The Barneys Oral Histories: A Symposium

This event was originally scheduled for Feb. 23. This is the rescheduled date. 

Developed in response to a perceived sense of loss surrounding the closing of Barneys New York, a beloved institution. The Barneys Oral Histories were created to preserve memory and meaning. These interviews give voice to the people who worked there, buyers, creative directors, advertising executives, and visual merchandizers, whose labor shaped Barneys’ singular identity.

The Barneys Oral Histories Symposium examines shopping in New York from the 1980s till its closure and the production of New York culture through the department store catalogs. It also explores the Fashion Calendar and how parties, press and publicity at Barneys helped construct a cultural ecosystem that extended far beyond the retail spaces.

Speakers at the event will include FIT and NYU faculty members and former Barneys employees.

This event is sponsored by FIT’s Special Collections and College Archive, Gladys Marcus Library, the Art History and Museum Professions program, the Art History and Museum Professions Association, and the Fashion History Club.

This is the rescheduled date after the original event was canceled due to weather. 

This event is free and open to the public.