Students wishing to study fashion abroad will now have the chance through a new study abroad program offered by the College of Human and Environmental Sciences.
Twenty UA students will take a four-week trip to fashion capitals such as London, Milan, New York City and Paris in May.
It is the first time the College of Human Environmental Sciences is providing the opportunity and students will earn four credit hours, counting toward a major in apparel and textiles.
Babs Davis is the faculty director and will accompany students during the entire trip.
“During the trip, students will visit showrooms, corporate offices, retailers, etc. in each of the cities,” he said. “They will be able to make comparisons between the cities and learn the differences in the cultures of the fashion markets in these cities.”
Sara Kathryn Shattuck, a junior majoring in fashion retail, said she has never visited Europe and thinks the trip will be a great experience for her and will provide the opportunity to get close to fashion capitals.
“I hope to get connections, and it is a great thing to build your resume,” she said. “Hopefully, I can get some insider feel on the industry and discuss with people about how they feel about the industry.”
In addition to visiting fashion companies, student will visit fashion and art museums as well as take cultural excursions and tours in each city, Davis said.
“I hope I can get new friends and meet new people like in college,” said Natalie Barr, a sophomore majoring in apparel and textile. “We are going to go to different showrooms in London and Paris, and I think it will be a really good experience because you can see different jobs that the fashion industry offers.”
Barr said she is most interested in Milan, because it will be like a new adventure for her since she has already been to New York, London and Paris before. Barr said she believes the program will not only contribute to her connections but also broaden her horizons.
The trip is scheduled to be held biennially starting this year. In 2017, the program organizers plan to travel to China. The program is open to anyone who has at least a 2.5 GPA and has completed CTD 281, Fashion Retailing I.
