Fashion Merchandising
Prepare to lead on the business side of the fashion industry! This major blends the study of fashion and business, design and promotion, textile science and market research. You’ll be ready for life as a savvy professional with your finger on the pulse of the fashion world.
Yes, it’s fabulous, but it’s also hard work
As a fashion merchandising major, you’ll study apparel design, visual display, social media, branding, retailing, marketing, management and much more. Alongside talented and caring faculty, you’ll complete comprehensive business studies, sharpen your skills as a creative thinker and problem-solver, and gain a humanistic and ethical understanding of fashion as both an art form and an industry. Your coursework may take you from the Merchandise Mart in Chicago to the salons of Paris to the workshops of Bangladesh and beyond. You’ll graduate with a deep understanding of fashion as a global cultural and economic force—and you’ll enter the job market ready to succeed in a stylish, sophisticated, fast-moving industry.
You’ll learn by doing—then do even more
Practical experience is built into the fashion merchandising curriculum. Our internships draw on the enormous retail, corporate and cultural resources of Chicago—a great job market for fashion graduates. We make our connections your connections, so you can test-drive your dream job in the real world. You can explore retail buying at DKNY, study management at Target Corporation, and even travel to Asia to explore fashion product development. Many internships lead directly to jobs after graduation; in a recent survey, 87% of employers said they would hire their Dominican interns if a full-time position were available. Seniors collaborate to produce the department’s Spring Fashion Show, which presents the best student designs to industry professionals. Fashion merchandising students take the lead on show logistics, and gain valuable event planning, problem-solving and leadership experience.
At Dominican, we pride ourselves on graduating well-rounded individuals. Our students are encouraged to tailor their studies to their interests. For many, that means choosing a minor that complements their major work. Following are some options to consider:
- Art
- Foreign Language
- Theatre Arts
- Business
- Communications: Journalism or Corporate Communication
Nannette Guzman
Fashion Merchandising and Business Student
“The professors at Dominican really put the effort into their teaching. They care about us and want us to succeed in life. I loved working on the fashion show every spring. My goal is to open a small business selling women’s clothing and accessories.”
Great resources. Exceptional opportunities.
On state-of-the-art computer technology, you’ll develop innovative retail floorplans and visualize them in three dimensions. In our fashion workroom, you’ll find a friendly, supportive environment that nurtures your native creativity. To gain further inspiration, you can choose from among study abroad programs, from China and Ghana to Spain and South Africa. The fashion department sends more students overseas than nearly any other Dominican department. Many students travel to Paris for our exceptional six-credit course on the essentials of French fashion. They study at the prestigious Paris American Academy in the heart of the Latin Quarter and get a close-up-and-personal look at the internationally renowned French fashion industry.
Through our Fashion Design Advisory Board, you’ll meet accomplished industry professionals, including many graduates of our program. The board members make themselves available to review student portfolios and help to ensure that our curriculum evolves continually—like fashion itself.
While still an undergraduate, you can combine your fashion merchandising major with work toward an accelerated MBA through the Brennan School of Business. A fashion merchandising degree and an MBA is a powerful combination in the job market. Our Community-Based Learning Program enables you to combine academic learning with effective, compassionate service to people in need, in the Chicago area and around the world. The program has been nationally recognized for excellence.
Diana Almanza
Fashion Merchandising Student
“The faculty and staff at Dominican have supported me through every struggle and inspired me to always keep pursuing my dreams. I hope to move to New York City after graduation and work for a luxury fashion brand, ideally in the marketing and advertising departments.”
