Industry partnership in action: Columbia fashion students collaborated with the Chicago Sky women’s basketball team and local brand SOUNDOFF on exclusive game day merchandise.
Creative careers start here. From trend-driven merchandising to hands-on design and garment production, you’ll learn to think like an innovator and problemsolve like an entrepreneur. As a student in the School of Fashion, you’ll explore diverse paths such as fashion design, fashion studies (with concentrations in merchandising or product development), styling, textile science, sustainable fashion, and interactive media. You’ll access emerging technologies and industry insight to guide you through a rapidly evolving field. The curriculum evolves with best practices in sustainability, trend forecasting, space and brand planning, and multimedia merchandising techniques. Through studio projects, real-world retail partnerships, competitions, and virtual realityenhanced creativity, you’ll graduate ready to shape the future of fashion.
CAREER READINESS
MAJORS
From connecting you to internships to helping you develop door-opening bodies of work to making an important professional connection, Columbia helps students launch their careers.
Fashion Design (BFA)
CAREER EXAMPLES
– Product Development
Fashion Studies (BA) Concentrations: – Merchandising
Buyer
96%
Fashion designer Merchandiser
POPULAR MINORS Art History
Product developer Stylist
of our graduates report being employed or achieving success in creative practice.*
Textile or jewelry designer
Fashion Styling Journalism Marketing Public Relations
ALUM SPOTLIGHT Alexander Knox ’15
Social Media and Digital Strategy Sustainable Fashion
Fashion designer, started at Marc Jacobs in Manhattan, and currently Senior Designer of Women’s Ready-to-Wear at Coach. Jacey Rhorer ’00 Rhorer Couture founder, known for bold, sculptural hats and named Official Milliner of the 2025 Kentucky Derby Festival. LEARN MORE
colum.edu/fashion *Rates are based on institutional surveys. Learn more: colum.edu/effectiveness
Fashion Workspaces
Fashion Lab
Fashion Study Collection Research Center
Pop-Up Retail
The School of Fashion offers professional facilities that take garments from concept to runway-ready reality. Students design and construct in the Fashion Lab, equipped with industry-standard sewing machines, pattern-making tables, and specialized software for design and production. The Fashion Study Collection Research Center provides access to rare books, journals, visual media, and historical garments dating from the 1840s to today, supporting inspiration and research in design, history, and textiles. Pop-up retail spaces and student-run stores give merchandising and styling students hands-on retail experience. These facilities foster creativity, practical skills, and business acumen, empowering students to innovate and lead in the fast-paced fashion industry.
Questions? Contact Admissions: 312-369-7130 | admissions@colum.edu colum.edu/admissions
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FACILITIES