All That Glitters...
February 26, 2025 - March 23, 2025
The School of Graduate Studies at the Fashion Institute of Technology, in collaboration with The Museum at FIT, presents All That Glitters…, a new exhibition conceived of and organized by graduate students in the college's Fashion and Textiles Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice program. The exhibition invites visitors to delve into the world of glitter and sparkle in fashion and textiles, and to learn how the lustrous allure of gold and shine has captured people's attention in modern times.
All that glitters is not gold–rather, glitter can be made by any material that catches the light, shines, and reflects. The post-WWII era benefited from a remarkable blossoming of new textiles and technologies that changed the relationship between fashion mediums and light. All That Glitters… explores surfaces that shimmer, through the themes of production, social and financial values, and conservation.
Glitter and glimmer have endured in fashion for centuries, and the modern materials used–which are often not biodegradable–are equally persistent. The exhibition examines not only the bright side of these substances, but also the more controversial aspects, including the environmental impact and the problematic act of "glitter bombing."
The exhibition ideas are presented in a dual hybrid format with an online companion component launching on March 20, 2025. The physical exhibition at MFIT features garments selected from specialized study collections maintained by the Museum and the MA Fashion and Textile Studies program. The objects–typically only accessed by students and researchers–are publicly displayed for the first time. The online exhibition showcases the same subjects through MFIT's permanent fashion collections.
All that glitters is not gold–rather, glitter can be made by any material that catches the light, shines, and reflects. The post-WWII era benefited from a remarkable blossoming of new textiles and technologies that changed the relationship between fashion mediums and light. All That Glitters… explores surfaces that shimmer, through the themes of production, social and financial values, and conservation.
Glitter and glimmer have endured in fashion for centuries, and the modern materials used–which are often not biodegradable–are equally persistent. The exhibition examines not only the bright side of these substances, but also the more controversial aspects, including the environmental impact and the problematic act of "glitter bombing."
The exhibition ideas are presented in a dual hybrid format with an online companion component launching on March 20, 2025. The physical exhibition at MFIT features garments selected from specialized study collections maintained by the Museum and the MA Fashion and Textile Studies program. The objects–typically only accessed by students and researchers–are publicly displayed for the first time. The online exhibition showcases the same subjects through MFIT's permanent fashion collections.