College for Fashion Design - Schools & Certificate Training Courses

Westwood College is a successful organization of nationally accredited post-secondary learning institutions that offers hands-on, career-focused educational programs. Our primary goal is to prepare students for rewarding jobs in high-demand careers. As opportunities are recognized in high-demand career fields, Westwood develops new programs with the cooperation ofindustry leaders. These programs are designed to meet the needs of our students, graduates, and employers.

The Accelerated Difference
At Westwood you can earn an associate degree in as little as 17 months or a bachelor degree (where offered) in less than three years. This means less time learning a career and more time earning money in your career.

Career Development, Even After Graduation
Even after you've graduated from your program, our Career Development Specialist will still be there for you. Westwood's Career Development Departments, located at each campus, will help you in your quest to find a rewarding career in the field of your choice.

Update Your Skills with Tuition-Free Alumni Retraining
After graduation Westwood wants to help you keep pace with the ever-changing careers of today and tomorrow. What does this mean? This means you can update your skills any time after graduation by taking classes in the program you graduated in, with no additional tuition charge (books, tools, and lab fees may apply). Subject to space availability.

Fashion Merchandising Start your career in fashion merchandising. This fascinating Ashworth University course will cover all that you need to know to be successful in this exciting career.

This industry is filled with possibilities. Just look at some of the fields where you may specialize:

• Fashion Director – Produce fashion shows, supervise set designers and hire models.
• Apparel Buyer – Decide the styles, colors, patters and accessories to put in stores.
• Personal Shopper – One-on-One personal shopper for customers. Work with private designers to get exactly what your client needs.
• Specialty Manager – Setting up displays, supervise employees, price goods and help customers.
• Manufacturer’s Rep – Travel from market to market to show the season’s new line. Set up samples and promote products.

In this course you’ll gain a broad introduction to fashion merchandising, consumer behavior, merchandising pricing, advertising and promotion, inventory control, executing and evaluating a fashion show and much more.

Distance education lets you study in the comfort of home at your own pace. Frequent course updates assure you’ll learn the latest skills and techniques. Ashworth University courses are very affordable; monthly tuition is interest-free. Ashworth University is an accredited member of the Distance Education and Training Council. The Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency for distance learning schools.

Fashion Design school training
Most entry level positions require you to have a bachelor's degree. You'll learn a ton about your job from actual on the job training. Nothing can prepare you more than just getting into a company and learning how they work. The National Association of Schools of Art and Design accredits more than 200 postsecondary institutions with programs in the art and design.

College for Fashion Design
A fashion degree in merchandising and retail is a Bachelor of Science Degree. While the name may be intimidating and immediately scare you off, there is no cause for alarm. The degree is designed to take interested students into the fashion worldn and to secure them a place in fashion.

The fashion degree in merchandising and retail offers the student education in learning about garments and accessories that shape the look of fashion in the current, past and traditional trend. It also teaches academics such as courses in soling, how to get the goods to the consumer, marketing, accounting, economics, advertising and promotional selling. The course is a well-rounded study of courses geared to the industry which allows the student to be both qualified and skilled to enter the industry.
With fashion being the main focus, you will experience courses in textiles, art, business and computer skill. The degree offers many options as one can include themselves in many areas in fashion, including:

• Fashion marketing
• Textile design
• Retail management
• Fashion buying
• Visual merchandising

The study offers both a two-year program with the student graduating with an Associate in Arts degree and a four year program with the student graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Fashion Merchandising. The difference between the two degrees differentiates the two levels of study. Find a college for fashion design is what you need to get started. Students that graduate from the two year program can continue to the four year program without a loss of credits.

The program concentrates in:
• Fashion Buyer
• Fashion Director
• Fashion Public Relations
• Human Resources Director
• Textile Merchandiser and Design
• Retail Store manager
• Product development
• Showroom sales representative
• Catalog production

Courses that will be required for the Fashion and Merchandising degree will include the two year basic requirements towards your bachelor’s degree and the following required courses:
• Accounting
• Mass Merchandising/Marketing
• Marketing Principles
• Fashion & Retail Buying
• Advanced Textile/Product Development
• Surface Design
• Retail Management
Home Furnishings
• International Fashions and Furnishings
• Eighteen credit of minor course in Design, Textiles, or Marketing

Aside from the world of fashion and retail, the student is expected to become extremely knowledgeable in Computer Aided Design technology.

Jobs for graduates of the Fashion Merchandising programs are competitive and are predicted to remain so. The job opportunities are excellent and salaries are highly competitive. It is truly an opportunity for many that are seeking a career in the industry. There is much internship available for those graduating with the degree in Fashion Merchandising, many entry level jobs, and many advanced level jobs for those with talent and skill.

Whether you are looking to attend college on campus or you are looking to take course through the Internet, there are accredited college in both arenas that will be able to help you to obtain your degree. The program will be less expensive should you choose to enroll in a two year program and then move to the four year university. Find a college for fashion design today and get started with your new career.

What does it take to be a fashion designer?

• Creative, imaginative and persistent with ideas
• Problem solving skills
• Ability to work independent
• Designers need to make tight timelines and stay under budget

The design process from initial design inception to final production takes between 18 and 24 months. The first step in creating a design is researching fashion trends and making predictions of future trends. Some designers conduct their own research, while others rely on trend reports published by fashion industry trade groups. Trend reports indicate what styles, colors, and fabrics will be popular for a particular season in the future. Textile manufacturers use these trend reports to begin designing fabrics and patterns while fashion designers begin to sketch preliminary designs. Designers will then visit manufacturers or trade shows to procure samples of fabrics and decide which fabrics to use with which designs.

Once designs and fabrics are chosen, a prototype of the article using cheaper materials is created and then worn by a model to see what adjustments to the design need to be made. During this time, designers usually will narrow down their choices of which designs to offer for sale. After the final adjustments and selections have been made, samples of the article using the actual materials are sewn, and then marketed to clothing retailers. Many designs are shown at fashion and trade shows a few times a year. Retailers will then place orders for certain items, which are then manufactured and distributed to stores.

All fashion design and interior design schools offering a great education. Request from the top schools listed on this site.

Computer-aided design (CAD) is increasingly being used in the fashion design industry. While most designers initially sketch designs by hand, a growing number also translate these hand sketches to the computer. CAD allows designers to view designs of clothing on virtual models and in various colors and shapes, thus saving time by requiring fewer adjustments of prototypes and samples later.

Fashion designers working for apparel wholesalers or manufacturers create designs for the mass market. These designs are manufactured in various sizes and colors. A small number of high-fashion (haute couture) designers are self-employed and create custom designs for individual clients, usually at very high prices. Other high-fashion designers sell their designs in their own retail stores or cater to specialty stores or high-fashion department stores. These designers create a mixture of original garments and those that follow established fashion trends.

Some fashion designers specialize in costume design for performing arts, motion picture, and television productions. The work of costume designers is similar to other fashion designers. Costume designers perform extensive research into the styles worn during the period in which the performance takes place, or work with directors to select appropriate attire for performances. They make sketches of designs, select fabric and other materials, and oversee the production of the costumes. They also must stay within the costume budget for the particular production.

Fashion design and artistic ability
Designers learn how to draw and sketch what the client has envisioned in their head. Today because of computers they designer can actually give their clients a great looking computer generated rendering of their idea so the customer can see almost exactly what the project will look like. The computer generated design can then easily be altered time and time again without the need to redo the entire sketch.

Floral Designers in Merchandise
Ever wanted to open your own floral business or work for a florist. Many designers are actually hired by larger companies or department stores to do floral arrangements. They are involved in purchasing the product to actually negotiating with other companies for deals. Also in department stores you can work with arranging table displays, window displays and mannequins.