Retail pioneer, mentor, and bestselling author
Bob Fisch presents two $25K awards to graduate students from
Fashion Design and Global Fashion Management programs
NEW
YORK, May 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On
May 22, the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), a college of
the State University of New York
(SUNY), announced that two $25,000 Bob Fisch Awards for Entrepreneurial
Excellence were presented to outstanding students in the Fashion
Design MFA and Global Fashion Management MPS programs in its School
of Graduate Studies. Robert (Bob)
Fisch, founder and former chairman and CEO of rue21,
award-winning author of the bestseller Get a Life: A Roadmap to
Rule the World, and an FIT Foundation board member, established
the awards to help advance the careers of the students.
Fisch, widely recognized for his bold innovations in
value-priced, fast fashion retailing, said: "FIT's students from
the MFA Fashion Design and Global Fashion Management programs have
transformed traditional thesis presentations, infusing them with
creativity and inspiration—the ingenuity and passion on display
from these high achievers was remarkable. I am proud to be a part
of their academic and professional journeys and look forward to the
unconventional impact they will have on the future. I teach them
business, they teach me life!"
"Through these generous awards, Bob
Fisch is supporting our master's level students in
accelerating their career trajectories and realizing their full
potential," said FIT President Joyce F.
Brown. "The guidance and mentoring provided by Bob is deeply
appreciated, as is the care with which he shares his knowledge and
expertise."
"These entrepreneurial awards make a tremendous impact on the
students, who will be able to kick-start their businesses," said
Dr. Brooke Carlson, interim dean of
the School of Graduate Studies. "The combination of funding and
mentorship is invaluable to their futures."
The 2024 recipients of the Bob Fisch Award for
Entrepreneurial Excellence are:
- Gina Ciarrocchi, Global
Fashion Management, '24, of Pittsburgh,
Penn., creator of Silversleeve. Ciarrocchi identified the
problem of insulin pumps emitting very small amounts of radiation.
The solution, she found, lies in silver-based products, which are
highly effective in blocking radiation. She created a protective
silver cover for insulin pumps that serves as a radiation-blocking
barrier between a user's body and the device. Ciarrocchi said:
"I was diagnosed [with diabetes] at a very young age, and growing
up, I was very, very discreet about it. When I was 18, I got my
first insulin pump and always wore it hidden and really close to my
body. Eventually, my biggest fear went from 'Can anybody see my
pump?' to 'Is wearing this pump going to give me breast cancer
because I wear it tucked inside my bra?'"
"In response to receiving this award, I told Bob, 'I'm not just
seeking funding, I'm looking for a mentor whose support will be
invaluable.' I feel so honored and am grateful for his confidence
in me."
- Talia Abbe, Fashion
Design MFA, '24, of New York,
N.Y., creator of Tabbe Designs. Abbe developed a
ready-to-wear brand based on the negative and positive stimuli in
the world and how it affects people, both internally and
externally. Created during COVID with the goal of trying to end the
stigma associated with mental health, Abbe's collection is focused
on people's emotions and experiences. With her garments, she aims
to produce a more inclusive, freeing, and joyful environment for
the wearer. Abbe said:
"Since COVID, I've been focused on mental health. I didn't do well
being locked inside all the time. The only way I felt I could
really express myself was through fashion. I started making all my
clothes about mental health in 2020, meaning that my work began to
reflect how I was feeling, what I was going through, and what my
friends and family were going through. I felt like I wanted to be
able to give myself an outlet—and to give people around me a voice
and make them feel like they were not alone, like I
understood."
Abbe plans to use her award to produce and trademark samples
and jumpstart her marketing efforts.
Past recipients of the Bob Fisch Awards for Entrepreneurial
Excellence include: Lindsey
Mortensen, of Dallas,
Mubarak Abliz, of Xinjiang, China, and Victoria Shchepakina,
of Saratov, Russia, all
Global Fashion Management, for POSSE, the Innerwear as Outerwear
luxury lingerie brand created for sizes D cup and up;
Valeria Watson, Fashion
Design MFA, of Guadalajara,
Mexico, creator of Valeria Watson, a clothing line that
explores the blend of cultures between the United States and Mexico; Amanda
Brown, of New York,
N.Y., and Eva Carelus,
of Freeport, N.Y., both Global
Fashion Management, for Maid to Alter, a circular bridesmaid dress
brand with rentable dresses that have self-adjustable features that
allow one garment to serve many customers, saving bridesmaids time
and money on dress alterations; and Stephanie Kim, Fashion Design MFA, of
South Korea, for The Yearbook
Committee, a film and design production company in New York.
Launched in 2021, the Entrepreneurial Awards are an extension of
the comprehensive Bob Fisch graduate student program, which
celebrates entrepreneurial excellence and intergenerational
mentoring through gifts from Fisch of over $400,000 to date. The program includes thesis
project completion grants, scholarships for FIT's Fashion Design
MFA and Global Fashion Management MPS programs, year-round
educational "fireside chats" led by Fisch, and extraordinary
one-on-one and group mentoring sessions.
FIT's Fashion Design MFA program, established in 2017,
focuses on practice-based research. Unconventional in approach, the
program welcomes students with non-fashion backgrounds as well as
those with rich traditional undergraduate training in fashion
design. The curriculum emphasizes research methodologies and pushes
critical thinking that motivates innovation and invention in
design, fit, cut, construction, silhouette, and materiality. The
Global Fashion Management program emphasizes leadership, applied
creativity, problem-solving, and analytical thinking, along with
effective writing and presentation skills. The curriculum includes
courses in production management and supply chain, global marketing
and fashion brand management, culture and international business,
corporate finance, politics and world trade, business policy,
global retail management, entrepreneurship, and leadership.
To find out more, please visit FIT.
About FIT
A part of the State
University of New York, FIT has been a leader in career
education in art, design, business, and technology throughout its
history. Providing over 8,000 students with an uncommon blend of
hands-on, practical experience, theory, and a firm grounding in the
liberal arts, the college offers a wide range of affordable
programs that foster innovation and collaboration. Its distinctive
curriculum is geared to today's rapidly growing creative economy,
including fields such as computer animation, toy design, production
management, film and media, and cosmetics and fragrance marketing.
Internationally renowned, FIT draws on its New York City location to provide a vibrant,
creative community in which to learn. The college offers nearly 50
majors and grants AAS, BFA, BS, MA, MFA, and MPS degrees, preparing
students for professional success and leadership in the new
creative economy. Among notable alumni in fashion are Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, Reem Acra,
Brian Atwood, Dennis Basso, Francisco
Costa, Norma Kamali,
Nanette Lepore, Bibhu Mohapatra, Daniel
Roseberry, Ralph Rucci,
John Bartlett, Peter Do, and
Michelle Smith. Other prominent
graduates include Leslie Blodgett,
creator of bareMinerals; international restaurant designer
Tony Chi; and Nina Garcia, editor in chief, Elle.
About the FIT Foundation
As the primary fundraising
arm for FIT, the FIT Foundation supports and celebrates fearless
innovation, inclusivity, and unabashed creativity. Since 1944, the
FIT Foundation has advanced the mission of the college and its
strategic goals by preparing students to fuel the future of
fashion, business, design, technology, and the arts. Serving as a
bridge between donors and FIT's schools, departments, and programs,
the foundation strives to inspire and empower the vibrant community
of FIT friends, students, alumni, faculty, and industry leaders.
Through scholarship development, industry engagement, and programs
and events with social impact, the foundation is dedicated to the
following core mandates: igniting thought leadership, fostering
ingenuity and exploration, and helping FIT lead the next generation
of unconventional minds into the new creative economy.
About Bob
Fisch
Robert Fisch is
recognized as a pioneering merchant for his bold and successful
innovations in value-priced, fast fashion retailing, notably at
rue21. Fisch is the founder and former chairman and CEO of rue21
and took the company from bankruptcy to a fast-track winning streak
that included a hot-stock IPO, building a national network of 1,200
stores and a billion-dollar-plus value. Fisch's proven management
practices and motivational skills have resulted in a unique
mutual-mentoring relationship with millennials in the workplace. He
formed a millennial advisory board, which also served as a
consulting body for his 2019 book release, Fisch Tales: The
Making of a Millennial Baby Boomer, and his current book,
Get a Life: A Roadmap to Rule the World, which led him to
becoming a Forbes best-selling author. Fisch is currently
president of RNF Group, a consulting company focused on the
assessment and evaluation of retail and other business enterprises,
as well as providing mentoring services to existing management of
these companies.
CONTACT:
212-217-4700
press@fitnyc.edu
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SOURCE Fashion Institute of
Technology