In the College of Human Ecology .
Course Offerings
The Fashion Design and Management major is unique in the Ivy League, combining a strong liberal arts foundation with excellent training in fashion design and the business of fashion. Students take a broad range of courses from the art of designing apparel, fashion and accessories, to the business of manufacturing and marketing them internationally.
All Fashion Design and Management students explore the basics of textiles and design. Students may complete either a Fashion Design option or a Fashion Design Management option.
Academic course work is further enhanced by field and international experiences and significant opportunities to complete independent projects for credit with individual faculty members. Gallery space provides the setting to display design work. In addition, the Cornell Costume and Textile Collection, housed in the department, provides a valuable resource; items from the collection are made available to students for classroom and special study use.
Faculty
Y. Gowayed, Chair (HEB T57); F. Baytar, C. Blumenkamp, M. Conroy, M. Frey, D. Green, J. Hinestroza, F. Kozen, T. Lewis, V.D. Lewis, H. Park, K. Phoenix, J. Reed, L. Shepherd, T. Uyar.
Academic Advising
All Fashion Design and Management majors are matched with a faculty advisor by the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Students are strongly urged to discuss their goals, course selection and sequence, electives, and career plans with their faculty advisor. Students are free to change advisors; changes must be recorded with the Director of Undergraduate Studies. It is the student’s responsibility to keep track of their courses and to make sure that the program meets graduation requirements for their major.
Student Work
All apparel design work done as part of the academic program will be held by the department until it has been released by the instructor. Certain exceptional work may be used by the department to exhibit for academic purposes. The department is not responsible for the loss or theft of student work.
Options
Students may select apparel design or fashion design management. Most transfer students will need at least one extra semester to fulfill the requirements of the major. Transfers in the design option should plan on two additional semesters.
Option I: Fashion Design
The Fashion Design option relates the human need for fashionable and functional clothing and accessories to design principles and to the physical properties of textiles. Students take a sequence of studio courses, focusing on the manipulation by hand, eye, and computer of form, color, and fabric, as well as courses in the social, economic, historical, and cultural aspects of design. Many students participate in design competitions sponsored by the fashion industry.
Option II: Fashion Design Management
The Fashion Design Management option applies management and marketing principles to industry and consumer issues in this sector of the economy. Courses focus on the processes used to develop, manufacture, and distribute apparel and textile products and examine topics such as business organizational structures, business strategies, globalization, communication, marketing, sustainability, and entrepreneurship.
Career Opportunities
Graduates of Fashion Design and Management have found meaningful employment within apparel, fashion, and textile industries, including, apparel, shoes, accessories, beauty, media, museum curation, retail, and theater. In addition, the program prepares students for graduate or professional study in apparel design, apparel or textile marketing, supply chain management, or business.
Graduates design for influential fashion houses and under their own labels. Graduates also pursue specialized design such as protective and athletic performance apparel, clothing for special populations such as children, senior citizens, and people with physical disabilities. They may use their creativity in positions in public-relations, theater or film, publishing, and promotion. Graduates are attractive candidates for leadership positions in fashion and other industries.