design:retail - April/May 2018 - 28

028

← Kong works with
student Megan Galas
on her capstone
design project,
"DaisyMe."

with Richard Martin at the Metropolitan Costume
Institute. Despite her busy schedule and travels,
she reconnected with FIT to begin to bring her realworld experience to the classroom.
Her list of accomplishments, award-winning
work and notable clients is extensive, and she still
maintains her practice, ADKONG, today.

↓ The Advance Store
Window Design
course provided
FIT students the
opportunity to create
holiday windows at
the Flatiron Building.
Photo by SMILJANA
PEROS

BACK TO SCHOOL

Joe Feczko

Harry Cunningham

technician, manager and salesperson," she says.
"I recruit, secure resources, procure equipment
and find funding with a team of extraordinary
colleagues who share the same passion and
commitment in providing the best possible
design education in the public sector."
For Kong, the future is about keeping up the
momentum and keeping the FIT program relevant
and forward-thinking. She wants to continue the
legacy of FIT being a great place to start a career. "It
was a life-changing education for me, so I want to
continue to bring that to each class," she says.
There is so much more that could be said about
Kong's accomplishments and dedication to the
profession, but for her, success is measured by the
achievements of her students. She is so proud of
the many FIT alumni who are design leaders in
all aspects of the industry, ranging from museum,
retail, events, corporate brands and design firms.
This fuels her to continue to grow the program and
maintain its relevancy by honoring the legacy of
the past while staying in tune with cutting-edge
advancements. "We are preparing students as global citizens and as future design leaders who care
about the environment and their fellow woman
and man."

Ken Smart

2017

2016

2015

2013

2012
Eric Feigenbaum

to apply their use in curriculum and hired technicians to assist in teaching the student's safety and
sustainable practices with all new technologies."
"Everything she did as a teacher at FIT prepared
us for what was to come after college," says Richard
Eberle, owner of Brick & Bridge and an FIT alumnus. "There were projects for real brands outside of
our classes that she would bring to our attention
and encourage us to take on. Having this exposure
made a tremendous impact on my career."
Kong demonstrates her commitment to her students by maintaining her own practice and a global
perspective. These experiences help her to continue
to bring the current reality of the industry to the
classroom. Kong also is adamant about instilling a
sustainable mindset in her students and teaching
them the importance of giving back to the community through not-for-profit work. Her annual
Harlem Holiday Windows project enables 20 students to work with clients to install displays worthy
of Fifth Avenue at nine local businesses in Harlem.
In addition, she has worked with students in her
Point of Sale class on designing and implementing
a pop-up store on the FIT campus to benefit Memorial Sloan Kettering, which has raised more than
$65,000 for patient care.
One of Kong's most recent professional accomplishments is the time and effort she has invested in
revising the seventh edition of "Visual Merchandising and Display" for Fairchild Books. This massive
undertaking included revising the original Martin
M. Pegler 402-page text, authoring three new chapters (5, 18 and 25) and adding 400 new images. This
textbook is widely used in both Europe and the
United States for fashion merchandising and retail
design programs.
"It is a privilege and incredibly gratifying to share
my lifelong love for visual merchandising and display each day," Kong says. She believes that her job
extends beyond the classroom environment and
teaching. "I am a conduit, an advocate, a lobbyist,

2014

While Kong was only teaching here and there,
FIT loved how she was connecting students with
the industry. They wanted more "Kong-style" curriculum. Her business was thriving, and she was
living a life of flights to Paris shows and wonderful client accounts. She knew a commitment to the
classroom would change her life dramatically; this
was a big career decision. As she contemplated the
future, she thought about what she could build at
FIT. While she had accomplished so much, it was
never really about her, and now maybe she could
build something bigger and greater at FIT that
would impact more people.
Joseph DeBello, director of business development for Manex/France Display, a former student
of Kong's, and a 2018 40 Under 40 recipient, says
"fabulous" is the first word that comes to mind
when thinking about Kong. "She is one of the most
dedicated visual designers I know who fights hard
to keep this industry alive," he says. "When Anne
sees something in you, she pushes you to your full
potential. I wouldn't be where I am today without
her. She has played a key role in my success."
Since taking a full-time position at FIT in 1997,
she has collaborated on the development of the
Communication Design Foundation program,
launched the Visual Presentation and Exhibition
Design BFA program and started a Special Projects Committee to mentor and encourage faculty
by sharing teaching methods and techniques. She
received a grant to start a department lab, and a
grant for 30 glass pane windows to give students a
better canvas for learning how to design windows
for brands using vinyl and environmental graphics.
These tools support the real-world projects that she
brings to the students.
"It is truly my belief that the method in which
one learns has everything to do with what one
learns," Kong says. "Students need to experiment
with process and materials to empower their design thinking. I have created projects and training

Bill Goddu

Linda Lombardi

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of design:retail - April/May 2018