FIT Childrenswear Class of 2018 Is an Imaginative Wonderland

Each year, every May, a group of once students set sail into the "real world" to put their sometimes decades of scholarly talent to use. For a special group of students at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, their dreams of becoming a childrenswear designer are reality. The talent is superb and will likely become names we will all recognize, but for now, they simply are known as the Class of 2018.

"The Childrenswear Industry is rapidly evolving.  What was once an industry of classic kid silhouettes has transitioned though the mini me phase and is evolving into a trend setting industry.  Children are neither basic nor grown up.  They are whimsical, silly, imaginative, sensitive and all levels of colorful.  The aspiring direction of Childrenswear is moving towards including that multifaceted spirit into the garments themselves.  All while remembering the importance of being eco friendly. The FIT Childrenswear graduating class beautifully demonstrates this evolution while paying attention to every creative detail. The future is exciting!"  - Childrenswear Professors at FIT, Barbara Seggio & Lauren Zodel.

Check out the top looks from students Zheqi, Bridget, Danah, Michelle, Annie, Donghyun, Sarah, Maggie and Kaitlyn. Photography by Lauren Zodel 

Zheqi Yu

The first time I realized that I was interested in fashion was in middle school. It occurred during a trip to the minority provinces of my country. I was so addicted to their style of fashion, which was full of different forms of fabric manipulation. Having never seen clothes sewn with this level of detail, I didn’t realize garments could be sewn using more than color blocking. With this distinctive fashion style in mind, my style focuses on more handcrafted details in a maximalist style.

Bridget Stapleton

I care very deeply about our earth and the state that it’s in, and for these pieces I was inspired by the ocean. I have always been deeply fascinated by the ocean and how mysterious it is and how many fascinating creatures that inhabit it. As I got deeper into my inspiration it turned more into how much trouble our oceans are in, how much pollution and trash there is. Something that is very close to my heart, as well as the Fashion Industry. We are one of the biggest contributors to pollution on our earth right now which is a huge problem. I think our future is designers finding ways to work with more sustainable, earth-kind fabrics, and using every scrap, or even older clothes. All aspects I tried to address in my looks. One of my big pieces of silhouette inspiration was a play on the shapes that both plastic bags and jellyfish seem to make in the ocean- some sea turtles mistake plastic bags in the ocean for jellyfish and eat them by mistake, which kills them.
I wanted to take both sides of the ocean, the mystery and excitement with harsh truth and combine them in my garments.
It’s important to dress children sustainably and responsibly, because it is their earth and they’re the next ones who are going to need to take care of it next, and expressing that through fun, cozy, unique garments was how I found my way with these looks.

Danah Kim

My inspiration comes from childhood memory and circus. I embellished with different shaped germs as well as candy like germs. I designed my coat with some pleats and a little bit exaggerated. I used many rounded shapes such as collars and bottom parts of dress. Some part of my garments, like a overall strap, and bottom parts of my dress, I used cotton wool inside in order to make volume. This graduation work had been one of the unforgettable moments and a fabulous opportunity to remind my dream.

Michelle Yoon

I was both hesitant and ready to pursue childrenswear design because it seemed like I was making a huge turn without seeing where I was going but at the same time, it was new and exciting. It took me some time to adjust but I truly believe that this was one of the best decisions I've made so far. Making this decision also helped me find my identity as an aspiring designer and where I want to be in the near future. FIT prepared me in the way that my professors encouraged and challenged my designs and at the same time, they helped prepare me for the industry. Doing childrenswear, I always want to do something fun and quirky, something that children can relate to. Somewhere along those lines I ended up choosing the traditional fairytale goldilocks and the three bears as my inspiration. Reading through the story I loved the vintage illustrations, faded color story, and the fun characters in the story. I mixed menswear suitings with tapestry fabrics to incorporate elements from the story as well. The overall silhouettes and designs came from how I understood each character. It was a modern-day interpretation of the fairytale, which I hope children are able to find fun and meaning within what they wear.

Chi Hee (Annie) Han

Finishing FIT with concentration of childrenswear, has been joyful and very special for me. I’ve always played with kids and loving them. When I think of my design, I’ve heard multiple times of saying that “your design is very whimsical, fun and detailed.” Throughout my thought process of thesis, it took me more hours to get to this point. But at the same time I decided not to be serious and show who I am. My collection started when I was stuck in Paris while I was traveling. With each solved problem, a new unsolved one unfolded and I ended up having to stay in Paris longer than I had anticipated. With nothing left but time, I decided to headed to a museum that I did not get the chance to see. Time became a friend again. While wandering, I stopped at a film which a woman caressed a man and played him like a cello. In the next scene, women slathered themselves with paint and brushed their bodies against a blank canvas. Under my own interpretation of these films, my collection depicts man as the fundamental source of all man-made objects; in which then, man can serve as tools and instruments to fulfill the needs of mankind, just as how manmade objects serve the needs of mankind. Coming to the end of school with childrenswear had been lot change in my life. I could understand better in different aspects of designs and now I have more opportunities when I move on to real industry.

Donghyun Kim

School taught me a lot. Children’s wear suggested me different approaches and departing points of creativity. Working and creating something for children also have very strong power of self contentment. Personally, I felt something healed in my mind that was too busy and going superficial while I am doing women's fashion. I appreciate last few years.

Sarah Nolan

Throughout my years at FIT I never imagined myself as a Children’s wear designer. I fell into the specialization after taking a year off to join the Air National Guard. I have fallen in love with the excitement kids have when they put on a garment they love and feel special in. I am inspired by the experiences I encounter every day in my civilian and military life. My collection was inspired from Air Force WWll museums across the United States. I was inspired by WWll bomber jackets and how detailed and meaningful the painted artwork was. Although I love to paint, I wanted something unique and created a denim airplane appliqué for the back of my leather bomber jacket. The pants were up-cycled from a flight suit still in service today into modern jogger pants. I have always been extremely patriotic and hope to bring awareness for those who serve through my designs. It’s easy to forget about our brothers and sisters overseas and those who have lost their lives serving, but there are so many men and women who are or have risked their lives for our freedom. I hope my designs can make people stop and think about these service members even for a few seconds and keep them in their thoughts/prayers. That’s what keeps me driven.

Maggie Chen

Children are very straight forward. They are fun and wild. If they like or don’t like something they would let you know. I wanted to make clothes that every little girl would love and feel like a princess in. This is because I grew up with fairy tales and I’m very happy I got to be the fairy godmother.  

Kaitlyn Hoban

My journey at FIT is coming to an end with graduation around the corner. It has been a long one of self discovery and passion. I have been coming to FIT since I was 13 in their pre-college program; I was hooked since the first class. It was my dream to attend FIT for college. Following passion and heart, it was the only college I applied to. Children's Wear is not where I would have expected myself to end up, but I have developed a deep love for it. It opened me up to the child like wonder and fun loving perspective of fashion that children have. I would describe my aesthetic as wearable fantasy. I find a lot of my inspiration comes from the conventions I work. I find every child loves to play pretend, wearing their halloween costumes all year if possible. I strive to create everyday clothes that make children feel that special. I have a deep love for couture and I try to incorporate it into every piece. My sweater was completely blanket stitched together by hand and embellished with a decorative blanket stitch. While the jeans were embroidered by hand and machine. The dress has couture hems and was hand pleated. The fabric was hand dyed silk. The vest piping applique was hand stitched close and hand appliqued. I may not have chosen Children's Wear, but it has certainly made a home in my heart.