ABOUT Grace
Grace McCarty is a graduate of The Fashion Institute of Technology, where her functional approach is focused on integrating technology into fashion. She received her BFA in Fashion Design in May of 2018 finishing with honors and a minor in Art History. She holds an AAS degree in International Fashion Design from FIT, a program which included course work at Polimoda International Institute in Florence, Italy.
Grace’s approach is distinguished by creativity, sustainability and innovation. She has a philosophy that technology and fashion have been destined to come together for some time. From the utilization of smart textiles and wearable tech to the artificial intelligence and cognitive technology for design, Grace designs for the future, incorporating creativity in shape and structure, introducing innovative details and using seemingly unconventional materials in conventional and comprehensive ways.
As an undergraduate, Grace has already been recognized for her design work. She was shortlisted on the Business of Fashion’s 2016 Future Voices Event and was also a recipient of the 2016 FIT UCE Leadership Award. Recently, Grace was chosen from a highly competitive field of applicants to participate in the IBM Watson Reimagining Retail Project, sponsored by the FIT/Infor Design+Technology Lab in collaboration with Tommy Hilfiger, where her tech rain jacket – a wearable tech product inspired by AI - was chosen as the winning design in the challenge.
Grace has professional experience working in the luxury apparel market in the RTW, swimwear and sportswear categories. Previously the Associate Designer at Lafayette 148, Grace has recently completed her first year at Bandit Running as the Associate Designer. Her work has been recognized in Forbes, Business Insider, and WWD.
