61 Notable alumni of Fashion Institute of Technology
Updated: June 18, 2026 EliteDegrees
Fashion Institute of Technology is 2594st in the world, 1st in North America, and 673st 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. Many individuals affiliated with Fashion Institute of Technology won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Gregory Gale
costume designer
Gregory Gale is a New York-based costume designer.
2. Salimah Ali
1954-. (aged 72)
photographer
visual artist
Salimah Ali is an American contemporary photographer working in portraiture, documentary photography, and photo journalism.
3. Peter DiPilato
1976-. (aged 50)
photographer
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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4. Francesca Sterlacci
1951-. (aged 75)
entrepreneur
writer
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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5. Claudia Hill
1969-. (aged 57)
fashion designer
costume designer
film director
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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6. Annie A-Bomb
artist
Anna Frangiosa is a Philadelphia-based theater artist, costume designer, burlesque performer, director, instructor and model.
7. CYJO
1974-. (aged 52)
photographer
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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8. Alan Eckstein
fashion designer
Alan Eckstein is an American fashion, furniture and interior 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...
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9. Daniella Ohad Smith
1961-. (aged 65)
historian
art historian
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,...
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10. Andrew Fezza
1955-. (aged 71)
fashion designer
Andrew Fezza is an Italian American menswear designer, sometimes described as the "Giorgio Armani of America".
11. Christopher Bevans
1972-. (aged 54)
fashion designer
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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12. Aisha Diori
activist
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 Abdullah is a business person, and her mother is Betty Graves, the first Ghanaian / Nigerian woman to own a travel agency in Nigeria.
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13. Sara Rahbar
1976-. (aged 50)
artist
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...
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14. Heidi Weisel
1961-2021 (aged 60)
artist
fashion designer
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...
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15. Lynn Gilbert
1938-. (aged 88)
photographer
Lynn Gilbert is an American 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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16. Chris Eliopoulos
1967-. (aged 59)
cartoonist
comics artist
letterer
draftsperson
screenwriter
Chris Eliopoulos is an American cartoonist and letterer of comic books.
17. Youssouf Amine Elalamy
1961-. (aged 65)
writer
novelist
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 Darija.
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18. Claw Money
1968-. (aged 58)
fashion designer
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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19. Mich Dulce
1981-. (aged 45)
singer
fashion designer
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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20. Shayne Oliver
1988-. (aged 38)
fashion designer
Shayne Oliver is a fashion designer, musician, and creative director based in New York City. He is the co-founder and design director of Hood By Air, a fashion brand he established together with designer Raul Lopez in 2006. In 2013, Oliver was named as one of the 25 Greatest Black Fashion Designers by Complex.
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21. Ivy Ross
1955-. (aged 71)
designer
manager
jewelry designer
businessperson
artistic profession
Ivy Ross is an American business executive, designer, and the 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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22. Daniella Vitale
businessperson
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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23. Francisco Costa
1964-. (aged 62)
fashion designer
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...
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24. Robert Verdi
1968-. (aged 58)
wardrobe stylist
Robert Verdi is an American Entrepreneur and TV personality. He is considered a leading style expert in fashion and home design. Verdi is known as the "friendly fashionista" and gained popularity hosting the home renovation hit series Surprise by Design and E! Fashion Police.
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25. Jillian Morgese
1989-. (aged 37)
actor
film actor
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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26. Molly Crabapple
1983-. (aged 43)
visual artist
printmaker
illustrator
writer
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...
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27. Elizabeth Crowley
1977-. (aged 49)
politician
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...
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28. Isabel Toledo
1960-2019 (aged 59)
costume designer
fashion designer
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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29. Kim Coco Iwamoto
1968-. (aged 58)
politician
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...
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30. Radhika Khanna
1974-2022 (aged 48)
entrepreneur
fashion designer
Radhika Khanna was an Indian-American fashion designer, entrepreneur and author. Khanna is the author of Yoga: From the Ganges to Wall Street.
31. Mallory Hagan
1988-. (aged 38)
beauty pageant contestant
politician
model
Mallory Hytes Hagan Stramara is an American former news anchor and beauty queen. She won Miss America 2013 as Miss New York 2012 and campaigned unsuccessfully for the Alabama House of Representatives in 2022.
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32. Amber Lee Ettinger
1982-. (aged 44)
television producer
model
YouTuber
actor
Amber Lee Ettinger is an American actress, Internet celebrity, model, and singer.
33. Janelle Commissiong
1953-. (aged 73)
model
beauty pageant contestant
businessperson
politician
Janelle Penny Commissiong, T.C. is a Trinidadian beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe 1977.
34. Austin Scarlett
1983-. (aged 43)
fashion designer
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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35. Enrico Casarosa
1971-. (aged 55)
screenwriter
storyboard artist
film director
director
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), both of which were nominated for Academy Awards.
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36. Greta Zimmer Friedman
1924-2016 (aged 92)
dental assistant
painter
designer
restorer
Greta Friedman was an Austrian-born American who was photographed being grabbed and kissed by a Navy sailor in the historic 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...
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37. Stefano Rosso
1979-. (aged 47)
businessperson
président-directeur général
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...
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38. Aquaria
1996-. (aged 30)
drag queen
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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39. Leah McSweeney
1982-. (aged 44)
television actor
fashion designer
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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40. Nina García
1965-. (aged 61)
reality television program judge
fashion designer
journalist
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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41. Shaina NC
1972-. (aged 54)
politician
fashion designer
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....
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42. Miss Kier
1963-. (aged 63)
singer
singer-songwriter
disc jockey
composer
record producer
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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43. Sonja Morgan
1963-. (aged 63)
actor
socialite
television personality
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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44. Prince Egon von Fürstenberg
1946-2004 (aged 58)
dressmaker
Prince Egon 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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45. Christian Siriano
1985-. (aged 41)
reality television participant
fashion designer
Christian Vincent Siriano is an American fashion designer and member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America. 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...
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46. Georgia Ziadie
1949-. (aged 77)
autobiographer
radio personality
aristocrat
model
biographer
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. These 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...
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47. Oscar Nunez
1958-. (aged 68)
television director
comedian
television actor
actor
dental technician
Óscar Núñez, sometimes credited as Oscar Nunez, is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as the Dunder Mifflin accountant Oscar Martínez on NBC's The Office and its spin-off The Paper. The accolades he has received include two Screen Actors Guild Awards and a Daytime Emmy Awards, alongside a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
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48. Guru
1961-2010 (aged 49)
singer
songwriter
record producer
rapper
musician
Keith Edward Elam, better known by his stage name Guru, 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.
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49. Karen Allen
1951-. (aged 75)
television actor
stage actor
film director
film actor
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...
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50. Michael Kors
1959-. (aged 67)
reality television program judge
fashion designer
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. On January 2, 2019, Michael Kors Holdings Limited officially changed its name to Capri Holdings Limited (NYSE: CPRI). As of December 2025, Michael Kors and Jimmy Choo are the...
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51. Joel Schumacher
1939-2020 (aged 81)
screenwriter
director
film director
costume designer
film producer
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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52. Laverne Cox
1972-. (aged 54)
LGBTQ rights activist
television actor
film producer
actor
film actor
Laverne Cox is an American actress and LGBTQ 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...
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53. Stephen A. Smith
1967-. (aged 59)
television presenter
film actor
television producer
television actor
actor
Stephen Anthony Smith, also known as Stephen A., is an American television personality, radio host, sports analyst, and actor. 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. Smith is...
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54. Amy Devers
1971-. (aged 55)
carpenter
television presenter
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...
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55. Chloe Dao
1972-. (aged 54)
fashion designer
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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56. Bibhu Mohapatra
1972-. (aged 54)
costume designer
fashion designer
Bibhu Mohapatra is a New York-based fashion designer and costume designer.
57. Gulnara Karimova
1972-. (aged 54)
entrepreneur
diplomat
singer
politician
Gulnara Islamovna Karimova is a former Uzbek businesswoman and 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 rapidly began to lose influence.
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58. Nikki S. Lee
1970-. (aged 56)
performance artist
photographer
artist
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...
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59. Calvin Klein
1942-. (aged 84)
fashion designer
designer
businessperson
actor
Calvin Richard Klein is an American fashion designer. In 1968, he launched the company that later became Calvin Klein. In addition to clothing, he has also given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and jewellery.
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60. Eileen Shields
1970-. (aged 56)
designer
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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61. Laure Hériard-Dubreuil
1977-. (aged 49)
businessperson
Laure Heriard Dubreuil is a French entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of The Webster. The Webster is a luxury multi-brand retailer operating thirteen physical stores 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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