Empowering you to join the leading edge of fashion
ASU FIDM, ASU’s fashion school in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, empowers you to begin a satisfying, successful career in the fashion industry. ASU FIDM operates from both downtown Phoenix and in the heart of the fashion district in Los Angeles at the ASU California Center.
You can earn a four-year BA degree in fashion from our Los Angeles location with optional concentrations in fashion design, apparel technical design and merchandising. At our LA location, we also offer a BFA in costume design and technology for the creative industries.
With more than 8,000 independent design businesses and 35,000 manufacturing firms based in LA, the Los Angeles Fashion District is the center of the largest garment industry in the U.S. and a cornerstone of the global fashion industry. This offers ASU FIDM students connections and opportunities steps away from their studies at the ASU California Center.
At ASU FIDM, you'll discover a supportive college experience with a range of networking, internship and skill-building opportunities, as well as a community of support from creative peers and expert, industry-connected faculty members to help you launch a career that meets your creative vision.
Dedicated to making top-tier fashion education accessible to all aspiring fashion students, including not requiring a portfolio or experience for admission.
Degrees span the range of the industry from creativity to business — offering students options for careers in all sectors of the industry.
Access to unparalleled fashion spaces including an industry-standard textile teaching and testing lab, the ASU FIDM Library and ASU FIDM Museum, LA’s only fashion museum.
Renowned faculty
Faculty members in LA at the ASU California Center include:
Dennita Sewell, ASU FIDM director and professor of practice
Founder of the fashion program at ASU and was formerly the Costume Institute archives manager at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and fashion curator at the Phoenix Art Museum, curating more than 50 exhibitions.
Miguel Barragan, ASU FIDM assistant program director and clinical assistant professor
Twenty years of experience in fashion as a senior designer, creative director and entrepreneur with expertise that spans design, technology and business.
Marina Leight, clinical assistant professor
A decade of teaching experience, 26 years of industry experience in fashion design and production, and her own nationally recognized custom design studio.
Shaun Samson, assistant teaching professor
Industry experience including serving as a senior designer at Moschino and establishing his own successful brand, plus a robust fashion education including an MA in fashion menswear from Central St. Martins College of Art and Design with an expert understanding of design and advanced garment construction.
About the BA in fashion
The BA in fashion is a four-year degree that combines technology, business and hands-on studio experience to prepare you for a variety of roles in the global fashion industry.
Optional concentrations:
- Fashion (Apparel Technical Design): Take the grand design concepts of fashion artists and translate them into production-ready prototypes, and use innovative technology to make fashion ideas into fashion realities.
- Fashion (Design): Build a foundation that enables you to work across many segments of the fashion design industry.
- Fashion (Merchandising): Take your analytical skills and your passion for fashion to build the career of your dreams while learning about the fashion retail industry, including branding, trend forecasting, visual merchandising, fashion communications strategies, consumer behavior analysis and more.
About the BFA
Do you dream about working in film, television and theatre as a costume designer? The Bachelor of Fine Arts in costume design and technology for the creative industries provides students with a multidisciplinary education, combining the practical application of knowledge with professional industry experience.
Start your journey
If you're looking to begin your journey toward a career in the fashion industry and earn your degree in LA, you're invited to apply for the BA Fashion at ASU FIDM or to request more information.