Fashion in the field: Berkeley College students learn the business from leading professionals

It’s a fashion student’s dream. One day, you’re studying the latest trends with a professor who’s worked with a major brand. The next day, you’re learning the intricacies of the fashion business by meeting and networking with movers and shakers from even more top fashion brands. Later in the semester, you might be working behind the scenes at a high-profile industry event and visiting designer showrooms.

These are just a few of the ways Berkeley College incorporates experiential learning into its proven career-focused degree and certificate programs that have been preparing students for success since 1931.

“The Berkeley College program curricula are very strong and prepare students for careers. As a result, academic programs are developed and regularly updated with input from advisory boards made up of industry experts,” Patricia Greer, Provost, emphasized. “We do this to ensure that our students are learning the skills that today’s top-tier employers seek.”

But at Berkeley College, that’s only part of the educational journey.

A frenzy of fashion events

One prime example of experiential learning at Berkeley College is in the Fashion Merchandising and Management program. Lead Faculty Andrea Kennedy, MEd has created several series of fashion-related events that give students an up-close look into the exciting business of fashion.

"Our ‘Bosses @ Berkeley: Up Close with the Fashion Pros’ is exactly that—students get to sit up front right next to high-profile fashion leaders and ask the questions they have, as opposed to sitting and passively listening the whole time,” said Professor Kennedy. “At Berkeley, students meet and learn from some of the biggest names in the fashion business. Our goal is a powerful learning and networking experience for all. We were thrilled to have Busayo Olupona, founder of Busayo NYC. The following month, we were excited to host Nathalie Gerschtein, President of Consumer Products at L’Oreal. It was truly inspiring to hear Ms. Gerschtein as she responded to each student's thoughts and offered advise unique to their questions. This series, along with all our fashion events offer incredible opportunities for our fashion students to interact and network with fashion superstars and build great contact lists for their future careers.”

Current topics presented by charismatic professionals

“We also produce a panel series called ‘Berkeley Fashion Forum,’ where we take deep dives into the industry’s most important topics,” Kennedy went on. “We bring a group of professionals working in a fashion-specific sector to discuss the up-to-the-minute advancements, so students are aware of all the changes in the ever-changing fashion business. Recent forum themes have included product circularity, fashion tech, styling and sustainability.”

Kennedy added. “And, if that's not enough, we also offer two “Fashion Skill Building Workshops’ per semester. These workshops are based on student interest and we bring more fashion professionals to campus to teach the specific skill via a hands-on activity focused on those special topics students ask to learn about. These workshops build resume skills and are an extra learning opportunity for our students to accelerate their career readiness and skillsets.”

Practical, powerful career preparation

At Berkeley College, theory and practice combine for an education that truly prepares students for the real world. In addition to internships, which are offered in many programs, the hands-on knowledge gained through experiential learning complements the rigorous classroom instruction for a well-rounded foundation to launch a career.

Dr. Recinos concluded, “Berkeley College stands out by including hands-on learning through its curriculum, giving students real-world experience through internships, projects, and fieldwork to help them succeed in the job market.”

The views and/or opinions in this article are those of the individuals interviewed. The academic achievements and/or employment outcomes described in this article are specific to each individual and are not a guarantee of similar results for past or current students. For up-to-date and detailed information, please visit BerkeleyCollege.edu and view our catalogs at BerkeleyCollege.edu/publications.