The Fashion Program at Marist College, a branch of the School of Communication and the Arts, is the focus of our capping project. Marist is a small, liberal arts college founded in 1929 by the Marist Brothers. The College offers 43 undergraduate and graduate programs spanning a variety of majors and takes pride in offering an intimate classroom setting that is often lost at large universities.
Mission Statement
“The Fashion Program builds on Marist College’s strong liberal arts tradition with a curriculum designed to keep pace with the changing needs of the fashion industry. Students develop creative, technical, and business skills that position them for successful employment in design, manufacturing, retailing, product development, or sales management. Internships are an integral part of the learning experience in the Fashion Program, as is the use of technology, including computer-aided design.”
The Fashion Program structures the Fashion Design course of study “to fully explore the critical elements of fashion design." Students in this major also typically study different areas of the fashion industry, such as Fashion Merchandising and/or Product Design to integrate their design talent with liberal study skills. Students learn to design for various markets and target customers. All design students sketch, fit, and construct garments throughout the semester, with a showing of specific pieces each May at the annual Silver Needle Fashion Show and Awards. Senior design students take on an apparel collection project that is the main feature of the show.
The Silver Needle Fashion Show and Awards
The Silver Needle Fashion Show and Awards is a student-faculty run fashion show created to showcase both the fashion design and fashion merchandising majors’ work. This year, the show will be held on May 5th, 2011. The show is coordinated and run by students in the Fashion Show Production Class each spring. In addition to this event, the Fashion Program seeks to provide other opportunities for students to become involved in community and service in the fashion industry, reinstating the values that they stand behind.
At Marist, students can join Fashion, Inc., a club that “combines social activities with opportunities to volunteer for community service and industry-related activities” (The Fashion Program at Marist College Fashion Student Handbook). Fashion students may also volunteer to help during Fashion Week in New York City, as a way to gain real experience in the exciting and fast-paced fashion industry. Fashionology, a student run boutique that operates here on campus, is another way students can connect with other individuals in the Marist community. These are great tools to add to a resume and allow students to be well rounded individuals, as part of the mission and goals of the program and the college.
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The Fashion Program @ Marist
