Fashion Studies

Fordham offers a unique, interdisciplinary approach to fashion education. We recognize that fashion is so much more than just clothing. It’s an art form, a complex cultural phenomenon, and a trillion dollar industry. Accordingly, our fashion studies courses are offered by departments across the University. In addition to the required classes in business, culture, and design, students have the opportunity to learn about topics such as the psychology of consumer behavior, the sociological function of fashion trends, the historical significance of style, the environmental impact of garment production, and how to utilize clothing as a means of communication.

Like so many other fields, the fashion industry is in a time of transformation. Growth in emerging markets, the rise of new media and social networks, and increasing pressure to develop merchandise that is produced and marketed ethically and sustainably are among the various challenges impacting the world of fashion today. Understanding fashion from a variety of perspectives and thinking critically about how the industry functions in the world today empowers our students to meet these challenges with the intelligence, innovation, and humanity necessary to bring about positive change in the industry.

For more information

Visit the Fashion Studies program web page.

Fashion Studies Minor

Our Courses

FASH 1000. Fashion Essentials. (3 Credits)

Fashion Essentials is designed to teach students the necessary skills that are required to enter the fashion industry. Students will learn the ins and outs of the fashion calendar and production cycle, industry-specific vocabulary, how to recognize and care for a variety of textiles, how to conduct credible fashion research, and the basics of fashion photography and content creation.

FASH 1500. Fashion Topics. (1.5 Credits)

This course is an opportunity for students to stay up to date on what is going on in the ever-changing world of fashion. Each semester features a new, pertinent topic. Topics may include tracing the history of a current trend, investigating the effects of a recent event on the industry, or predicting the impact of new technologies on production and/or consumption. Students will learn how to perform reliable short-term research, synthesize information in real time, and use the breadth of their Fordham education to contribute original perspectives. Fashion Topics prepares students to operate in an industry that always changes in the city that never sleeps.

FASH 1800. Internship. (1 Credit)

Internship.

FASH 1999. Tutorial. (1 Credit)

Students minoring in fashion studies who wish to pursue independent study may apply to participate in this course. Students will work with the fashion studies adviser to design a course including objectives, course requirements, and a bibliography.

FASH 2999. Tutorial. (2 Credits)

FASH 3100. History of Cosmetics and Grooming. (3 Credits)

This course examines how cosmetics and personal grooming have been employed throughout history and across the world to construct and enforce standards of beauty, gender, race, age, and class. A variety of body modifications and adornments including tattoos, piercings, make-up, hair styling, facial hair, and nail care are explored. Particular attention is paid to how beauty has evolved from a cottage industry into a global behemoth generating hundreds of billions of dollars per year.

FASH 3200. Dressing the Gendered Body. (3 Credits)

This course explores how clothing has changed throughout history to adapt to evolving ideas about gender and sexuality. Topics include the implementation of bifurcated garments as menswear, the strategic designation of fashion as a feminine pursuit, undergarments created to emphasize gender from cod pieces to push-up bras, and the emergence of drag costumes, unisex garments, and androgynous styles.

FASH 3800. Fashion Studies Internship. (3 Credits)

This internship is an elective course offered to students currently enrolled in the fashion studies minor. Students participate in an unpaid, three-credit fashion internship for 15 to 20 hours per week for the duration of the semester. Coursework includes regular meetings with the fashion studies adviser, weekly journal entries, a resume review, and a final paper.

FASH 3999. Tutorial. (3 Credits)

FASH 4000. Fashion in Museums. (4 Credits)

Explore the history, logistics, and purpose of clothing and accessories in museum collections. Visit fashion exhibitions at art, design, cultural, history, and fashion museums throughout the city. Learn about how museums collect, conserve, and display fashion in order to educate their audiences about a wide variety of topics. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.

FASH 4999. Tutorial. (4 Credits)

Independent Study.

Courses in Other Areas

Course List
Course	Title	Credits
ANTH 2400	Introduction to Fashion and Culture	4
ARHI 2620	Introduction to Fashion History	4
ARHI 2621	Art and Fashion in the Modern Age	4
ARHI 3621	Museum Collaboration	4
COMC 3174	Public Relations	4
DTEM 2443	Fashion and Digital Media	4
ENGL 3038	Latinx Performance Studies: Image, Fashion, and Politics	4
FITV 2533	Fashion Costuming in Film	4
FITV 3534	Fashion in British Film and Television	4
JOUR 2787	Fashion Journalism	4
JOUR 3727	Writing for Magazines	4
JOUR 4767	History of Women's Magazines	4
MKBU 3435	Consumer Behavior	3
MKBU 3436	ST: The Business of Fashion	3
MKBU 3439	ST: Branding	3
MKBU 3461	ST: Sustainable Fashion	3
MVST 3215	Medieval Fashion and Its Meanings	3
PSYC 3320	Consumer Behavior	4
THEA 1210	Introduction to Fashion Design	3
THEA 1220	Fashion Techniques	3
THEA 2230	Costume Design I	3
THEA 2235	Costume Design II	3
THEA 2350	The History of Our Outfits	3