The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is famous for its museum located in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City that is dedicated for the fashion industry. FIT is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) and focuses on art and design education. Founded in 1944, FIT received its accreditation in 1957 and today ranks among the top five fashion schools in the world. Its enrollment exceeds more than 9,500 students. It offers undergraduate degrees as well as graduate degrees in 44 disciplines including marketing for the fashion industry, toy design, menswear, fashion merchandizing and computer animation and interactive media.
The museum at FIT solely dedicated to the art of fashion. It holds innovative and award-winning exhibits in addition to displaying its permanent collection of over 50,000 garments and accessories. The collection dates back to the 18th century and works of 20th century fashion designers take the center stage. As the director and chief curator of the museum, Yale educated Valerie Steel is bringing study of corsets, displaying sensual objects that were hidden from view, and transforming the museum to a true cultural and intellectual show case. New exhibits are constantly changing the way we look at art and fashion.