Fashion Design and Merchandising

  • BA
  • Major
Two students shaping a garment made of newspaper on a manikin.

Step into the fast-paced, ever-evolving world of fashion with Montclair State University's Fashion Design and Merchandising program. We don't just teach you how to design the garment of your dreams — we make sure you know how to sell it, too.

The program prepares you to succeed in today's multibillion-dollar global fashion industry by pairing creativity with business savvy. You can focus your studies in Fashion Design — developing the technical and aesthetic skills to bring original ideas from sketch to showroom — or in Fashion Merchandising, where you'll gain deep expertise in consumer behavior, brand strategy, and market forecasting. Whichever path you choose, you'll graduate with a working knowledge of both sides of the industry.

See the curriculum.

Program Highlights

 

  • Hands-on internships and industry partnerships 
  • Courses in both art and business 
  • Faculty and mentors with deep industry experience 
  • Access to NYC’s global fashion hub 
  • Student work regularly showcased at the FADM annual fashion show and in on-campus galleries 
  • National Association of Schools of Art & Design accredited program 

Launch your fashion future today—design it, brand it and bring it to market.

Fashion design student sketching on fabric.

Fashion Studies on Your Schedule

Montclair’s BA in Fashion Design and Merchandising is flexible to fit your life. With in-person, online and hybrid courses, it blends creativity and business with customizable tracks, NYC industry access and hands-on internships. Build your portfolio, master brand strategy, and launch your career in the global fashion industry.

Explore our Minors

Get hands-on experience in fashion. The Fashion Design Minor, housed in the Department of Art and Design, is ideal for students pursuing careers in the fashion industry. This focused program offers in-depth coursework that will help build your creative and business competencies—preparing you with the practical skills and industry insight valued by today’s fashion design employers.

The Fashion Design Minor is a hands-on complement to any major — and a signal to employers that you bring a serious commitment to fashion. Through coursework in garment design, illustration, pattern-making, and construction, you'll build real, practical skills in one of the world's most dynamic industries, whatever your primary field of study.

See the curriculum.

The Fashion Merchandising Minor is for anyone who wants to understand how the fashion industry actually works — and how to make it work for them.

From importing and advertising to buying and distributing, you'll trace the full lifecycle of a fashion product while gaining insight into brand development, consumer demographics, and trend forecasting. Coursework also covers real-world business models, including franchising and family-run operations — the kinds of ventures that drive the industry at every level.

See the curriculum.

As a fashion design major with a strong interest in the business side of the industry, it was refreshing to be surrounded by like-minded individuals.

Dyana Najdi

Program: Fashion Design

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