Fashion Design Scholarships
Careers in Fashion Design, Marketing or Advertising
You've designed your prom dress out of duct tape and have a sketchpad full of trendy designs. Think you're ready to compete collegially? Fashion majors can be found among small to large college programs, from non-competitive to downright cutthroat.
Most programs offer students the chance to specialize in either fashion design or fashion merchandising, both of which utilize completely different talents and skill-sets. Jobs with the large fashion houses are, of course, slim-pickings and only available to the most well connected or creatively outstanding. However, there are plenty of other mainstream jobs for fashion graduates.
Be prepared to start at the bottom even if you make it into the "big-time." Fashion design is driven like the other arts by creativity, which traditionally pays little in comparison. Related fields popular for fashion graduates are those in retail fashion marketing and merchandising or in other areas of commercial design.
Scholarship Programs
Texas Tech University has a comprehensive program in Fashion Design and Merchandising. Along with it the university extends quite a number of scholarships:
- Elbert and Lucy Allred Scholarships are given to students with a talent for fashion design and merchandising. GPA is not a large consideration in this award.
- W.B. and Maxine Blankenship Memorial Scholarship is given to a creative whiz in fashion design.
- Mabel Erwin Scholarship is designed for those students who will specialize in textiles and fashion merchandising and materials.
Students in the Fashion Design program at Syracuse University should apply for the Mike Alesko Design Scholarship. Undergraduate students may apply. Those with outstanding creative talent in fashion and related graphic design will win $1500 scholarships.
The Passion for Fashion Competition is open to interested and talented high school students looking for a break in the competitive world of fashion. The contest is sponsored by Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. Top winners receive up to $70,000 to cover their tuition at any AI campus. Applicants must have a "completed evening wear" piece or a "marketing plan" that completes their application.
Think you're talented in fashion design? Why not compete for a summer session at the well-known Parsons School of Design in New York? Winners of the competition receive a tuition free summer program that most designers would die for. The award also offers $200 for travel expenses and sets up the winner in an internship type setting with a fashion company.
Fashion Design students enrolled at Kent State University have a list of scholarships for their purposes. Among the awards:
- Linda Allard and Herb Gallen Scholarship awards the most creatively talented students in the major. Of course recipients must also have a semblance of academic talent as well if they are to be the next big discovery.
- Irene Jaffe Bachman Scholarship is given to an academically talented student in design or marketing.
- Karen and Kenneth Conley Endowed Scholarship goes to financially assisting those students studying in Florence, Italy for a semester abroad.
- JoAnn Stores, Inc. Scholarship is designed for the fashion design student who is passionate about sewing and marketing.
Mount Mary College in Wisconsin offers two majors in Fashion: Merchandising and Product Development. This small liberal arts school offers a variety of scholarships to fashion majors:
- Florence Eiseman Memorial Scholarships are given to academically outstanding students who also exhibit uncanny creative ability in fashion design.
- Stella and Rosemary Kleffman Endowed Scholarship is awarded to students whose career track lies in fashion production and who have demonstrated a financial need for college funding.
- Sophie Yoerg Schroeder Memorial Scholarship is given to a student in the major who is in financial need and very talented in sewing.
American Intercontinental University encourages students to study abroad. AIU supports student efforts by providing scholarships to help defray the costs of traveling. Students may choose to study in Florence, Paris, London or Dubai. Scholarships available for fashion majors include:
- Dallas Fashion Group and Chicago Fashion Group Scholarships fund student tuitions for summer studies in London. Students must be majors in design or merchandising and demonstrate outstanding academics and creative motivation.
- Juniors and seniors may qualify for the International Textiles and Apparel Association Awards. Scholarships fund semester abroad studies in London to talented students.
