61 Notable alumni of
Fashion Institute of Technology
Updated:
Fashion Institute of Technology is 733rd in the world, 269th in North America, and 249th in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 61 notable alumni from Fashion Institute of Technology sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
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Laverne Cox
- Occupations
- film produceractorfilm actorLGBTQ rights activisttelevision actor
- Biography
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Laverne Cox is an American actress and LGBT advocate. She rose to prominence with her role as Sophia Burset on the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, becoming the first transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in an acting category, and the first to be nominated for an Emmy Award since composer Angela Morley in 1990. In 2015, she won a Daytime Emmy Award in Outstanding Special Class Special as executive producer for Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word, making her the first trans woman to win the award. In 2017, she became the first transgender person to play a transgender series regular on U.S. broadcast TV as Cameron Wirth on CBS's Doubt.
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Karen Allen
- Occupations
- film actortelevision actorstage actorfilm director
- Biography
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Karen Jane Allen is an American film, television and stage actress. She made her film debut in the comedy film Animal House (1978), which was soon followed by a small role in Woody Allen's romantic comedy-drama Manhattan (1979) and a co-lead role in Philip Kaufman's coming-of-age film The Wanderers (1979), before co-starring opposite Al Pacino in William Friedkin's crime thriller Cruising (1980).
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Calvin Klein
- Occupations
- fashion designerdesignerbusinesspersonactor
- Biography
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Calvin Richard Klein is an American fashion designer who launched the company that later became Calvin Klein Inc., in 1968. In addition to clothing, he also has given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and jewellery.
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Georgia Ziadie
- Occupations
- biographerwritersocialiteautobiographerradio personality
- Biography
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Georgia Arianna, Lady Colin Campbell, also known as Lady C, is a British Jamaican author, socialite, and television personality who has published seven unauthorised books about the British royal family. They include biographies of Diana, Princess of Wales (which was on The New York Times Best Seller list in 1992), of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.
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Stephen A. Smith
- Occupations
- television writervoice actortelevision presenterfilm actortelevision producer
- Biography
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Stephen Anthony Smith, alternatively recognized as SAS, is an American sports television personality, sports radio host, and sports journalist. He makes frequent appearances as an NBA analyst for ESPN on SportsCenter, NBA Countdown, and the network's NBA broadcasts. He has also hosted The Stephen A. Smith Show on ESPN Radio and is a commentator on ESPN's First Take, where he appears with Molly Qerim. Smith is a featured columnist for ESPN and The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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Michael Kors
- Occupations
- reality television program judgefashion designer
- Biography
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Michael David Kors is an American fashion designer. He is the chief creative officer of his brand, Michael Kors, which sells men's and women's ready-to-wear, accessories, watches, jewelry, footwear, and fragrance. Kors was the first women's ready-to-wear designer for the French house Celine, from 1997 to 2003. On January 2, 2019, Michael Kors Holdings Limited officially changed its name to Capri Holdings Limited (NYSE: CPRI). Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo, and Versace are the three founder-led brands under Capri Holdings Limited.
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Joel Schumacher
- Occupations
- film producerscreenwriterdirectorfilm directorcostume designer
- Biography
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Joel T. Schumacher was an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Raised in New York City by his mother, Schumacher graduated from Parsons School of Design and originally became a fashion designer. He first entered filmmaking as a production and costume designer before gaining writing credits on Car Wash, Sparkle, and The Wiz.
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Oscar Nunez
- Occupations
- television producerscreenwritertelevision directorcomediantelevision actor
- Biography
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Óscar Núñez, sometimes credited as Oscar Nunez, is a Cuban-American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as the Dunder Mifflin accountant Óscar Martínez on NBC's The Office.
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Guru
- Occupations
- record producerrappermusiciansingersongwriter
- Biography
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Keith Edward Elam, better known by his stage name Guru (a backronym for Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal), was an American rapper, record producer and actor. He was a member of the hip hop duo Gang Starr, along with DJ Premier. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts.
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Gulnara Karimova
- Occupations
- politicianentrepreneurdiplomatsinger
- Biography
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Gulnara Islamovna Karimova is the elder daughter of Islam Karimov, the president of Uzbekistan from 1991 to his death in 2016. She wielded considerable influence in Uzbekistan owing to her business dealings and family connections. From 2013, due to a conflict with her father, she began to rapidly lose influence.
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Christian Siriano
- Occupations
- reality television participantfashion designer
- Biography
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Christian Vincent Siriano is an American fashion designer and member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). Siriano first gained attention after winning the fourth season of American design competition show Project Runway in 2007, becoming the series' youngest winner. He launched his eponymous Christian Siriano collection in 2008, which brought in revenue of over $1.2 million by 2010 and was estimated to have reached $5 million by 2012.
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Miss Kier
- Occupations
- composerrecord producersingersinger-songwriterdisc jockey
- Biography
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Kierin Magenta Kirby, known professionally as Lady Miss Kier, is an American singer, songwriter and DJ. Lady Miss Kier was the vocalist for the band Deee-Lite. She is a social, environmental, and human rights activist.
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Sonja Morgan
- Occupations
- socialitetelevision personalityactor
- Biography
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Sonja Morgan is an American television personality, socialite, entrepreneur and philanthropist. She is popularly known for her starring role on the Bravo reality television series The Real Housewives of New York City.
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Aquaria
- Occupations
- drag queen
- Biography
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Giovanni Lucca Palandrani, better known by his stage name Aquaria, is an American drag queen, television personality, and recording artist best known for winning the tenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race in 2018.
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Prince Egon von Fürstenberg
- Occupations
- dressmaker
- Biography
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Egon, Prinz von Fürstenberg was a socialite, banker, fashion and interior designer, and a member of the former German princely family of Fürstenberg.
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Nikki S. Lee
- Occupations
- photographerartistperformance artist
- Biography
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Lee Seung-hee, known professionally as Nikki S. Lee, is a South Korean visual artist with a focus on performance, photography, and film. Lee often explores themes of identity through her work — specifically as it relates to others, rather than individual identity. Her photography series Projects (1997–2001) is her first and most notable work, where she camouflages herself as a member of the social and ethnic groups she poses with. Lee now lives and works in Seoul, South Korea.
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Leah McSweeney
- Occupations
- television actorfashion designer
- Biography
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Leah Christine McSweeney is an American fashion designer and television personality. She founded the women's streetwear line Married to the Mob in 2004, and has starred on the reality television series The Real Housewives of New York City from 2020 to 2021.
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Nina García
- Occupations
- fashion designerjournalistreality television program judge
- Biography
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Ninotchka "Nina" García is a Colombian-American fashion journalist, the editor-in-chief of Elle, author, and a judge on the Bravo/Lifetime reality television program Project Runway since its first season.
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Shaina NC
- Occupations
- politicianfashion designer
- Biography
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Shaina Nana Chudasama, is an Indian fashion designer, politician, and social worker. Daughter of the former Sheriff of Mumbai, her father, Nana Chudasama, Shaina is known in the Indian fashion industry as the 'Queen of Drapes' for draping a saree (sari) in fifty-four different ways. She holds a record in the Guinness Book of World Records for fastest saree drape. She entered politics in 2004 and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). She holds the positions of national spokesperson for the BJP, member of the national executive council of BJP, and treasurer of the BJP's Maharashtra unit. Shaina is also involved in social work through her charity fashion shows and two NGOs, 'I Love Mumbai' and 'Giants International'. As a female politician, she is often projected as the young, urbane, and women-friendly face of the BJP in television debates.
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Enrico Casarosa
- Occupations
- screenwriterstoryboard artistfilm directordirector
- Biography
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Enrico Casarosa is an Italian director, screenwriter and storyboard artist. Best known for his work at Pixar, he has directed the short film La Luna (2011) and the feature film Luca (2021), which both were nominated for Academy Awards.
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Greta Zimmer Friedman
- Occupations
- dental assistantpainterdesignerrestorer
- Biography
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Greta Friedman was an Austrian-born American who was photographed being grabbed and kissed by Navy sailor George Mendonsa (1923–2019) in the iconic V-J Day in Times Square photograph of 1945 by Life magazine photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt. For decades the photograph was misattributed in popular culture as being that of a nurse, however, Friedman was wearing a white uniform because she was a dental assistant.
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Janelle Commissiong
- Occupations
- politicianmodelbeauty pageant contestantbusinessperson
- Biography
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Janelle "Penny" Commissiong, TC is a Trinidadian politician, model and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe 1977.
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Stefano Rosso
- Occupations
- businesspersonprésident-directeur général
- Biography
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Stefano Rosso is an Italian businessman and the co-founder and CEO of D-CAVE, a lifestyle platform for the gaming community. He is also board member of OTB Group, the parent company of the fashion brands Diesel, Maison Margiela, Marni, Viktor & Rolf, Staff International and Brave Kid. He is also President of L.R. Vicenza. He is also the cofounder of the Red Room Party.
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Austin Scarlett
- Occupations
- fashion designer
- Biography
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Austin Scarlett is an American fashion designer and artist known for his appearances on the first season of Project Runway, 2012's Project Runway: All Stars, and his own series, On the Road with Austin and Santino.
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Mallory Hagan
- Occupations
- politicianmodelbeauty pageant contestant
- Biography
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Mallory Hytes Hagan Stramara is an American former news anchor and beauty queen. She had won Miss America 2013 as Miss New York 2012 and campaigned unsuccessfully for the Alabama House of Representatives in 2022.
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Radhika Khanna
- Occupations
- entrepreneurfashion designer
- Biography
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Radhika Khanna was an Indian-American fashion designer, entrepreneur and author. Khanna is the author of Yoga: From the Ganges to Wall Street.
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Amber Lee Ettinger
- Occupations
- television producermodelYouTuberactor
- Biography
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Amber Lee Ettinger is an American actress, Internet celebrity, model, and singer.
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Chloe Dao
- Occupations
- fashion designer
- Biography
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Chloe Dao is an American fashion designer and television personality who lives and works in Houston, U.S. She was the winner of the second season of the reality show Project Runway with a collection of women's evening wear. Many of the pieces in her finale collection featured billowing, voluminous sleeves, removable shrugs and strong brocade prints.
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Molly Crabapple
- Occupations
- writervisual artistprintmakerillustrator
- Biography
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Molly Crabapple is an American artist and writer. She is a contributing editor for VICE and has written for a variety of other outlets, as well as publishing books, including an illustrated memoir, Drawing Blood (2015), Discordia (with Laurie Penny) on the Greek economic crisis, and the art books Devil in the Details and Week in Hell (2012). Her works are held in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, The Barjeel Art Foundation and the New-York Historical Society.
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Elizabeth Crowley
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Elizabeth S. Crowley is an American politician. She was previously the New York City Council member for the 30th district from 2009 to 2017, representing the neighborhoods of Glendale, Maspeth, Middle Village, Ridgewood, and parts of Woodside and Woodhaven, in the borough of Queens. Crowley is both the first woman and first Democrat to hold the seat. Crowley was a 2021 candidate for Queens Borough President. She is a cousin of former U.S. Congressman Joseph Crowley.
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Isabel Toledo
- Occupations
- costume designerfashion designer
- Biography
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Isabel Toledo was a Cuban-American fashion designer based in New York City. She was widely recognized in the fashion industry for her attention to craftsmanship and the "sophisticated simplicity" of her garments.
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Kim Coco Iwamoto
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Kim Coco Iwamoto is an American politician from Hawaii and member of the Hawaii House of Representatives. Iwamoto is the first transgender state legislator in Hawaii history. She was also one of the Democratic primary candidates for the position of Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii in the 2018 election. She previously served as a commissioner on the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission and was elected to serve two terms on the Hawaii Board of Education.
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Bibhu Mohapatra
- Occupations
- costume designerfashion designer
- Biography
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Bibhu Mohapatra is a New York-based fashion designer and costume designer.
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Francisco Costa
- Occupations
- fashion designer
- Biography
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Francisco Costa is a Brazilian designer and the Women's Creative Director of Calvin Klein Collection. Costa won the Council of Fashion Designers America (CFDA) award for Womenswear Designer of the Year in 2006 as well as in 2008. Costa also won the National Design Award in 2009 in the category of Fashion Design. More recently he launched a beauty concept called Costa Brazil inspired by his native Brazil (www.livecostabrazil.com).
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Robert Verdi
- Occupations
- wardrobe stylist
- Biography
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Robert Verdi is an American TV personality and style expert. He is known for hosting a variety of TV programs featuring fashion and interior design.
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Jillian Morgese
- Years
- 1989-.. (age 36)
- Occupations
- actorfilm actor
- Biography
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Jillian Morgese is an actress notable for her performance in the role of Hero in Joss Whedon’s 2012 film adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.
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Mich Dulce
- Occupations
- singerfashion designer
- Biography
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Mich Dulce is a Filipina fashion designer, milliner, corsetiere, feminist activist, actress, artist and vocalist of bands Death By Tampon, Us-2 Evil-0 and The Male Gaze.
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Ivy Ross
- Occupations
- businesspersonartistic professiondesignermanagerjewelry designer
- Biography
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Ivy Ross is an American business executive, designer, and Chief Design Officer for Consumer Devices at Google. She has worked at Google since May 2014; prior to being appointed Chief Design Officer, she led the Google Glass team at Google X.
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Amy Devers
- Occupations
- carpentertelevision presenter
- Biography
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Amy Devers is an American furniture designer, carpenter, television personality and design blogger. She currently is the host (with Alan Luxmore) and design expert on A&E's Fix This Yard, the host of Victory Garden’s edibleFEAST on PBS, and a design and carpentry expert on OWN’s Home Made Simple. In the past she has hosted design oriented programs such as Freeform Furniture on DIY, Designer People on Ovation, and was a carpenter on TLC’s Trading Spaces.
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Daniella Vitale
- Occupations
- businessperson
- Biography
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Daniella Vitale is the Chief Executive Officer of Salvatore Ferragamo. Prior to that, she held the role of Chief brand officer at Tiffany & Co. between November 2019 and October 2021. She was the chief executive officer and president of Barneys New York until its closure in 2019.
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Chris Eliopoulos
- Occupations
- draftspersonscreenwritercartoonistcomics artistletterer
- Biography
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Chris Eliopoulos, born September 30, 1967 to father George A Eliopoulos and mother Demetra Jean Drivakos Eliopoulos, is an American cartoonist and letterer of comic books.
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Youssouf Amine Elalamy
- Occupations
- writernovelist
- Biography
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Youssouf Amine Elalamy is a Moroccan writer, visual artist and professor of Media Studies and Communication at Ibn Tofail University. He has published his works mainly in French and occasionally in Moroccan Arabic.
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Claw Money
- Occupations
- fashion designer
- Biography
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Claw Money is a New York-based graffiti writer turned fashion designer. In 2009 Tag au Grand Palais in Paris, France named Claudia Gold a/k/a Claw one of the most influential graffiti artists of all time.
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Eileen Shields
- Years
- 1970-.. (age 55)
- Occupations
- designer
- Biography
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Eileen Shields is a footwear designer and owner of the EILEEN SHIELDS label and the Dublin-based store/gallery "5 Scarlet Row". Shields's shoe designs have been worn by a number of celebrities, including Eva Longoria's character on Desperate Housewives. Shields has made custom shoes for Bono, Halle Berry, Eva Longoria, Courteney Cox Arquette, and Drew Barrymore.
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Laure Hériard-Dubreuil
- Occupations
- businessperson
- Biography
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Laure Heriard Dubreuil is a French entrepreneur and the founder and creative director of The Webster. The Webster is a luxury multi-brand retailer operating eleven physical boutiques in the U.S. and an online store. Prior to founding The Webster, Heriard Dubreuil worked in merchandising for both Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent.
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Heidi Weisel
- Occupations
- artistfashion designer
- Biography
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Heidi Weisel was an American fashion designer. She was the founder and head of design for Heidi Weisel, a New York City-based women's luxury brand. Weisel's signature was creating modern, timeless evening wear with the simplicity and ease of sportswear. She was known for her unexpected mix of fabrics, often incorporating knitted cashmere, silk chiffon, silk satin, lace, tulle, and leather. A Heidi Weisel chiffon and lace design is in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Weisel was a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA).
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Sara Rahbar
- Occupations
- artist
- Biography
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Sara Rahbar is an Iranian-born contemporary visual artist. Her work ranges from photography to sculpture to installation, all of which reveal and transform the artist's personal experiences and are intimately autobiographical. Her work explores concepts of nationalism, separation and belonging - driven by central ideas of pain, violence and the complexity of the human condition. Compelled by an instinctual obsession to piece together and dissect, her approach is reflective of her need to deconstruct her emotions and memories. She is based in New York City.
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Lynn Gilbert
- Years
- 1938-.. (age 87)
- Occupations
- photographer
- Biography
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Lynn Gilbert is a photographer and author best known for her portraits of illustrious women from the 1920s to the 1980s and her documentation of Turkish homes and interiors.
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Andrew Fezza
- Occupations
- fashion designer
- Biography
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Andrew Fezza is an Italian American menswear designer, sometimes described as the "Giorgio Armani of America".
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Christopher Bevans
- Occupations
- fashion designer
- Biography
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Christopher Bevans is an American fashion designer and creative director. He was born in Brooklyn, New York City and went on to work in the fashion industry like his grandmother. Bevans has won awards from organizations such as Woolmark.
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Aisha Diori
- Born in
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Nigeria - Occupations
- activist
- Biography
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Aisha Diori is an Events Director, Community Mobiliser, HIV/AIDS Preventionist, educator, Talk Show Host, Event MC, Pan-Africanist, and has been named "Iconic Mother" in Ball culture. Her father is Abdoulaye Hamani Diori, a Nigerien political leader and business person, and her mother is Betty Graves, the first Ghanaian / Nigerian woman to own a travel agency in Nigeria.
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Max Hechtman
- Enrolled in Fashion Institute of Technology
- Studied in 2015-2019
- Occupations
- camera operatorfilm directordocumentary filmmakercinematographerfilm editor
- Biography
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Max Bennett Hechtman is an American filmmaker, video editor and videographer. He is best known for his 2019 narrative short film Abigail, and is a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Film and Media.
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CYJO
- Occupations
- photographer
- Biography
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CYJO /ˈsiːˈdʒoʊ/, born Cindy Hwang, is an American Fine-art photographer. She is known for her photographic and textual projects, such as Substructure and KYOPO Project.
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Alan Eckstein
- Born in
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United States - Occupations
- fashion designer
- Biography
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Alan Eckstein is an American fashion designer. Eckstein is the co-founder and design director of the brand Timo Weiland, a men's and women's clothing line founded by Eckstein, Tim Weiland, and Donna Kang. In 2014, Eckstein and the Timo Weiland designers won the Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation award for the menswear category. Forbes ranked Eckstein as one of the top 30 Under 30 in the category of Art and Style.
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Francesca Sterlacci
- Occupations
- entrepreneurwriter
- Biography
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Francesca Sterlacci is an American fashion designer, author and entrepreneur. She launched her clothing brand, Francesca Sterlacci Ltd. in 1980, and continued designing clothes under her label until 1989. Sterlacci joined the Fashion Institute of Technology as a teacher in 1990, and became the chairwoman of the Fashion department at the institute in 2001.
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Claudia Hill
- Years
- 1969-.. (age 56)
- Occupations
- film directorfashion designercostume designer
- Biography
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Claudia Hill is an interdisciplinary artist, based in Berlin. Her work engages in performance art, costume and stage design, experimental film, visual art and sense-driven form. Her practice has been presented internationally at venues such as Mumok, Centre Pompidou, Paris Internationale, Les Rencontres Internationales, ZKM, BAM, HAU, Broadway, the Smithsonian and New York Fashion Week.
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Daniella Ohad Smith
- Occupations
- historianart historian
- Biography
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Daniella Ohad is an American-Israeli design historian, educator, writer, and influencer. She teaches history of design, material culture, design connoisseurship, and design culture at Parsons School of Design and New York School of Interior Design in New York City. Ohad has curated and moderated educational talks and panels at Design Miami, the Museum of Arts and Design, the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, 92nd Street Y, AIA New York | Center for Architecture, the New York School of Interior Design, and Sotheby's. Her articles and essays have been published in academic journals and magazines, she has hosted a talk show on design and architecture, created documentaries, and curated private design collections. Her essay Hotel Design in British Mandate Palestine: Modernism and the Zionist Vision received a special mention from the jury of the Premio Bruno Zevi in 2010.
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Annie A-Bomb
- Occupations
- artist
- Biography
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Anna Frangiosa is a Philadelphia-based theater artist, costume designer, burlesque performer, director, instructor and model.
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Gregory Gale
- Occupations
- costume designer
- Biography
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Gregory Gale is a New York-based costume designer.
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Peter DiPilato
- Occupations
- photographer
- Biography
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Peter DiPilato is an American entertainment photographer. He is best known for his riveting footage on 9/11 which was featured in the documentary film 7 Days in September; directed by Steven Rosenbaum. He also appeared on the first season of the reality show Shipmates.
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Salimah Ali
- Occupations
- photographervisual artist
- Biography
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Salimah Ali is an American contemporary photographer working in portraiture, documentary photography, and photo journalism.
