Fashion Institute of Technology

The Fashion Institute of Technology, generally known as FIT, is a State University of New York (SUNY) college of art, business, design, and technology connected to the fashion industry, with an urban campus located on West 27th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City.

It was founded in 1944, accredited in 1957, and is ranked among the top five fashion schools in the world. It has an enrollment of more than 10,000 students.

One of New York City’s premier public institutions, FIT is an internationally recognized college for design, fashion, art, communications, and business. We’re known for our rigorous, unique, and adaptable academic programming, experiential learning opportunities, academic and industry partnerships, and commitment to research, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

While our pedagogical mission is to prepare our students for professional excellence in design and business, our broader ethos is to foster creativity, inspire leadership, impart a global perspective, and educate students to embrace inclusiveness, commit to sustainability, and engage with community. We encourage students, scholars, teachers, and industry colleagues to cross traditional boundaries of both geography and disciplines. Together we strive to develop innovative design and strategic business solutions that will upend the status quo, create personal and professional opportunity, and have a lasting and sustainable global impact.

Academic facilities of Fashion Institute of Technology

The Fred P. Pomerantz Art and Design Center offers facilities for design studies: photography studios with black-and-white darkrooms, painting rooms, a sculpture studio, a printmaking room, a graphics laboratory, display and exhibit design rooms, life-sketching rooms, and a model-making workshop. The Shirley Goodman Resource Center houses the Museum at FIT and the Library/Media Services, with references for history, sociology, technology, art, and literature; international journals and periodicals; sketchbooks and records donated by designers, manufacturers, and merchants; slides, tapes, and periodicals; and a clipping file. The Gladys Marcus Library houses books, periodicals, DVDs and non-print materials. FIT also has many computer labs for student use. The Instructional Media Services Department provides audiovisual and TV support and an in-house TV studio. Student work is also displayed throughout the campus. Fashion shows featuring the work of graduating B.F.A. students occur each academic year.

The Design/Research Lighting Laboratory, a development facility for interior design and other academic disciplines, features 400 commercially available lighting fixtures controlled by a computer. The Annette Green/Fragrance Foundation Laboratory is an environment for the study of fragrance development.