Fashion students benefit from Kennedy’s experience and connections

From the field to the faculty: Spotlighting the faculty driving Berkeley College programs

It’s late. The day’s classes are long over, but Andrea Kennedy, who leads the Berkeley College Fashion Merchandising and Management program, is far from done with her day. She’s emailing and on the phone simultaneously, lining up speakers, presenters, and outings for the numerous fashion-related events she coordinates for her students.

“With 30 years in the fashion industry, I've developed a fairly decent network that I use to bring speakers, projects, and resources to our classes,” Kennedy explained. “I live, eat, and breathe that!”

Diverse experience and deep dedication

Kennedy is a designer, educator, and sustainable fashion strategist with three decades of experience in design, merchandising, sourcing, and sustainability, as well as in education. She was VP of Sustainability at Material Exchange, a fashion tech startup, where she worked to drive measurable and positive change in fabric and garment sourcing for high-profile global fashion and footwear brands. Prior to that, Kennedy was at LIM College creating the fashion-sustainability minor and courses and chaired LIM's Sustainability Task Force. She was also the sourcing and sustainability lead at Fashiondex for more than 15 years, where she worked with global fashion brands (including Disney, Harley Davidson, and others) on implementing sustainable and ethical practices across all areas of design and sourcing. Kennedy has designed and merchandised for Calvin Klein, Bob Mackie, Sunny Leigh, and other leading brands

Relevant topics and a focus on career readiness

At Berkeley College, Kennedy is rebuilding courses, infusing sustainability throughout the curriculum, bringing future-facing industry partnerships, and making experiential learning an integral part of the Fashion Merchandising and Management program.

“Our Fashion Merchandising and Management program has first and foremost an emphasis on career readiness through project-based and asset-based learning,” according to Kennedy. “Students work on brand-focused projects and receive feedback directly from industry professionals in almost every fashion class. In doing so, they help solve real business problems in today's world and develop connections with existing fashion professionals. Our BBA students also have a required industry internship, which means they graduate with a diploma AND a strong resume.”

A full schedule of fashion events

Kennedy continued, “We have engaging, relevant, up-to-date coursework that is taught by committed professors who are working fashion professionals in the industry today. Equally important, students benefit from regularly scheduled fashion events that are held both on and off campus. We work non-stop to bring opportunities to our students. This includes New York Fashion Week volunteer opportunities, trade show and market week support, and more for all those students interested in getting backstage or in showrooms during big fashion moments!”

"Our regularly scheduled events, such as ‘Bosses @ Berkeley: Up Close with the Fashion Pros,’ ‘Berkeley Fashion Forum,’ and our “Fashion Skill Building Workshops’ all combine with our curriculum for an extremely well-rounded education in the business of fashion,” Kennedy explained.

A totally immersive, hands-on approach

“Students lead conversations, showcase their talents, and connect with high-profile fashion professionals and industry leaders during speaker panels, forums, workshops, and networking mixers,” she went on, “We use New York City as an extension of our campus and include field trips, guest lecturers, factory and office visits, and more ways to engage with the industry. We also have a truly unique Fashion Designer-in-Residence Program that brings working fashion designers into our classrooms and studios—each for a one-year period—to collaborate with students through workshops, coursework critiques, experiential projects, semester-long internships and more!”

Industry know-how that benefits students

In addition, Kennedy is a Climate Reality Leader mentor and speaker, board member at ESRAP (Educators for Socially Responsible Apparel Practices), an AASHE (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education) mentor, and a past Sustainable Apparel Coalition strategic council member. She is author of Apparel Costing and The Apparel Design and Production Handbook: A Technical Reference and The Fashion Designer's Sustainable Sourcebook. She is frequently called upon to speak on fashion sustainability, circular fashion strategies, supply chain responsibility, and climate action.

Helping to set the program apart

“Sustainability, innovative thinking, new business models, creativity, technology, and change agency are imbedded in all classes, said Kennedy. “These are additional aspects that set our program apart.”

“We also receive guidance each semester from our Fashion Advisory Board, which is made up of accomplished professionals from Scorcesa, Walmart, Macy's and many other small and large companies,” she added. “They share curriculum insights, mentorship, and offer guidance to help align our program with current industry trends and needs. As a result, our graduates currently have leading roles at Jimmy Choo, Guess, Francesca's, Victoria's Secret, Walmart, and many other leading fashion brands.”

Preparing the next generation of fashion leaders

Kennedy has no plans to slow down her efforts. Her days (and nights) are spent overseeing a faculty of fashion professionals who are teaching updated courses that reflect current industry needs, scheduling exciting and engaging events with top fashion brands, helping to arrange internships and networking opportunities, and so much more. In other words, just another day at Berkeley College for Andrea Kennedy,

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.