FIT spotlights Fabric in Fashion in new museum exhibit

“Before the 20th century, stylish women who consumed Western fashion were well-versed in cloth. They could easily distinguish between fibers and weaves and were knowledgeable about the origin, quality and costs of the fabrics they wore.” So reads the introductory statement in the Fashion Institute of Technology’s “Fabric in Fashion” exhibit which opened this week, and makes the point that we no longer possess such knowledge despite consuming more fashion than ever before. Through a collection of historical and contemporary garments, flat fabric swatches, and film the exhibit brings us on a centuries-spanning tour of fabric’s major innovations.