If you are interested in any aspect of the fashion industry, the Stephens Fashion program is for you! Along with knowledge of the industry and a strong foundation in business communications and marketing, Stephens uses hands-on training and projects that will prepare you for the competitive, global world of fashion.

QUICK FACTS

• Produce the College’s annual spring fashion show
  
• Explore fashion capitals such as New York, Dallas, London, Paris or Florence for college credit
  
• Study abroad in Paris and London
  
• Complete a required internship at companies like Escada, Marie Claire, Christopher & Lalou, Target, Anna Sui or Bellville Sassoon
  
• Participate in fashion-related programs, leadership challenges and networking opportunities through the Innovative Fashion Association
  
• Consider minors in Graphic Design, Interior Design, Entrepreneurship and Business Management or Theatrical Costume Design
  
• Learn from more than 20 international industry professionals who visit campus each year for interaction with students

STUDENT PROFILES

Senior Sara Emami
December Graduate Ashley Steffes

FASHION IN THE NEWS

• DIHStyle web site featuring Stephens junior Allyce King
• Stephens College Senior Ashley Steffes Wins $1,000 Build-A-Business Challenge—Bath Cocktails: Positively Intoxicating, Inside Columbia Oct. 2007 (PDF)
• Crochet! Magazine features Stephens Student (PDF)
• Inside Columbia (PDF)
• Columbia Home & Life (PDF)

B.S. IN FASHION COMMUNICATION
Have you ever wanted to write for a major fashion magazine? Success in such a field requires expertise in both fashion and the written word. As a Fashion Communication major, you will enroll in fashion courses that teach a sound knowledge of product development, design, marketing and forecasting. Through the Mass Media department, you also will learn the necessary writing and reporting skills to succeed in the competitive field of journalism, writing on topics such as fashion trends and collections.

B.F.A. IN FASHION DESIGN AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
By combining a liberal arts education with marketing, technical training and creativity, you will learn elements of design and their interaction as well as techniques of industry-based construction. Learn patternmaking and draping; and create original designs in career sportswear and dresses, active sportswear and suits and coats. You also will study costume history; assist in fashion show productions on and off campus; and create fashion graphics, technical sketches, textile designs, and patterns using industry-specific Gerber, U4ia, and off-the-shelf Macbased applications. You will create sketches and final designs critiqued by professional designers, merchandisers, and product developers for inclusion in the College’s spring student-managed fashion show. In the capstone senior collection course, you will develop a line in your preferred market niche and end the year with a professional portfolio to enhance your job search.


B.S. IN FASHION MARKETING AND MANAGEMENT
This inter-departmental degree will prepare you for an exciting career in the fashion industry.  You will take classes in both the Business and Design and Fashion departments giving you the critical success factors to prepare you for various careers after graduation.  You will learn the fundamentals of buying and get hands on experience creating 6 month budgets and assortment plans.  You’ll learn about fashion show production and event planning, fashion promotions and marketing, advertising, and textiles.  You’ll work with Excel and study the importance of the global economy on the fashion industry.  The combined knowledge of your first three years at Stephens will culminate in your senior capstone class where you’ll put together a professional business plan

ALUMNAE
Stephens alumnae include successful professionals such as Ying Li' 89, designer; Anne Appleby ’81, YogaForce founder; Amber Rodriguez ’97, Lucky Magazine accessories editor; Dawn Radue ’99, Coach Leathers regional sales manager; Katherine Marble ’96, Nordstrom technical designer; Michele Fifis ’02, Jantzen designer; Sara Allen ’99, Saks Direct assistant buyer; Jodi Bremer ’05, Dillard’s product technician; Camille Palmer ’04, GAP, Inc. technical designer; Christina Marie Potter ’00, knit and crochet designer; and Bea Barton '04, apparel and textile designer for Robert Trent Jones Apparel Division.

ADVISORY BOARD
Composed of global fashion industry executives, Stephens Fashion Advisory Board members provide students with networking opportunities and the development of industry relationships prior to graduation. Advisory board members work in companies like Lane Bryant, Jacksonville, Fla.; Paris American Academy, Paris; Loro Piana, N.Y.; Gear for Sports, Lenexa, Kan.; Chicago Sun-Times.

STEPHENS COSTUME RESEARCH LIBRARY
The Matilda Magnus Price Historic Fashion Collection, a working collection of garments and accessories dating back to 1730, allows students to study garment construction and fashion that provides inspiration for current styles through actual classroom experience.

Housed in the Costume Research Library, the collection contains more than 12,000 garments and accessories, and includes designs from a variety of donors including designers Oleg Cassini and Arnold Scaasi.

The library is located in the newly renovated Lela Raney Wood Hall. Storage areas protect the integrity of the collection, and classroom space allows students to conduct research and hold lectures. The mezzanine gallery provides public access to the collection through year-round exhibits.

Read about last fall's Oleg Cassini exhibit: Oleg Cassini: A Tribute to his Legacy.”

The Costume Research Library has lent several examples of mourning attire to the University of Missouri Museum or Art and Archaeology.

• Mourning Attire
  
• Mourning Accessories
  

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