Arizona State University Expands Fashion Program Through Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles
Arizona State University said Monday the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in downtown Los Angeles will be part of the expansion of fashion education at the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at ASU.
ASU’s fashion program will now be named ASU FIDM, incorporating both the FIDM community and campus, and it will operate in both Los Angeles and Phoenix.
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FIDM will continue to operate as a separate educational institution from ASU with a greater focus on academic programs related to business in the creative industries.
“Leveraging FIDM’s and ASU’s expertise and innovation around fashion and the creative industries will create significantly enhanced opportunities for students,” said Steven Tepper, dean and director of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at ASU. “Giving aspiring creative professionals the chance to study at a global research university vastly expands their choices and their ability to contribute to a fast-growing industry. I am confident that ASU FIDM can lead the world in educating for the future of an inclusive, sustainable and socially responsible fashion industry.”
ASU has already started working with FIDM students to share ASU degree offerings that are available as a result of the expansion. FIDM fashion and design program students will be advised on opportunities to either complete their programs at FIDM or continue at ASU.
“We are so proud of the FIDM history and legacy,” said Barbara Bundy, vice president of education at FIDM. “What began as a dream five decades ago turned into a globally recognized creative institution that has served more than 70,000 graduates. Our tradition of excellence and inspiration will continue to thrive as a part of Arizona State University with students having expanded access to world-class facilities, faculty and programs to ensure they are prepared for a highly demanding, increasingly competitive and ever-evolving industry.”
Further, ASU FIDM students will continue to benefit from FIDM’s relationships with leading companies and brands. ASU’s expansion will also allow students to benefit from the FIDM Museum and other assets.
In recent years, ASU students have embraced expanded offerings in L.A. as the university has become a hub for educational opportunities in Southern California, centered at its home at the ASU California Center at the Herald Examiner Building. The university’s presence includes its Cronkite News Los Angeles bureau, where digital and broadcast students create news and sports content; The Sidney Poitier New American Film School, which teaches the next generation of diverse filmmakers and storytellers, and the Sandra Day O’ Connor College of Law, which provides students with an opportunity to take classes while exploring experiential-learning offerings and networking opportunities in L.A.
ASU has more than 62,000 alumni living in California and 20,000 California residents as degree-seeking students, and 13 percent of its graduates work in California.
ASU’s fashion program launched in 2017, and its BA in fashion offers courses including pattern-making, digital pattern making, technical design, garment construction, merchandising, supply chain management, retail management and branding.
As of spring 2023, ASU has more than 500 students either majoring or minoring in fashion, with hundreds more who take individual classes. The ASU Fashion program also offers studio spaces and recording studios, digital media labs, performance spaces and an interdisciplinary-maker’s space with laser cutters, 3 D printers, felting and industrial knitting machines.
FIDM was founded in 1969 by Toni Hohberg, chief executive officer and president, and offers fashion design and business degree programs. FIDM partners and classroom collaborators have included brands such as Disney, Nike, Netflix, PacSun, Levi’s and Converse.
ASU’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts – created in 2009 by the merger of two existing academic units, the Katherine K. Herberger College of the Arts and the College of Design – is the largest comprehensive design and arts school in the country, comprising the Schools of Art; Arts, Media and Engineering; Music, Dance and Theatre; The Design School; The Sidney Poitier New American Film School, and the ASU Art Museum.
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