In a business setting, fashion merchandising professionals use a number of different software programs that are critical to success in the field. Fontbonne fashion merchandising students have the unique opportunity to use three of these software programs — Gerber Technology’s YuniquePLM, Visual Retailing’s Mockshop and Sourcing Simulator — even before they head out into the real world. These programs are leading technologies on the market — and Fontbonne students are some of the only ones in the country to have access to them long before they accept their first jobs.
The fashion merchandising program at Fontbonne University controls the design of two large display windows located in the main entryway of Anheuser-Busch Hall. The windows are updated by students several times throughout each semester, and example of hands-on, real world training offered by Fontbonne’s Fashion Merchandising program.
Fashion merchandising faculty coordinate annual study tours that provide students the opportunity to learn about the industry firsthand from practitioners in the field. Leading students on excursions to Dallas, New York and Los Angeles, faculty arrange opportunities for students to visit a variety of companies ranging from those in product development and marketing, to brick-and-mortar and e-commerce retailing. These opportunities, like a visit to Sean Jean in New York, pictured above, allow students to better contextualize what they learn in the classroom, while networking with industry professionals and getting a feel for the breadth of jobs that await them upon graduation.