Fashion

Students in this program have the option to choose a concentration in:

• Fashion Design
• Merchandising

Admissions Requirements

Applicants to the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Fashion with a concentration in Fashion Design or Merchandising must meet the General Admission Requirements as presented in the Clark Atlanta University Undergraduate Catalog.

Study Abroad

Students in the Fashion Design and Merchandising Program have the opportunity to participate in CAU’s International Studies Program. Students are immersed in the culture, such as study abroad tours in London, England and Milan, Italy and Paris, France. While studying abroad, students gain a global experience to broaden their prospective in the areas of fashion design and fashion-related retail merchandising.

Fashion Design Concentration

The Fashion Design Concentration focuses on training students to develop apparel for various markets in keeping with creative, technical, and economic factors of the fashion world and emphasizes on the creative aspects of designing and developing merchandise for manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers. The program prepares students for entering the apparel industry as apparel designers, costume designers for theatre, assistant fashion stylists/wardrobes, fashion coordinators, production managers, product developers, computer-aided design specialists, merchandisers, findings/trimming buyers, fabric buyers, showroom sales representatives and entrepreneurs.

Student Learning Outcomes

Graduates with a Bachelor of Art in Fashion with Fashion Design Concentration will be able to:

1. Identify and apply design elements and trends from key eras of fashion history in clothing, construction, patternmaking, draping techniques and computer imaging.
2. Apply aesthetic principles and elements of design to the development, selection, evaluation of apparel, and other textile products.
3. Discuss factors relevant to design history and theory that constitute apparel quality and fit.
4. Design, develop, and construct fashion illustrations, patterns, computer-aided designs, garment prototypes, apparel, and other related fashion products using fashion tools, techniques, and processes.
5. Analyze problems and formulate solutions related to fashion design, textile, styling, apparel production, and marketing issues.

Merchandising Concentration

The Merchandising Concentration prepares students through structured learning processes to understand industry innovations, challenging careers, current trends, and the impact of globalization, technological advances and the expansion of designers into new and broader categories. The merchandising concentration covers both the retailers and manufacturers’ needs for merchandisers and product developers. Merchandising reflects the planning, organizational, and sales aspects of the fashion business. Students learn how to merchandise apparel products and how to develop planning modules. They will understand target markets and how to develop promotional plans for various products and events to meet the goals of a successful business.

The opportunities for employment are varied and depend upon the students’ interests and abilities. Careers are available in retailing as buyer, planner, manager, fashion coordinator, market researcher; in promotion ad display coordinator, public relations director, advertising manager; in wholesaling as manufacturing representative, showroom sales associate, and in apparel and textile manufacturing as sales associate, piece goods buyer, merchandising manager, market research; in publications as Fashion Stylist, advertising manager, and fashion editor.

Guest speakers, field trips, and study tours permit students to have contact with businesses and industry professionals. Qualified students may gain additional professional experiences through multiple internships.

Student Learning Outcomes

Graduates with a Bachelor of Art in Fashion with Merchandising Concentration will be able to:

1. Apply the key principles and elements of fashion design and merchandising.
2. Research, define, and evaluate criteria and requirements for merchandise apparel products and develop planning modules. Discuss factors relevant to design history and theory that constitute apparel quality and fit.
3. Develop promotional planning strategies for target markets, products, and events within the fashion industry.
4. Identify and apply the phases of fashion development from design to production and marketing to sales.
5. Utilize the appropriate technologies to develop visual merchandising layouts, displays, events, and presentations.