Arizona State University renames fashion program after partnering with LA school

Arizona State University fashion students can now complete the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts program in Arizona and California.

ASU announced on April 10 that they have partnered with Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising to expand their fashion program. The program will now be called ASU FIDM and run on ASU's downtown Phoenix Campus and the FIDM campus in downtown Los Angeles.

Steven Tepper is the dean and director at the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, ASU's new institute that was launched in 2017. "Similarly to the way we think about film and the Sidney Poitier School, we strongly believe that students studying creative industries should have a kind of free pass to travel between Arizona and California."

This partnership was designed to give students from Phoenix and California an opportunity to attend any campus in either state, taking full advantage of the resources that both schools offer.

Students will benefit from a program that combines fashion knowledge and innovation. ASU has been ranked as the most innovative school in the United States by U.S. News & World Report for eight consecutive years.

I think there's a great synergy. Barbara Bundy is the VP Education and Director of the FIDM Museum and Galleries. She spoke about the partnership between ASU and FIDM. We bring the Los Angeles location and market, as well as the designers and entertainment industry to the table.

'FIDM brings prestige, ASU brings innovation'

FIDM's alumni list is a Who's Who of fashion and advertising professionals, including Monique Lhuillier, Hollywood costume designer Trish Sommerville, Rea Ann Silva (inventor and founder of Beautyblender), Sarah Truly Beers (Marvel's Vice President of Franchise Creative and Marketing) and Valley native Angela Johnson.

Students who are interested in working in creative fields, such as fashion design, will be excited to see how this partnership can help them further their career.

Bekly Reilly is a fashion student at ASU. She said, "I think this collaboration will be a great opportunity for fashion students from both schools." 'FIDM adds prestige, and ASU offers innovation. It is a perfect combination. I wish I was not graduating so quickly, I am excited to see how the program will improve.

Reilly will graduate in May with a fashion degree and a minor sustainability. She has described the courses she took as part of ASU's fashion program as challenging, immersive and rewarding. Students can choose from Fashion Retail Management where they run their own business, Fashion Technology where they use Adobe Illustrator and Microsoft Excel for tech packs, and Paris Fashion and Culture Experience where Dennita, the ASU fashion program leader, leads a 3-week study abroad.

Students of the ASU Film Institute will have the opportunity to work with students at The Sidney Poitier New American Film School, also at ASU. The school is located in downtown Los Angeles at ASU California Center, the historic Herald Examiner Building.

We look forward to having fashion and film students in the same class. Film is already taught at FIDM. We will continue working on ways that these students can continue to study video and film, with the Poitier School being one of their possible destinations' Tepper said.