Khoboso Nale Brings Sustainable Innovation From the FIT Runway to Macy’s Herald Square
Khoboso Nale, Fashion Design (Knitwear), '25, FIT
By PAGE Editor
On March 11, 2026, Fashion Institute of Technology and Macy’s came together at Macy’s Herald Square to celebrate designer Khoboso Nale and the launch of her capsule collection at retail. The milestone marks the culmination of the 2025 Future of Fashion partnership between the two institutions—an annual competition that selects a standout look from FIT’s senior runway show and transforms it into a product available to customers nationwide.
Selected as the winner of the 2025 Future of Fashion design competition during New York Fashion Week, Nale’s collection has now been produced for retail distribution and will be available online, at Macy’s Herald Square, and in select Macy’s locations across the country including Green Acres, South Shore Plaza, Roosevelt Field, Christiana, Somerset Collection, Victoria Gardens, Riverside Galleria at Tyler, Lenox Square, Cumberland, Stonecrest, Wellington Green, Pembroke Lakes, and Westland.
For Nale, the launch represents a rare moment when an emerging designer’s academic vision meets the scale of American retail. Standing in the flagship store wearing the design herself, she introduced the project with quiet confidence. “I’m here to celebrate the launch of my capsule collection, which I’m wearing right now,” she said, describing the experience as both surreal and deeply personal.
The project began while she was studying abroad, when students were given a design prompt tied to Macy’s contemporary brand Bar III. “We were given a prompt to design a capsule that would fit their working customer for their Bar III brand,” Nale explained. “I kind of put a lot of thought into designing something that a working woman would like to wear.”
From (l-r): Missy Pool, Foundation Board, FIT; Fern Mallis, Foundation Board, FIT; Khoboso Nale, Fashion Design (Knitwear), '25, FIT; Troy Richards, dean, School of Art and Design, FIT; Douglas Hand, chair, Foundation Board, FIT; Philips McCarty, vice president for Advancement and executive director, FIT Foundation; Emily Erusha-Hilleque, senior vice president, Private Brands Lead, Macy's, Inc.; Jennifer LoTurco, deputy to the president, FIT; and Bobby Amirshahi, senior vice president, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, Macy’s, Inc.
Her perspective is shaped by an unconventional path into fashion. Originally a STEM student from Arizona, Nale eventually transferred to New York to pursue fashion design, specializing in knitwear while minoring in ethics and sustainability. “I wanted to combine all my interests—designing with sustainability, environmental ideas, politics behind it,” she said.
Those values became central to the garment itself. Nale spent months researching textile production and dye processes before developing the original prototype. “I did a lot of research into textile production, dyeing, et cetera. This is made of cotton, and I had dyed it myself,” she noted, adding that seeing Macy’s reproduce those elements was a defining moment. “To have my designs on a scale like this is really great, and I get to showcase who I am, my interests, my ideas.”
Maintaining that vision during the transition from runway piece to retail product was critical. “In terms of my artistic vision, I really wanted to focus on the production aspect of it, which is a huge issue within the fashion industry,” Nale said. The garments include special labeling detailing dyeing and care instructions—an intentional nod to transparency and craft. “For Macy’s to reproduce what I did, if you buy the garment there’s a tag on it that tells you the dyeing and washing instructions, because this was specially dyed. That was really important to me, to preserve my passion with ethics and sustainability.”
Khoboso Nale, Fashion Design (Knitwear), '25, FIT
The design also reflects an emphasis on versatility—something Nale believes resonates with the realities of modern dressing. “This garment can be styled in multiple ways,” she said. “You could unbutton it, flip it around, and wear it as a complete off-the-shoulder sweater.” The collection pairs that functionality with a flattering silhouette designed for day-to-night wear. “I wanted to create something a young woman would wear day to night…something where she would feel really beautiful wearing it, but also feel good about how it was produced.”
Beyond the creative process, the collaboration offered Nale an inside look at how large-scale fashion actually works. She worked directly with Macy’s design, production, and buying teams—an experience that bridged the gap between academic experimentation and commercial reality.
“In school the things we learn are kind of lofty,” she reflected. “But I really got concrete ideas on how to be a designer that can produce things that can be sold in a store and that customers want to buy.”
As the evening concluded, the moment carried a sense of both accomplishment and possibility. For Nale, the capsule is more than a retail launch—it’s proof that thoughtful design, sustainability, and accessibility can coexist within a major retail platform.
“I’m really thankful to Macy’s,” she said. “You can buy this online and physically in a couple of Macy’s stores, so I’m really happy for this opportunity.”
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