The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) has announced the launch of its Social Justice Centre (SJC) in order to support the Black, Indigenous, and people of colour (BIPOC) community in fashion careers. The SJC, a first of its kind, is a high education initiative supported by other founding partners PVH Corp., Capri Holdings Limited, and Tapestry, who have committed $1 million each towards the centre.
As a part of the initiative, the centre will provide mentorship, education as well as career support to people from the BIPOC community to help them accelerate their careers in fashion. While FIT already offers a number of scholarships like the Amsale Aspire Initiative, the Art Smith Memorial Endowed Scholarship, the Black Student Illustrators Graduation Award, and the Prada Scholarship, The SJC Endowed scholarship will be a new one added to the list. The centre will also provide scholarships to students in middle school, high school, and college. College students will be provided advanced pathways through internships, mentorships and apprenticeships offered to them through SJC partners.
Various crucial industry leaders like Carolina Herrera, Prada, Ralph Lauren, Saks, Target, and The Fragrance Foundation have pledged their support to the centre, while the G-III Apparel Group also made the establishing gift to the SJC Scholarship Fund, which is worth $1.5 million in contributions as of now.
Talking about the initiative, Dr. Joyce Brown, who became the college’s first African American and its first female president in 1998, said, "What we have seen thus far are companies or colleges whose focus is either on the workplace or on education. The focus for the Social Justice Center at FIT is on the whole individual. We will intervene early with BIPOC youth so they can make informed decisions about their future and the careers they might choose to pursue.”
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