Educational institutions have a reputation for being progressive, and the Museum at FIT continues to embrace this identity. While the Met Museum’s Costume Institute is busy showing the influence of a 2000-year-old religion (spectacularly so), FIT’s latest is Fashion Unraveled, which aims, among other things, to “challenge the concept of fashion as a strictly ephemeral, disposable commodity.”

The show, one of the museum’s more eclectic in recent memory, covers both the intentional deconstructed trend and the evolution inherent to objects that are worn by humans whose bodies, needs, abilities and desires are all subject to change. With the help of iPads, there are intimate looks at repaired garments, such as a paisley shawl circa 1863, while other pieces give insight into the sort of history-in-a-dress that curators are privy to. Louise Dahl-Wolfe’s Chanel suit looks pristine, though that is not from lack of use. Rather, the blouse, cuffs and skirt were all replaced over time.

The contemporary offerings favor brands that embody a deconstructed or upcycling philosophy, namely Comme des Garçons and Maison Martin Margiela, though some strong pieces represent forays into those ideas by designers such as Ralph Lauren (a mended overall look from spring 2010) and Betsey Johnson (a patchwork jumpsuit from 1966).

What could be missing from this show is the humanity (a 1950s Jacques Fath suit altered for maternity wear feels impersonal on a faceless white mannequin, for example), but curator Colleen Hill has thought of this too. At the entrance to the show, “Wearing Memories,” a moving video project, shares stories of various garments from the people who cherish them. The crowd-sourced project is accepting contributions through November 2018 at fitnyc.edu/museum.

Fashion Unraveled is on view at the Museum at FIT through November 17, 2018.