Learn How the Fashion, Beauty, and Health Industries are Striving to Make a Positive Impact this Thursday July 11, at the Fashion Institute of Technology

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Aspiring designers welcome a hands-on approach to learning about fashion design at a recent event by the Fashion Portfolio Academy.

NYC sets the pace in the field of fashion.

New York City, NY (PRWEB) July 09, 2013

New York is like no other city and FIT is like no other college. FIT and NYC set the pace in the fields of design, fashion, advertising, communications, and international commerce. FIT hosts an array of luminaries, from NYC and all over the world, who come to inform and inspire the college community. Recent visitors include Giorgio Armani, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Martha Stewart, Betsey Johnson, James Galanos, Nina Garcia, and Alek Wek.

This Thursday July 11, attendees will learn how the fashion, beauty, and health industries are striving to make a positive impact on people's lifestyles, the environment, and the economy. Panel discussions by industry leaders will take place throughout the day.

The Sustainable Color and Textile Trends Panel Discussion will explore how designers and manufacturers are addressing sustainable solutions to color, fabric and design for commercial fashion use. The focus will be on the most important fashion messages to capture and how they can be achieved with innovative sustainable design processes with low impact or natural dyes, eco-friendly fibers and fabrics. Panelists include, Fran Yoshioka, independent color and trend forecasting consultant Kathy Hattori, founder and president, Botanical Colors, and Emily Spivack, writer, editor, artist, social entrepreneur, moderated by Holly Henderson, eco fashion/textile designer, consultant, assistant adjunct professor at FIT.

The Ethical Fashion and Fair Trade Panel Discussion will include fashion industry professionals and discuss how and where fashion and ethics can coexist, and why it doesn’t need to be an either/or question. Panelists will debate design, sourcing, issues and concerns in manufacture of clothing which is both socially, health and environmentally conscious.  Francisca will talk about her experience as a designer and business owner sharing the challenges of being sustainable and traceable. Panelists include Sophie Faris, community developer, B-Lab, Ruth DeGolia, founder of Mercado Global, Francisca Pineda, designer and creative director of BHAVA, and Tanya Menendez, co-founder of Maker's Row, moderated by Carmen Artigas, sustainable fashion designer, consultant, educator. For more information on the speakers visit http://fitnyc.edu/12966.asp#Pineda.

The Fashion Portfolio Academy is dedicated to preparing the next generation of designers to excel. Rigorous programs, from beginner to advanced, online and in NYC are designed to develop the essential techniques and skills all designers need to achieve their deams. Francisca Pineda, founder of the Fashion Portfolio Academy is an award winning fashion designer with over 15 years of experience designing apparel and accessories  for New York's top brands.   She is currently the creative director for luxury accessory brand BHAVA.   An advocate for ethical practices in the industry, she started the Ethical Fashion Academy in 2012, a community focused initiative that organizes eco-fashion events in New York City and a yearly hands-on Fashion Workshop in Costa Rica.

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