FIT Will Honor Norma Kamali, Kenneth Cole and Rebecca Hessel Cohen at Annual Awards Gala

The Fashion Institute of Technology will honor FIT alumna Norma Kamali, Kenneth Cole and Rebecca Hessel Cohen at their Annual Awards Gala, which will take place at The Glasshouse in New York on May 8.

The event begins with FIT’s Future of Fashion Runway Show, presented by Macy’s, featuring looks from the fashion design BFA class of 2024. The event will benefit the FIT Foundation, dedicated to nurturing the next generation of FIT students by facilitating programs, developing new initiatives and providing scholarships.

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Kamali, a designer, entrepreneur and innovator, will be honored with the Outstanding Alumni Award for her transformative contributions to the industry. She is known for her many firsts in fashion, such as the sleeping bag coat, sweats as ready-to-wear, influential swimwear and jersey knit collections. Designer, entrepreneur, philanthropist and activist Cole will receive the Social Impact Award for commitment to social advocacy, particularly in the field of mental health, and designer Cohen, founder and creative director of LoveShackFancy, will receive the Entrepreneurship Award for her achievements in fashion, fragrance and retail.

Tamron Hall, TV host, journalist and philanthropist, will present the award to Cole, with additional presenters to be revealed shortly.

“We are pleased to honor these creative visionaries, each advancing fashion, design — and the industry — in their own distinct way,” said Dr. Joyce Brown, president of FIT. “And with commencement season upon us, we are especially grateful for the positive, lasting impact they will have as role models to our students as they prepare to embark on their own creative journeys.”

Macy’s, through the retailer’s social purpose platform, Mission Every One, will sponsor the Future of Fashion Runway Show for the third consecutive year, recognizing outstanding student talent with the Macy’s Empowerment Design Award alongside the Macy’s Capsule Collection Award, in which the winner’s design will be produced and sold under the retailer’s private brand Bar III in 2025.

The runway show will feature looks from such categories as knitwear, sportswear, intimate apparel, special occasion and childrenswear.

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