By: Autumn Mento
Towards the end of high school, we are haunted by the questions, “Where are you going to school? What do you want to study?”When I answered that I wanted to study fashion, I always sensed disappointment. It was implied that I could do something better with my life, that the fashion industry was not a respectable career choice. Around graduation, the questions grew more frequent. When I had decided on fashion merchandising at Stevenson University, I had a more descriptive answer. I realized that no one knew what fashion merchandising was.
During my first semester at Stevenson University, I was required to take a class called the Business of Fashion. It explained every possible field, job, and position in the industry. It clearly laid out what jobs were available to someone with a bachelor’s degree in fashion merchandising. The major produces sales-reps, buyers, fashion show directors, personal stylists, retail managers, entrepreneurs, visual merchandisers, and so many more. To put it simply, fashion merchandising is a business degree that focuses on the fashion industry. The possibilities are endless. The field is always evolving and expanding. There will always be a need for fresh faces in this world.
There is so much more to my major than shopping. Study something you are passionate about like I am. Fashion is more than a hobby. Everyone wears clothes. Everyone needs fashion. This is a challenging major that requires hands on projects, reading, and plenty of studying. This year alone, I have been able to develop a visual merchandising display for Boscov’s at White Marsh Mall and had my board for the Textiles course on display at an exhibit. It is a real career.