Georgia Southern University Ranked Top School for Fashion Design, Merchandising

July 28, 2015

Illustration by Agustina Biggio (’15)

STATESBORO, Ga. (July 29, 2015) — Georgia Southern University’s Fashion Merchandising and Apparel Design program has been named one of the top fashion schools in the United States by Fashion-Schools.org.

Georgia Southern’s program was ranked in the top 40 percent of schools considered nationally for both Fashion Design and Fashion Merchandising, and was ranked seventh of programs in the South. The review looked at hundreds of institutions across the country, including schools like Savannah College of Art and Design, Louisiana State University, Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising and San Francisco State University among others, and based the list on criteria including academics, admissions, faculty, value and more.

“In recent years, the program has seen tremendous growth and recognition nationally,” said Hope Wallace, MFA, professor and program coordinator of the Fashion Merchandising and Apparel Design (FMAD) Program. “We have had an influx of students that are coming to Georgia Southern University to study fashion from other regions of the United States. We have also seen an increase in students that are transferring into our program from other institutions.”

Students in the Georgia Southern FMAD program have opportunities to intern and work in every area of the fashion industry, said Wallace. Some companies students have had opportunities with include Spanx, Phillips-Van Heusen/Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Nordstrom and Bloomingdales, along with magazines such as Vogue and Teen Vogue, Redbook, Glamour, GQ and others.

“Our program is working on becoming a bit more interactive and based in practice. We currently offer trips to the Atlanta apparel market as well as a New York Fashion study tour (course), which is taught annually,” Wallace added. “In addition to the study abroad opportunities the University offers, we currently have in place a formal student exchange program in FMAD with two universities in Korea: Keimyung and Chung Ang Universities. We are also in the process of setting up an International Study Tour.”

Some notable alumni from the program include local designers Emily Bargeron (‘06) of Mamie Ruth, Diane Bailey of The Bailey Boys, and Mychael Knight (‘02), a previous competitor on the show Project Runway and a member of the University’s inaugural 40 Under 40 Class. Knight returned to campus as a judge for the 2014 FMAD showcase highlighting student work, along with local designers Elizabeth Seeger and Brooke Atwood.

Georgia Southern University, a public Carnegie Doctoral/Research University founded in 1906, offers more than 125-degree programs serving more than 20,500 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. Georgia Southern is recognized for its student-centered and hands-on approach to education.