union support and the scholarships offered by the AAMA to FIT students. Finally, he expresses pride in the department’s ability to offer real world experience to students during their time at FIT.

Smilowitz, Saul
US NNFIT SC.FITA.3.20.4.9.12.7 · item · 1985 February 5
Part of Academic Affairs records

Vice President of the Educational Foundation for the Fashion Industries Sidney Bernstein discusses his childhood and educational development in New York City. The launch of his successful real estate career put him in proximity to myriad furriers in the city. Eventually this led him to become more and more involved with the fur industry. He discusses the origins of the Educational Foundation for the Fashion Industries and its work abroad at the Shenkar School in Israel. Bernstein initially became involved with the Fashion Institute of Technology as a real estate advisor. He describes the Fashion Institute of Technology (New York, N.Y.)?s rising reputation within the fashion industry and how the Institute has become an important asset, particularly for textiles. He briefly discusses scouting physical spaces to facilitate the Fashion Institute of Technology (New York, N.Y.)?s growth, and then explains how he came to found a scholarship for students there. He talks fondly of Thanksgivings spent with international scholarship recipients at his family home and delves a bit into his personal life. Bernstein then circles back to the fur industry and how, in many ways, it is returning to its roots as a family business. Bernstein was the longest serving member of the Fashion Institute of Technology (New York, N.Y.)'s Support Foundation. He passed away in 2004.

US NNFIT SC.FITA.3.20.4.9.10.38 · item · 2022 May 31
Part of Academic Affairs records

In this interview, Karen Trivette interviews fashion illustrator Steven Stipelman about his career as a fashion illustrator and his work at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Stipelman, Steven
US NNFIT SC.FITA.3.20.4.9.3.7 · item · 1986 November 21
Part of Academic Affairs records

This conversation takes place only a few weeks after Schaefer had joined Bloomingdale's as the Vice President of Marketing. Schaefer gives a quick recap of the previous 13 years of his career before talking about his thoughts on his new boss, Marvin S. Traub, as well as his new position at Bloomingdale's. Coming from first a marketing background and then, briefly, a retail background, Schaefer discusses the importance of retailers being fully aware of what people are reading, wearing, listening to, and even eating. This awareness is a qaulity of Traub's that Schaefer praises and which he attributes, in part, to making Bloomingdale's stand out in the retail industry. Schaefer also talks about Bloomingdale's distinguising itself by being a place of diversion, entertainment, and fun as opposed to being simply a mode of distribution. When discussing his job interview for Bloomingdale's, Schaefer recalls being impressed by the amount of thought and planning that evidently went into the future of the store and uses the country promotions as an example.

Schaefer, Terron
US NNFIT SC.FITA.3.20.4.9.12.9 · item · 1967 September 29 and 1969 August 15
Part of Academic Affairs records

Articles and interview of Theodore Fred Kuper about the origins of the Fashion Institute of Technology (New York, N.Y.), conducted by the Oral History Research Office of Columbia University in 1969. "These reminiscences of Theodore Fred Kuper refer to the creation and development of the Fashion Institute of Technology, a Community College of the City of New York under the program of the University of the State of New York, together with the creation of the Educational Foundation for the Fashion Industry. The tape recording of these recollections was started on September 29, 1967 by Lionel White, Fashion Institute, serving as recorder for Columbia University Oral History Office and continued from time to time in California by Mr. Kuper until completion on August 15, 1969." Kuper describes the Fashion Institute of Technology (New York, N.Y.)'s roots in the immigrant-run garment industry. He details early leaders in its development, and how, under the leadership of personalities such as Shirley Goodman, they sought support and funding to expand the institution's reputation and place in New York City.

Columbia Center for Oral History
US NNFIT SC.FITA.3.20.4.9.6.8 · item · 1993 September 20
Part of Academic Affairs records

Writing by Tansky Burton, Chairman of Bergdorf Goodman, about Annette Green and her work with the Fragrance Foundation. He discusses the growth of the fragrance industry because of Green and her work with the Fragrance Foundation.

Tansky, Burton, 1937-
US NNFIT SC.FITA.3.20.4.9.1.57 · item · 1979 February 28, March 1, and March 5th
Part of Academic Affairs records

John Touhey interviews Vera Maxwell over several days in the winter of 1979 about her childhood, her entry into and experiences in the fashion industry, as well as where she sees it going.

Maxwell, Vera, 1901-1995
Video collection
US NNFIT SC.491.1 · series · 1978-2006
Part of Zandra Rhodes collection, 1978-2006

Videos about Zandra Rhodes and her fashion designs including television appearances, fashion shows, museum visits, and interviews. Some were choreographed or directed by Derek Jarman and Ron Link. Some interviews are with Joan Agajanian Quinn.