Museum at FIT receives highest AAM recognition

The AAM accrediting commission found MFIT not only to have “one of the most important collections of its type” but also to meet “national standards and best practices for a U.S. museum” and “to be a good steward of its resources held in the public trust and committed to a philosophy of continual institutional growth.”

Established in 1967, MFIT is the only museum in New York City, and one of a handful around the world, dedicated solely to the art of fashion. Located at Seventh Avenue at 27th Street, it is free and open to the public.

Best known for its innovative and award-winning exhibitions, MFIT has a collection of more than 50,000 garments and accessories dating from the 18th century to the present. The museum’s mission is to advance knowledge of fashion through exhibitions, publications, and public programs. 

MFIT joins an elite group that includes the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., the Field Museum in Chicago, and The Getty Museum in Los Angeles, along with 20 prestigious accredited institutions in New York City.

These are the American Museum of Natural History, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, the Frick Collection, the George Gustav Heye Center, The Jewish Museum, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Morgan Library & Museum, the Morris-Jumel Mansion, the Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden, the Museum of Arts and Design, The Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of the Moving Image, the New York Botanical Garden, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, The Studio Museum in Harlem, and the Whitney Museum of Art.

“While The Museum at FIT has proven to be exemplary in all that it does – a prerequisite for receiving accreditation – it has placed forging community ties among its top priorities,” said AAM President Ford W. Bell. “The museum has established strong bonds with local students, its residential neighbors, and with the college as a whole, always a critical issue for college and university museums. The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology is certainly one of New York’s – and the country’s – finest museums.”

“The Museum at FIT is an integral component of an FIT education and campus life,” said Dr. Joyce F. Brown, president of FIT. “However, it also is an important part of the Chelsea community, as well as a vital component of New York City’s cultural offerings and resources. The college is extremely pleased by the AAM’s recognition of the museum’s quality and commitment to excellence. By achieving accreditation, The Museum at FIT has confirmed something many visitors likely already know: it is one of the truly outstanding museums in America.”