A Sustainable Design Wave From Arch & Hook


Three energetic eco-conscious students from the Visual Presentation and Exhibition Design program designed and created a window display on Seventh Avenue to feature Arch & Hook hangers and inform the public about FIT’s commitment to sustainability. The window display can be seen from the outside of the Pomerantz Art & Design Center.

Francesca Moy, Tenzin Sangmo, and Chumou Zhang created the educational showcase that illustrates Arch & Hook’s mission of producing high-quality, custom-made hangers from marine plastics. The project was overseen by Professor Anne Kong.

The students’ original sketches unfold into a compelling display depicting a full-scale whale’s tail (hand-carved and painted by the students) jumping from a water’s surface that is littered with plastic debris.

The students formed a giant wave out of hundreds of hangers to drive the message home and to introduce “Blue” the first sustainable plastic hanger.

Arch & Hook generously donated 1,500 marine plastic hangers for last month’s Loop For Good: Sustainable Fashion Pop-Up and Clothing Swap held in the Pomerantz Art and Design Center. These are swanky hangers! They were recently featured at Fashion Week in London.

The Arch & Hook donation was used to hang over 1,200 garments for the FIT community to shop and swap at the Loop For Good Pop-Up.

Francesca Moy assists Tenzin Sangmo in cutting the green foam board with a jigsaw for the construction of the whale tail.

“This was one of those projects that becomes more than just a project. This window helped us learn that we are more than ready as designers to graduate and show everyone what we can do. I have gained a team I know I can always depend on” says Sangmo.

Hand sanding the carved-out green foam board to create a slick surface to emulate the skin of a whale.

The experience allowed students to experiment with techniques suitable for exhibition, and it serves as work that they can use for their portfolios.

“It was my first sculpting experience I had a lot of fun. I learned better time planning and management. I had the best teammates and we learned from each other during the project and afterward,” says Zhang.

Francesca Moy, Tenzin Sangmo, and Chumou Zhang peering out from the Art & Hook display that they designed and executed.

“The process from developing the concept of the window, fabrication, construction, to bring it all together was an amazing learning experience. I enjoyed a lot working with my team and Arch & Hook to crate this amazing window,” says Moy.

To learn more about the Visual Presentation and Exhibition Design major, visit Spatial Experience Design at FIT.


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