FIT Graduate Students Presented with Bob Fisch Awards for Entrepreneurial Excellence

CulturClasm and Brooks Avenue Business Plans Receive $25,000 Each in Funding for Future Growth

NEW YORK, May 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), a college of the State University of New York (SUNY), has announced that two $25,000 Bob Fisch Awards for Entrepreneurial Excellence have been presented to outstanding students in the Fashion Design MFA and Global Fashion Management MPS programs in its School of Graduate Studies. Bob Fisch—the founder and former chair and CEO of rue21, the award-winning author of the bestsellers Fisch Tales: The Making of a Millennial Baby Boomer and Get a Life: A Roadmap to Rule the World, and an FIT Foundation board member—established the awards to help advance the careers of students.

Fisch, widely recognized for his bold innovations in value-priced, fast fashion retailing, said: "Once again, all the students have inspired me, showcasing their academic achievements. I am proud to advise and coach them as they have infused their thesis projects with creativity, inspiration, and passion. It has been amazing mentoring these students the past two years. What is exciting to see is how they are starting their graduate school experience with curiosity and now leaving after two years with confidence to build on their future in business and life experiences. My role is helping the students to utilize the powerful word 'pivot' in their current experiences and into the upcoming future. Time to 'face the fear,' be bold and fearless to achieve their dreams and goals. The best is yet to come!"

"A gift from Bob is more than a contribution," said FIT President Joyce F. Brown. "Students benefit beyond the financial support. He acts as their guide and sounding board, not only throughout the projects but into the future. Bob deeply believes in mentorship, but he believes that it is a two-way street, which gives young people a chance to learn from him while he learns from their creative young minds."

"Since 2022, Bob has given out eight $25,000 entrepreneurial awards to students in both the Fashion Design and Global Fashion Management masters' programs. Along with Bob's mentorship, these awards have made a tremendous impact on the students and their futures," said Dr. Brooke Carlson, interim dean of the School of Graduate Studies. "We are so grateful for Bob's generosity these last four years." 

The 2025 recipients of the Bob Fisch Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence are:

• Abbey DeFulviis, Erin Moronell, and Jessica Schneider, Global Fashion Management MPS, creators of CulturClasm. The team identified the problem of fashion networking in New York City being very exclusive and access to jobs hinging on insider connections. In response, the students developed CulturClasm, a way to build a community of fashion industry professionals that connects them with career opportunities through curated experiences and mentorship.

"[Winning this award] validates the problem we've identified—that there's a need for collaboration within the fashion industry—and we're really looking forward to fostering some meaningful relationships," said Schneider.

With the award proceeds, CulturClasm plans to deploy its digital marketing strategy.

• Lawson Park, Fashion Design MFA, creator of Brooks Avenue. Park developed and launched a print-driven apparel brand during her first year in the MFA program, which has already become very successful. The brand is based on original prints and unique styles inspired by the idea of living authentically, Park said:
  
  "I've always had an entrepreneurial spirit … it means a lot for Bob to see that potential in me and for him to validate that, and I'm excited to keep growing it."
  
  With the award proceeds, Park has a trifecta of plans: to grow the brand's wholesale markets; to produce part of her thesis collection; and to restock the brand's bestsellers.

Past recipients of the Bob Fisch Awards for Entrepreneurial Excellence include graduates: Gina Ciarrocchi, Global Fashion Management MPS, of Pittsburgh, PA, creator of Silversleeve; Talia Abbe, Fashion Design MFA, of New York, NY, creator of Tabbe Designs; Lindsey Mortensen, of Dallas, TX, Mubarak Abliz, of Xinjiang, China, and Victoria Shchepakina, of Saratov, Russia, all Global Fashion Management, for POSSE, the Innerwear as Outerwear luxury lingerie brand created for sizes D cup and up; Valeria Watson, Fashion Design MFA, of Guadalajara, Mexico, creator of Valeria Watson, a clothing line that explores the blend of cultures between the United States and Mexico; Amanda Brown, of New York, NY, Eva Carelus, of Freeport, NY, and Gerry Chen, of New York, NY, all of Global Fashion Management MPS, for Maid to Alter, a circular bridesmaid dress brand with rentable dresses that have self-adjustable features that allow one garment to serve many customers, saving bridesmaids time and money on dress alterations; and Stephanie Kim, Fashion Design MFA, of South Korea, for The Yearbook Committee, a film and design production company in New York.

Launched in 2021, the Awards for Entrepreneurial Excellence are an extension of the comprehensive Bob Fisch graduate student program, which celebrates entrepreneurial excellence and intergenerational mentoring. The program includes thesis project completion grants, scholarships for FIT's Fashion Design MFA and Global Fashion Management MPS programs, annual educational "fireside chats" led by Fisch, and extraordinary one-on-one and group mentoring sessions.

FIT's Fashion Design MFA program, established in 2017, focuses on practice-based research. Unconventional in approach, the program welcomes students with non-fashion backgrounds as well as those with rich traditional undergraduate training in fashion design. The curriculum emphasizes research methodologies and pushes critical thinking that motivates innovation and invention in design, fit, cut, construction, silhouette, and materiality. The Global Fashion Management MPS program emphasizes leadership, applied creativity, problem-solving, and analytical thinking, along with effective writing and presentation skills. The curriculum includes courses in production management and supply chain, global marketing and fashion brand management, culture and international business, corporate finance, politics and world trade, business policy, global retail management, entrepreneurship, and leadership.

About the FIT School of Graduate Studies
The School of Graduate Studies at FIT provides advanced professional education in seven distinctive areas, promoting excellence in the post-baccalaureate study of fashion, business, art, and design. The school offers programs leading to the MA, MFA, and MPS degrees, and is dedicated to advancing research in the creative industries and fostering innovative collaborations that link students and faculty with industry and professional partners worldwide.

About the FIT Foundation
As the primary fundraising arm for FIT, the FIT Foundation supports and celebrates fearless innovation, inclusivity, and unabashed creativity. Since 1944, the FIT Foundation has advanced the mission of the college and its strategic goals by preparing students to fuel the future of fashion, business, design, technology, and the arts. Serving as a bridge between donors and FIT's schools, departments, and programs, the foundation strives to inspire and empower the vibrant community of FIT friends, students, alumni, faculty, and industry leaders. Through scholarship development, industry engagement, and programs and events with social impact, the foundation is dedicated to the following core mandates: igniting thought leadership, fostering ingenuity and exploration, and helping FIT lead the next generation of unconventional minds into the new creative economy.

About Bob Fisch
Bob Fisch is recognized as a pioneering merchant for his bold and successful innovations in value-priced, fast fashion retailing, notably at rue21. Fisch is the founder and former chairman and CEO of rue21 and took the company from bankruptcy to a fast-track winning streak that included a hot-stock IPO, building a national network of 1,200 stores and a billion-dollar-plus value. Fisch's proven management practices and motivational skills have resulted in a unique mutual-mentoring relationship with millennials in the workplace. He formed a millennial advisory board, which also served as a consulting body for his 2019 book release, Fisch Tales: The Making of a Millennial Baby Boomer, and his current book, Get a Life: A Roadmap to Rule the World, which led to him becoming a Forbes best-selling author. Fisch is currently president of RNF Group, a consulting company focused on the assessment and evaluation of retail and other business enterprises, as well as providing mentoring services to existing management of these companies.

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SOURCE Fashion Institute of Technology