Fashion Institute of Technology Officials Put on Leave After Being Accused of Hosting a Racist Runway Show

“Those in charge…failed to recognize or anticipate the racist references and cultural insensitivities that were obvious to almost everybody else.”

Updated on February 22, 2020 at 3 p.m. ET:

In a statement issued to students on Friday, February 21, New York&aposs Fashion Institute of Technology announced that they have placed Mary Davis, Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, and Jonathan Kyle Farmer, Chair of the MFA Fashion Design Department on leave after allegations over a racist fashion show. According to the New York Post, FIT president Dr. Joyce F. Brown informed students that a law firm had been hired to investigate the fashion show in question. Davis and Farmer&aposs return to the school is dependent on the outcome of that investigation.

"We cannot expect our community to trust us without a full examination of how this came about,” Brown wrote in the email obtained by the New York Post. “Those in charge of and responsible for overseeing the show failed to recognize or anticipate the racist references and cultural insensitivities that were obvious to almost everybody else.”

With regard to Junkai Hunag, the designer of the collection itself, Brown&aposs email continued, "It also appears — based upon information available — that the styling and accessorizing used in the show were provided to him rather than chosen at his discretion. Junkai has said, and his thesis notes and sketches support, that the collection he designed and produced was not aimed at invoking or provoking racial implications.” As noted by the NYPost, Brown did not specify who might have provided the couture, but added that the school would hold a series of meetings with faculty and students to further discuss the incident at hand.

Related: F.I.T. Students on Mission to Show Influence of Black Culture During BHM

Previously:

New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology has come under fire this week after the school allowed a graduate student to put on what many considered a racist, anti-black runway show.

The show in question, which was part of a special FIT’s presentation showcasing the designers from their first MFA Fashion Design class, was strongly criticized online, largely thanks to the popular fashion Instagram account Diet Prada.

On February 17, Diet Prada posted images from the show after an eyewitness told the New York Post that the styling choice aimed to exaggerate and highlight "ugly features of the body" — which included large lips, eyebrows, and ears.

According to the Post, these props had been sourced from sex toys and later placed on the models&apos faces. One of the show&aposs models, Amy Lefévre, made sure to express her disgust with the props.

Lefévre reportedly refused to walk the runway after discovering the props that had been chosen. "I stood there almost ready to break down, telling the staff that I felt incredibly uncomfortable with having to wear these pieces and that they were clearly racist," Lefévre told the Post. She walked after being told it was "fine to feel uncomfortable for only 45 seconds," though she refused to wear the facial attachments.

"I was literally shaking. I could not control my emotions,” she added about the situation. “My whole body was shaking. I have never felt like that in my life. People of color are struggling too much in 2020 for the promoters not to have vetted and cleared accessories for the shows."

Diet Prada later took to Instagram to share the situation, sparking outrage from many in the fashion community. "Sad times we live in when designers aren’t confident enough to have the clothing sell themselves," wrote Olivia Dope while another commenter added, "When will this stop? Designers are hung up on controversy to sell cause these pieces can’t sell themselves, clearly."

In a statement issued to the Post, Dr. Joyce F. Brown, the Fashion Institute of Technology&aposs president, said, "This program protects a student’s freedom to craft their own personal and unique artistic perspectives as designers, to be even what some would consider to be provocative, so that they find that voice."

"However provocative design and fashion might be though, my commitment to ensure that people are not made to feel uncomfortable, offended, or intimidated is also of the utmost importance not only to me personally but to the college community as well,” they added. “We take this obligation very, very seriously and will investigate and take appropriate action regarding any complaint or concern that is made in this situation."

FIT apologized soon after telling the Post, "Currently it does not appear that the original intent of the design, the use of accessories or the creative direction of the show was to make a statement about race; however, it is now glaringly obvious that has been the outcome. For that, we apologize — to those who participated in the show, to students, and to anybody who has been offended by what they saw."

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