Fashion Design & Merchandising

Fashion Design School - Where Passion Meets Reality

You know who you are.  You see grace, you see movement, and you live colour and texture, flow and curves.  From simple and understated to outrageous and trend setting, clothing is art to you.  How it feels, how it looks, what is says, and who would wear it.  Life is not life if not visualized, accessorized, colourized, and then realized.  This passion has always been a part of who you are.  It is your art, your way to express who you are, and your unique creative statement to the world.

Now it's time to take this passion and turn it into a career. With training from one of Canada's leading fashion design schools you will gain the skills and accreditation needed to begin your career in the fashion industry.    

Within this field there is a long history of people rising from humble beginnings to become fashion stars.  Laura Ashley got her start as a secretary.  Vera Wang began designing at 39 because she could not find a suitable wedding gown for her own wedding.  Ralph Lauren was born in the Bronx into a middle class family.  He used to buy suits with his pocket money at age 12.  His Polo Empire was founded on a small tie collection that he sold to Bloomingdales.

But you also know working as a fashion designer could also mean supervising a design team at a sportswear company.  More than 95% of fashion designers work outside the small circle of haute couturiers and international fashion houses.  And you know that to create your own label takes a lot of time, dedication and hard work and maybe living just above the poverty line for several years.

Fashion Design Programs - Expand your Skill Set

Today it is not enough for a designer to be creative; you need business sense. Fashion is more and more corporate driven and understanding the mechanics of your business is essential.  Many of the really successful designers today, like Calvin Klein or Tom Ford, are engaged in all aspects of their business; from licensing strategies to ad campaigns and actually designing the clothes; that's where this fashion design schools inclusive fashion design program comes in.

At the Centre for Arts and Technology our Fashion Design program, available at the Kelowna British Columbia campus, is for those passionate about the fashion industry; who want to learn to design, create fashion, and market clothing reflecting their own unique style. At this fashion design school, you will take on roles as designers, manufacturers, marketers, and retailers and allow people already in the industry to cross-train and expand your skill sets increasing your versatility and opportunity for success. Through this fashion design program, you will be taken from no knowledge of the industry to being able to pursue a multitude of careers based on individual skills and current industry demand.

Through the fashion design programs eight terms of unique and specialized courses, you will gain an understanding of target markets, product life cycles, time commitments, seasonal schedules, people skills, industry tools, terms, trends, and competition.  You will be prepared to fill roles in different types of companies, from sole proprietorships to local, national, or international corporations.

Upon completing the 24 month fashion design program you will have specialized skills to carry a product through the various stages of idea, design, production, marketing, sales, retail, and delivery to the target customer; long story short, this fashion design school gets you job ready. This unique fashion design program provides you with the 'big picture', including business, financial, and retail knowledge.  This ensures you are ready to excel in meeting the challenges of the modern global fashion and apparel industry.  

Earn your Fashion Design & Merchandising Professional Diploma from a top fashion design school in only 24 months. Program is available in Kelowna, BC, Canada. 

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Career Opportunities

• Fashion Designer
• Costume Designer
• Product Management
• Product Development
• Pattern Maker
• Assistant Fashion Buyer
• Wholesale Sales
• Fashion Publishing