New Fashion Merchandising Concentration and Minor Available for Texas Tech Students

Department of Hospitality and Retail Management Announces New Opportunity for Students Interested in Fashion

Apparel Design and Manufacturing (ADM) is colliding with the Retail Management program at Texas Tech University. The Department of Hospitality and Retail Management is now offering a concentration in Fashion Merchandising for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in Retail Management. Undergraduate students can also now minor in Fashion Merchandising.

Apparel Design and Manufacturing coursework typically focuses on fabric construction and textiles, while Retail Management majors study the commercial aspects of fashion merchandising. Working alongside the Department of Design to offer this new collaboration will benefit students who are interested in both business and fashion aspects of retail management by combining their interests to graduate better prepared for careers in the fashion industry.

Associate Chairperson for Hospitality and Retail Management, Deborah Fowler, Ph.D., explains that there are many career paths in fashion that require knowledge of textiles and clothing construction.

"For instance, if you are working in product development, you will work on a team with fashion designers, buyers, planners, merchants, and import teams," Dr. Fowler said. "As a product developer, you would need to know the terminology and understand the impact of the decisions you were making in regards to the product's life span, function, and cost."

By combining the business courses in the Retail Management program with the current fashion-oriented courses such as visual merchandising, textiles, and clothing construction, students will gain additional hands-on skills to have a successful career in fashion.

With a near 100% hiring rate for retail students, the new concentration and minor will expand the career fields for graduates interested in fashion without having to choose to design themselves.

"The Retail Management and Apparel, Design, and Manufacturing programs have always worked well together," Dr. Fowler said. "Faculty attend the same conferences and have traditionally collaborated in research and other areas. We believe this relationship enables us to offer a great program for students who want the basic skills from ADM but want to focus their careers on the business of fashion."

Students who choose the new fashion concentration for their degree will take fashion-oriented elective courses: Fashion and Modern Culture, Clothing Construction, Textiles, Event Management, Fashion Styling, and Global Sourcing. These students will also have the opportunity to take participate in study tours focused on fashion around the world.