Covering all facets of the fashion industry, the C-N fashion merchandising and design program stands out from other programs and gives you a competitive edge in the job market. Inclusive of both design and merchandising, the program covers textiles, computer-aided design and fashion illustration, fashion history, patternmaking and draping, merchandising, advertising, visual presentation and more. Because our program explores the process all the way from creation to distribution of products, you’ll have a holistic understanding of the market. If your passion is in creating products, you’ll become a stronger designer, because you’ll also understand the selling process. And if your interest is in buying and distribution, you’ll be better positioned because of your understanding of the design and manufacturing process.
The fashion merchandising and design program at Carson-Newman is the only fashion degree in East Tennessee that includes both design and merchandising.
• Fashion retail manager• Fashion retail buyer• Visual merchandiser• Product developer• Fashion and accessory designer• Costume designer/manager• Museum curator/interpreter• Event manager• Entrepreneur/small business owner• Fashion journalist
C-N students have completed internships and work experiences in places like:• Altar’D State corporate headquarters and Knoxville store location• Dolly’s Closet at Dollywood• Nordstrom store locations• San Destin Resort and Spa
The small class sizes in the fashion merchandising and design program really allowed me to focus on my future and allowed the professors to help me grow professionally and personally.
You’ll put coursework into practice through experience in our specialized facilities. The Jim and Sally Lowe Fortenberry Textiles, Apparel, and Retailing instructional lab is the hands-on center for many courses. The adjacent John H. Poteat Historic Costume and Weaving resource room houses the Dr. Anna Creekmore Textile and Apparel Library, our historic costume and textiles collection and one of many antique looms owned by the program. The fully up-to-date computer lab provides access to industry-specific software programs.
