FIDM & WWD Launch "Designing the Collection"
A new online education program
FIDM, in collaboration with WWD and Yellowbrick, have launched Designing The Collection, an online education program designed to help aspiring fashion designers learn the skills needed to break into the dynamic world of fashion. Upon finishing the course, students earn a non-credit Certificate of Completion from FIDM.
The course consists of five online modules and includes 50+ videos and related skill-building activities. Each module takes 3-5 hours to complete and is broken into shorter lessons that students complete at their own pace.
Program instructors represent a wide array of talent, specialties, and leadership from across the fashion industry. Contributors include FIDM Fashion Design, Advanced Fashion Design, and Film & TV Costume Design Co-Chairs and fashion label NIKOLAKI Co-Founders David Paul and Nick Verreos; Marina Leight Atelier Founder and FIDM Instructor Marina Leight; Fashion Designer Trina Turk; Fashion Designer and FIDM Grad Candice Cuoco; Fashion Designer, Celebrity Stylist, and FIDM Grad Ashton Hiroto; and The Hollywood Reporter Fashion Editor Booth Moore.
Lessons include sketching a concept, researching the targeted consumer base, the importance of mood boarding, writing a collection statement, and presenting the collection.
All course materials and instruction are provided online, which means students complete lessons at their own pace and on their own schedules.
Students learn the essential skills needed to initially identify and illustrate the concept for a collection and design a selection of pieces for it. The collection can include apparel, accessories, or another category of items. Whether students are completely new to the industry or have had some fashion experience, this course walks them through the process of ideation, research, and mood boarding.
Expert faculty give step-by-step instructions on the basics of keeping a fashion journal and bringing an idea from a rough draft to a final sketch. From there, students decide on a muse for their collection and the target market, and create a collection statement to describe their vision. Once they have a clear vision, they pair down their sketches and select final pieces for their collection. In the capstone activity, they present their work in a pitch deck showcasing their inspiration, mood board, and ideation process. Students leave the course with at least 3-5 finalized designs for their fashion collection.
