Fashion Design
Fashion Design Program at Fisher College
Fisher Fashion Students are headed to Paris! Read all about their adventures on their blog.
Welcome to Fisher College's Fashion Design Program located in the heart of historic Boston and only moments away from some of the most famous designer boutiques worldwide. If designing your own fashions is your career goal, then join us to begin exploring all aspects of this exciting industry. Here you will learn the steps to creating a successful garment from sketching your original ideas to the actual drafting of patterns. Assembling your creations in your Clothing Construction and Draping courses will provide you with the skills you need to build a career in this fulfilling profession. In two years, as a
Fisher Fashion Design student, you could earn an Associate in Science Degree. If you would like to expand your interests even further in fashion merchandising and management, you may continue your education and earn a Bachelors Degree in Management with a Concentration in Fashion Merchandising.
As a member of our Fashion Design Program, you will be given the opportunity to acquire technical skills that enable you to take a basic garment and transform it into a whole new look with your own signature styling. To develop your creativity and inspire you to seek individuality, we provide you with current fashion news and access to the latest trend information. We occasionally step outside of the fashion lab and take you on field trips that include visits to top firms in the Garment District of New York City, meetings with local fashion designers here in Boston, and shopping excursions to find that perfect fabric for your latest design. On some sunny fall days, you just might find your instructor leading your class to Newbury Street to see firsthand what the world's top designers are up to. We also bring design experts directly to you as guest speakers who will share their experiences and show you their work.
Each of you will be guided throughout your education by our dedicated fashion faculty and your own personal advisor who will listen to your future plans and place you in courses that allow you to reinforce the necessary skills that will enhance your progress. Throughout your education, you will be developing and collecting examples of your work to compile in a portfolio as evidence of your abilities.
| First Year | Credit hours | |
|---|---|---|
| EN101 | English I | 3 |
| EN102 | English II | 3 |
| IS105 | Common Experience | 3 |
| MA106 | Elementary Algebra* | 3 |
| FM160 | Clothing Construction I | 4 |
| FM161 | Pattern Making I |
3 |
| FM201 | Fundamentals of Apparel Design | 3 |
| FM205 | Fashion Illustration | 3 |
| FM230 | Creative Design I | 3 |
| Social Science Elective | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 32 | |
| Second Year | Credit hours | |
| CS101 | Computer Concepts and Applications | |
| FM105 | History of Costume | 3 |
| FM170 | Clothing Contruction II | 3 |
| FM171 | Patternmaking II | 3 |
| FM231 | Creative Design II |
3 |
| FM250 | Portfolio for Fashion Design | 1.5 |
| FM280 | French Draping | 3 |
| Fine Arts Elective** | 3 | |
| Humanities Elective | 3 | |
| Math/Science Elective | 3/4 | |
| Social Science Elective | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 30/31 | |
| * A higher level of math (MA107, MA109, MA110, or MA121) may besubstituted. | ||
| ** At least three credits must be taken from FA101, FA102, FA103, FA111 or FA112. Minimum credits required for graduation--62. |
||
Graduate Competencies
- Fabricate and construct the following garments from flat patterns that they have drafted:
Skirts
Shell tops
Blouses
Trousers - Adapt foundation patterns into a variety of styles and sizes, and apply knowledge of current industry sizing.
- Fabricate and construct a complete ensemble using the French draping method.
- Apply basic tailoring techniques to selected garments.
- Illustrate original designs for portfolio presentation.
- Illustrate designs into flat pattern pieces (flats) so they can be interpreted by a skilled pattern maker.
- Describe all the processes involved in the production of textile materials and apparel.
- Select suitable fabrics for apparel designs.
- Define the primary careers related to the fashion design industry.
- Qualify as a trainee in fashion design and/or pattern making positions.
- Matriculate to a four-year baccalaureate program in fashion merchandising.
Credentials
- Associate of Science Degree after two years
- Bachelor of Science in Management Degree with a Concentration in Fashion Merchandising after four and one-half years
Technologies
- Computer skills: Microsoft Word; Excel; PowerPoint
- Operation of the following industrial machines:
Jiki Lockstitch
Dansai Coverstitch
Bernina Industrial
Juki Overlock
Potential Careers and Earnings
Industries
- Apparel Manufacturer
- Apparel Alterations
- Textile Retailing
- Custom Dressmaking
Occupations
- Assistant Patternmaker
- Custom Dressmaker
- Altering Clothing
- Sales Associate - Fabrics
Earnings *
- Assistant Patternmaker
(Entry-level): $30-35,000 annually - Custom Dressmaker: $15 Hourly
- Altering Clothing: $15 to $20 Hourly
- Sales - Designer Apparel: $12 to $20 Hourly
- Sales - Piece Goods: $12 Hourly
Jobs Reported by Alumni
- Assistant Patternmaker
- Custom Dressmaker
- Altering Clothing
- Interior Decorating
Fashion Design Faculty
Professor Emily Banis Stoehrer, Program Director, Fashion Design and Merchandising
Prior to joining Fisher in 2010, Professor Emily Banis Stoehrer was a Curatorial Research Associate at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. A trained fashion and textile historian, she received a master's degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology. She is currently working towards her PhD in Humanities at Salve Regina University.
In addition to teaching she is just completing her first book, Fashion Design, Referenced (co-authored with Alicia Kennedy) and writes a fashion column for the local lifestyle magazine, Exhale. She has also contributed articles to Adornment, Art Jewlery Forum, and the Textile Society of America Newsletter.
Her personal research interests focuses on 19th and 20th century fashion, fashion theory, and the fashion system. Her academic pursuits have led her to give academic papers as far away as Colonial Williamsburg and the University of Rouen in Normandy, France. She also lectures locally at various museums, guilds, and historical societies, but the classroom remains her favorites place to talk about new discoveries.
Prof. Stoehrer is thrilled to be working with such a diverse student body at Fisher College. As program director for fashion design and merchandising, she teaches course in textiles, costume history, and visual merchandising, bringing students to area retailers and museums to make the experience inside the classroom come to life.
She also enjoys traveling with students to New York to visit archives, industry insiders, showrooms, and retailers to provide an in depth look at the fashion and design business. Next spring she will travel with a group of fashion students to Paris to provide students with an international perspective of an increasingly global industry.
With fashion moving so quickly in the 21st century you never know what's going to happen next. Keep up with the fashion department by "liking" the Fisher College Fashion Club on Facebook.
Industry Web sites
Industry Publications
- Women's Wear Daily
- DNR, Daily News Record (Men's Wear)
- Sportswear International, Sport & Street
- Apparel Industry Magazine
- Apparel Manufacturer
- California Apparel News