At Brookdale Community College, the Fashion Merchandising and Design program is doing far more than teaching students how to sew or sketch. It prepares emerging professionals to enter the global fashion industry, transfer seamlessly to top institutions, build portfolios, develop businesses, and step confidently into careers spanning design, merchandising, styling, production, costume design, and beyond.

What makes the program exceptional is its blend of rigorous hands-on learning, industry connectivity, and a deeply supportive culture that students often describe as transformative.

Over the years, the program has evolved dramatically, expanding from a merchandising-focused track into a dynamic academic and creative hub that now includes a robust design concentration, new coursework in product development, enhanced instruction in garment construction, and immersive real-world experiences. Faculty have strengthened the curriculum while building pathways that open doors long after students leave Brookdale.

Those pathways include strong transfer opportunities with leading institutions such as LIM College, Fashion Institute of Technology, Montclair State University, and Berkeley College, as well as an emerging agreement with Thomas Jefferson University. Through these relationships, students can transfer credits efficiently, continue their education without losing momentum, and gain access to additional opportunities, including special coursework and recruitment partnerships designed specifically for Brookdale students.

Faculty say these partnerships are built on reputation. Four-year schools seek out Brookdale students because they know they are prepared, reliable, and ready to succeed.

That preparation begins in the classroom, where students are immersed in an experience that mirrors the industry itself. Garments are conceptualized, sketched, patterned, sampled, fitted, altered, and produced by students. Fashion shows are student-run productions. Portfolios are developed with intention. Event planning, marketing, teamwork, and public speaking are woven into the curriculum.
And the learning extends far beyond campus.

Students travel to New York City for exclusive experiences, including visits to Hermès showrooms, manufacturer tours, and campus visits to transfer institutions. They participate in study abroad programs, field trips, and industry events. They compete and win in major showcases, including placing in top spots at Newark Fashion Week, presenting work at New York Fashion Week, and even Berlin Fashion Week.

The program is also embracing emerging intersections between fashion and other industries. Connections with Brookdale’s New Jersey Film Academy are helping students explore costume design, while mentorship opportunities with working designers and entrepreneurs are exposing students to the realities of launching and sustaining creative careers.

Adding to the momentum is a faculty team that continues to bring fresh energy, expertise, and innovation back into the program.
Program leadership has expanded curriculum, forged transfer agreements, launched new student showcases, and built an extraordinarily active Fashion Club that powers fashion shows, clothing swaps, fundraising events, and networking opportunities. A newly appointed full-time tenure-track instructor, herself a Brookdale alumna, has introduced expanded studio instruction and brought direct industry relevance into the classroom, helping students engage in an even deeper level of design practice. The addition of dedicated lab support has further strengthened student learning.

Together, the faculty are not only teaching but also continuously building the program. And students are responding.

Enrollment is growing. This year’s fashion show will feature more than 90 looks, making it one of the most ambitious in the program’s history. Students are earning internships, securing industry jobs, participating in mentorships, and taking advantage of opportunities that begin at Brookdale but reach far beyond it.

But ask faculty what truly makes the program “magnificent,” and they may point to something less tangible. Belonging.

For many students, the program is more than a major. It is a creative home. A place where talent is nurtured, individuality is celebrated, and futures take shape.

At Brookdale, fashion is not simply studied. It is lived, practiced, launched, and opening doors.