Coopersmith Career Consulting | Evaluated Learning Experience
Introduction to Fashion Merchandising (FAS-301)
Varies (self-study; self-paced).
April 2019 - Present.
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to: describe the nature of fashion; define and use basic vocabulary of the fashion industry; list and articulate each level of the industry and summarize how each level fits into the industry; recognize and give examples of the basic principles relating to fashion, its movement and influences including sociological, economic, psychological and environmental; discuss some of the historical development of apparel fashions; recognize specific segments within the fashion industry and describe how merchandising differs from sector to sector; identify and classify different forms of in-store and non-store retailing, their appropriate use, advantages and disadvantages; articulate the role the fashion industry plays in the global society; locate the significant and supporting domestic fashion centers in the United States and abroad and the varying roles they play in the apparel industry; identify and describe potential careers in each segment of the fashion industry; and describe the various types of retail distributors and fashion support services and explain how they service the merchants of fashion.
This course provides exposure to the terminology, activities, and operations that make up the apparel and non-apparel fashion industry and the forces, people, and environments who influence it. Major topics include: historical and contemporary influences on fashion, an overview of the levels in the industry, including raw materials, product development, retailing, and ancillary services, motivations of dress, theories of fashion adoption, and the fashion life cycle, fashion statements and forecast fashion trends, international and domestic fashion markets, how fashion is conceived, marketed, and sold. Career possibilities are presented for varying segments of the industry. Instructional methods include a study guide, required readings, and a final exam.
In the lower division baccalaureate/associate degree category OR in the upper division baccalaureate degree category, 3 semester hours in Introduction to Fashion Business or Fashion Merchandising (4/19).
