Fashion Arts and Business

Fashion is an international business, and Humber’s Fashion Arts and Business diploma program places an emphasis on retail operations from both domestic and international perspectives. Students will study marketing, store planning and merchandising, fashion technologies, brand management, marketing, social media, event planning, and retail buying. Students also learn fashion trend forecasting, sales techniques, and colour and styling analysis while attaining knowledge of fashion products and fashion promotion. These skills are then applied to product launches, planning merchandise assortments, styling fashion shoots and the production of fashion events.

In the first year, courses in the business of fashion – marketing strategies, product knowledge, trend forecasting and web merchandising – give students an overview of this multibillion-dollar industry. In the second year, students build on the skills developed on the foundation with wholesale sales, retail buying and operation, photo styling, and event planning and budgeting.

Students will participate in two field experience courses in Semesters 3 and 4 offering real-world experience in their area of interest. The field experience is found by the student and can be paid or unpaid.

What You’ll Learn

• Differentiate the purposes and functions of and the relationships between various elements within the structure of the fashion industry in order to identify business opportunities, challenges and solutions.
• Define and use correctly the terminology and language of fashion from a business and art perspective in order to communicate effectively with the range of stakeholders in the fashion industry.
• Identify artistic and business trends in order to capitalize on emerging opportunities throughout the stages of product development, manufacturing, distribution and promotion.
• Respond to current market conditions based on detailed analysis of company and/or industry reports.
• Design promotional materials and events using current digital technologies and styling methodologies in order to advance fashion arts and business objectives.