Fashion
Danielle Testa
About this opportunity
The BA in fashion program at Arizona State University is a distinctly professional, hands-on degree program that prepares you for a range of careers in the rapidly growing and dynamic fashion industry.
Course offerings emphasize key skills sought across the fashion industry such as flat and digital patternmaking and development, technical design, garment construction, merchandising, supply chain management, retail management and branding. All courses are embedded within the principles of sustainability, producing the next generation of environmentally conscious industry leaders.
The curriculum of lower-division studio and lecture courses guides you in developing a strong foundation of industry acumen, design aesthetics and garment construction valuable for all career paths in the industry.
Upper-division students have options to specialize in concentrations in fashion design or apparel technical design or tracks in fashion business management or fashion studies (view major maps for each track). Each culminates in a capstone project showcasing the skills you acquired over the course of your degree in preparation for the shift from ASU into a career.
Concentrations
- Fashion design: The fashion design concentration equips you with the tools to be successful in design-adjacent career paths in the fashion industry. Career opportunities include creative direction, design, styling, technical design, flat and digital patternmaking, and product development.
- Apparel technical design and development: Students study the connection between design and production. Tasked with bringing sketches and designs to life, technical designers work closely with designers to create the best possible product. This includes choosing and implementing garment construction techniques and finishes and rectifying fit issues, while maintaining development and production timelines. Technical designers and product developers are highly sought after employees, with an easily scalable career path in a fast-growing field.
Tracks
- Fashion business management: Career opportunities for graduating from the fashion business management track include merchandising, buying, trend forecasting, production management and public relations.
- Fashion studies: Career opportunities for graduating from the fashion studies track include fashion journalism, curation and research.
Thesis
The fashion program combines history, business practices and hands-on studio experience to prepare students for a variety of roles in this global industry. Gaining proficiency in illustration and fluency with materials, traditional techniques and digital technologies, students are prepared for interdisciplinary collaborations through coursework across marketing and merchandising, wearable technology, sustainability, management and leadership, international experience, and fashion and culture. In the capstone experience, students develop a substantial project within an area of focus. This work may be used for the honor thesis project or students may do a separate thesis independent of the capstone experience.
Academic Preparation
Opportunities for internships and study abroad further advance students' professional goals as they move their their degree requirements. Students should connect with faculty, pursue honors enrichment contracts and get involved in student leadership opportunities each year.
Recommended Timeline
Students will explore the field and their interest areas in the first three years and then finalize their project through their capstone or an independent thesis project. Connect with the FHA to brainstorm ideas and opportunities along the way.
Other Honors Opportunities
Honors enrichment contracts are available on the case-by-case basis in courses with college faculty. Students should explore internship and research experiences each semester. These opportunities can count for honors credit for Barrett students.