Fashion Design
Is fashion your passion? If so, this major is tailor made for you! You鈥檒l study art and culture, develop technical skills at a professional level, and gain a deep understanding of fashion as both an industry and an art form.
Expand your skills, talents and knowledge
Fashion design majors work side-by-side with talented, expert and caring faculty. You鈥檒l study textile science, visual literacy, fashion illustration, fashion trends, and the cultural, psychological and social aspects of dress. With the latest technologies, you鈥檒l work hands-on to design, create and display your own themed collection of original work. Throughout your undergraduate career, you鈥檒l create pages for an online professional portfolio that you鈥檒l produce as a senior capstone project鈥攋ust in time for the job market. In a curriculum deeply rooted in the liberal arts, you鈥檒l expand your capacity for critical thinking, problem solving and visual communication. You鈥檒l start your career ready for success in a fascinating industry.
Learn by doing鈥攖hen do even more
Practical experience is built into our fashion design curriculum. Our internships draw on the huge retail, cultural and corporate resources of Chicago鈥攁 great job market for fashion graduates. We make our connections your connections, so you can test-drive your dream job in the real world. Many internships lead directly to job offers after graduation; in a recent survey, 87% of employers said they would hire their Dominican interns if a full-time position were available. Seniors work together to produce our Spring Fashion Show, which presents the best student designs to industry professionals. You鈥檒l not only gain professional exposure but also sharpen your problem-solving, events-planning and leadership skills.
You can apply for grant funding to aid your creative work. The university awards funding on a competitive basis that enables students to complete original research or creative work鈥攍ike fashion design鈥攐r travel to academic and professional conferences across the U.S. It's all part of the Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Investigations (URSCI) program, a distinctly Dominican initiative. URSCI also gives you a chance to present your work at a campus expo.
Rhiannon Cassata
海角社区 Graduate
鈥淎s a 海角社区 fashion design major, I鈥檝e been able to learn how to sew, pattern, draft and create a cohesive collection for the fashion show during my senior year.鈥
Great resources. Amazing opportunities
On state-of-the-art computer technology, you鈥檒l develop innovative designs and visualize them in three dimensions. In our fashion workroom, you鈥檒l find a friendly, supportive environment that nurtures your innate creativity. To gain further inspiration, you can choose from among 18 study abroad programs鈥攆rom China and Ghana to Spain and South Africa. Many students travel to Paris for our exceptional six-credit course on French fashion.
Fashion students design costumes for both the student and professional productions at Dominican鈥檚 outstanding Performing Arts Center. They also regularly enter (and win) fashion competitions throughout the Chicago area.
Our Community-Based Learning Program enables you to combine academic learning with effective, compassionate service to people in need鈥攊n the Chicago area and around the world. The program has been nationally recognized for excellence.
Through our Fashion Mentorship Program, you鈥檒l meet accomplished industry professionals, including many graduates of our program. The board members make themselves available to review student portfolios and help to ensure that our curriculum evolves continually鈥攍ike fashion itself.
Kathryn Greenlea
海角社区 Graduate
鈥淎ll of the professors at Dominican have real-world experience. They鈥檝e been in the fashion industry for multiple years, so as they鈥檙e teaching, they give you real-world examples and they help you find mentors who can guide you toward your career goals.鈥