Stony Brook University SUNY Korea

I started as a student at FIT in 1962, and was the first Korean national to graduate from the Fashion Design Program. During my time at FIT, I received a great deal of inspiration from the FIT Fashion Research Lab. This experience is what influenced me and my vision to establish a museum when I returned to Korea. Although the FIT Fashion Lab at that time was much humbler compared to the current Museum at FIT, it inspired and guided my life’s work.

My mother, Choi Kyung Ja, a pioneer of Korean fashion, studied in Japan, then returned to Korea and established Hamheung Dressmaking Academy at Hamheung, Hamkyungnam-do in 1938; the matrix of Kookje Fashion School. The school has continued with me as the second director and now with my daughter as the third director of the institute. We have produced internationally renowned designers such as Andre Kim and Lie Sang Bong. Through these relationships and donations made by many designers and celebrities and with additional acquired pieces, I opened the first and only, Korea Museum of Modern Costume in Seoul 25 years ago. I put my life, heart and soul into the collection and curation of the museum.

I am with great pride and pleasure that FIT, my Alma mater, opened a campus in Songdo. The university gathers students from all over the globe allowing them to learn, grow and dream together. It reminds me of the enthusiasm I had as a student at FIT in New York half a century ago. I am grateful for everything I have achieved based on the learning, experience and the vision that I gained from my time at FIT.

The SUNY Korea Museum of Modern Costume opening on the Songdo Campus will operate mainly to support the academic courses taught. My wish is for it to grow into a learning center where younger generations of fashion students may share in the same experience I had at FIT. I dream SUNY Korea Museum of Modern Costume will develop as the major contributor to fashion education in Korea, in the near future. I certainly believe this wish will come true.

SUNY Korea Museum of Modern Costume, Chief Director Heisoon Shin

NEW EXHIBITION COMING SOON...

Exhibition Overview

Title: WAR & FASHION (Fashion in Wartime: The Legacy That Changed Fashion Forever)

Exhibition Period: October 14, 2026 – March 11, 2027

• 1The exhibition explores how wars, especially WWII, transformed fashion and left a lasting influence on contemporary dress. At a time when conflicts continue in many parts of the world, the exhibition also invites visitors to reflect on the relationship between war, fashion, and society.
• 2The exhibition highlights how WWII brought greater attention to American fashion and contributed to the growth of New York’s fashion industry, providing an important context for the founding of FIT in 1944, particularly meaningful as FIT at SUNY Korea celebrates its 10th anniversary.
• 3The exhibition concludes with the PEACE community art project, created by approximately 300 Incheon citizens, connecting the legacy of war with a contemporary message of peace.