The cover of the CFDA's book, Impact.


“I turned fifty last year myself so I thought I was finally over that celebration, but I’m doing it again this year,” Steven Kolb, the CFDA’s CEO explained at this morning’s press conference for the exhibit in celebration of the organization’s benchmark birthday. IMPACT, the bright pink tome at left, shares its name with the exhibition at The Fashion Institute of Technology’s beloved museum.  It opens tomorrow, curated by the university’s Patricia Mears, whom Diane von Furstenburg calls, “the least corruptable person on earth.” “We wanted to honor the rich history of our members and organization, and we thought FIT made perfect sense because it’s an institution that’s training the next generation of designers.  That crossroads of history and the future really resonated with us,” Kolb explained. The school’s president, Dr. Joyce Brown, and it’s famed historian Valerie Steele, were joined by fashion luminaries like Oscar de la Renta, Donna Karan, and Tory Burch—each of whom glowed with early-fashion week positivity—to enthusiastically toast the CFDA’s first exhibit.  Inside the museum you’ll find catalogued iPads containing records from each of the association’s vastly-talented members, and if technology isn’t you’re forté, maybe the feathered Thom Browne suit and or bombshell gown from Zac Posen will make a visit worthwhile. Summing it up, Kolb explained, “When  you look back on 50 at say 75 or 100, it’s going to be a big mark in our history.  It’s an age filled with reflection, but a time when you also chart a course for the future.” IMPACT opens at the Museum at FIT tomorrow.