High School of Fashion Industries (HSFI) is a secondary school located in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
, New York City, New York. HSFI serves grades 9 through 12 and is a part of the
New York City Department of Education
The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) is the department of the government of New York City that manages the city's public school system. The City School District of the City of New York (or the New York City Public Schools) is t ...
. HSFI has
magnet
A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, steel, nickel, ...
programs related to fashion design, fashion art, marketing and visual merchandising, graphics and illustration and photography.
Admissions
Admission to HSFI is highly selective. Students must complete an application to the Board of Education, take the school's exam that includes an art aptitude test, and submit a portfolio. Students are not expected to have formal training in the arts, and many students apply who have little drawing abilities. For prospective students, the school offers pamphlets in most
junior high school
A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school ...
s and several open house events during the year that include a mock school day with two 45-minute classes.
Student body
The school had a total of 1,743 students during the 2004–2005 school year.
* 56% were Hispanic
* 39% were African-American
* 15% were
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
* 4% were
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
* Less than 1% were
Native Americans
* In the 2017–18 school year, it may be more accurate to say 55% Hispanic, 40% African American, 2% White, and 3% Asian.
Athletics
The High School of Fashion Industries is the home of the Falcons:
[Official website of HSFI]
/ref>
*Basketball Girls Varsity
*Basketball Boys Varsity
*Bowling Boys Varsity
*Bowling Girls Varsity
*Indoor Track Girls Varsity
*Outdoor Track Girls Varsity
*Softball Girls Varsity
*Volleyball Girls Varsity
*Volleyball Boys Varsity
*Girls Wrestling
* Co-Ed Stunts Varsity
History
Founded in 1926. In March, 1926, Mr Mortimer C. Ritter, with Miss Jessie R. Dutton and Mr. Federick G. Bruck came to the third floor loft of the Greeley Arcade Building and with two classes, one in dressmaking and the other in garment cutting, organized what was to develop into the Central Needle Trades High School.
The school building was completed in 1941 as the Central High School of Needle Trades.
at its official website
Auditorium murals
These murals were painted between 1939 and 1940 by Ernest Fiene
Ernest Fiene (November 2, 1894 – August 10, 1965) was a 20th-century American graphic artist who primarily worked in New York City and Woodstock, New York. Fiene was known primarily for his varied printed works, including lithographs and etchin ...
. and have landmark status.[Murals descriptions](_blank)
adapted and condensed from a student handbook
A handbook is a type of reference work, or other collection of instructions, that is intended to provide ready reference. The term originally applied to a small or portable book containing information useful for its owner, but the ''Oxford Engl ...
written in the late 1950s. Construction of the murals (and the school building) were part of the US federal government's Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...
(WPA) program.
Notable alumni
*Antonio Fargas
Antonio Juan Fargas (born August 14, 1946) is an American actor known for his roles in 1970s blaxploitation and comedy movies, as well as his portrayal as Huggy Bear in the 1970s TV series '' Starsky & Hutch''.
Early life
Fargas was born in New ...
, actor, comedian
*Frank Hewitt
Frank Hewitt (October 23, 1935 – September 5, 2002) was an American hard bop jazz pianist.
Life and career
Born in Queens, New York, Hewitt lived most of his life in Harlem. His mother was a church pianist, and he initially studied classica ...
, jazz pianist
*Hank Whitney
Henry Lee (Hank) Whitney (April 28, 1939 – April 5, 2020) was an American professional basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete wit ...
, professional basketball playerHank Whitney: Cyclone Trailblazer
/ref>
*Kerby Jean-Raymond
Kerby Jean-Raymond is a Haitian American fashion designer who is the founder of the menswear label Pyer Moss.
Career
Kerby Jean-Raymond first came into the spotlight for his presentation of Pyer Moss' Spring 2016 Menswear Collection during Ne ...
, fashion designer