FITS 145 Basic Sewn Product Production
The purpose of this course is to introduce basic hand and machine sewn product techniques and how they are used to produce a sewn product. Students will develop a working knowledge of the sewing machine, terms, supplies and skills used in the assembly of the sewn product. Evaluating sewing quality, and developing written instructions for a specific sewn project will also be addressed. The course will cover sewing machine basics such as changing the needle, winding the bobbin, adjusting tension, sewing a straight line and various seam finishes used in the production of a sewn product. No sewing experience is necessary.
FITS 204 Fashion Consumers and the Shopping Economy
A study of consumer behavior and fashion adoption processes in contemporary society, the nature of fashion theories, the life-cycle, social and cultural processes and evolution of fashion, and the role of fashion in the global economy in general and in the fashion business industry in particular. In addition, because of the size and reach of fashion we will recognize the cause and effects of this industry on the world's environment and inhabitants.
FITS 296 Introduction to Special Topics in the Fashion Industry's Science & Technology
This course provides an introductory exploration of varying special topics within the fashion industry's science and technology field. The topics of the course vary depending on instructor and semester. Each course will overview core concepts, foundational knowledge, and practical applications about the topics presented. The course will focus on contemporary issues in the field and those issues' contextual positioning within industry, community, and societal contexts.
FITS 300 The Business of Beauty
An introductory course which will provide students with a dynamic overview of the global beauty industry. Students will gain an understanding of the different sectors of the business and will experience through assignments, and case studies, the many unique aspects of beauty as a business. The course will explore the history of the beauty industry, the distinctive aspects of beauty marketing, and the role of cultural differences, which mold the business of beauty throughout the world. Prominence will be given to the influencer phenomenon and its impact on global beauty trends.
FITS 333 Fashion Promotion
The fashion industry is, ever-changing and a greater understanding of all aspects of fashion promotion is necessary for student success. Communicating effectively across a range of platforms with respect to the consumer and maintaining consistency to navigate the global landscape in fashion communication along with managing emerging trends in social marketing and event planning is necessary for all fashion promotion. Use of current news, events, and personalities as a basis for writing and evaluating institutional and product publicity releases for news and feature stories. Students plan publicity campaigns and create a press kit. Students plan and develop sales promotion activities in order to achieve specific marketing and communications objectives. Both business-to-business and business-to-consumer sales promotion campaigns are developed This online course provides an analysis of the principles and practices of e-commerce in fashion retailing and their relationship to customer service integrated as fashion promotion. Topics included a survey of brick & mortar fashion customer, its technology underpinnings; understanding and communicating with the e-customer. Case studies and projects will be used to apply the concepts.
FITS 335 Fashion Forecasting and Research Trends
Develop the science of predicting future fashion trends. Learn the relationship between forecasting, trend prediction, external, social changes, and historical style movements. Analyze past styled movements and establish an understanding of historical context, consumer trends, buying patterns, fads, and cults. Research color palettes, surface and fabric trends and concepts, form and silhouette changes, and product shifts. Learn to synthesis trends for new product by gaining insight into consumers' attitudes and lifestyles phases. Group and individual projects are used to access the students learning. This course is not intended for RCSC majors. No RCSC credit will be given for this course.
FITS 375 The Business of Fashion
This course provides an overview of the business aspects of the fashion industry. Students will explore fashion brand creation, design development, sourcing, production, global supply chain management and distribution. Students will also examine the legal aspects of fashion businesses including the law and copyright protections of patents, trademarks, trade dress, service marks, copyrights and licensing.
FITS 400 Digital Revolution and Cultural Trends: The Influencer Phenomenon
The rise of the digital influencer has propelled billions of marketing and advertising dollars into the social media economy. The construction and cultivation of influencers has resulted in self-branding, micro-celebrities who are Instafamous. The fashion industry has greatly benefited from this rapidly growing, dynamic, new digital space. This course will examine the influencer industry through close readings, videos, and in-depth analysis. Students will learn about how influencers create online personas, perform digital labor, and participate in the attention economy to commodify their labor. The course will further unpack the pros and cons of influencer culture, and question whether the future of human influencers will be replaced by CGI influencers (Computer Generated Imagery).
FITS 425 Apparel Production
This course presents an overview of the apparel production cycle, product design, creation, and distribution. Various assembly equipment used in the production process along with the importance of the technical package's relationship to the process will be stressed. Students will analyze garment design and construction features in order to understand their relationship to apparel cost and quality. Garment specification, time and motion studies, sourcing and sustainability are also covered. An introduction to the HIGG Index and how it is applied to apparel production will be discussed.
FITS 435 Society, Culture & Fashion
Universally, people make daily choices about what to or not to wear. This course presents a comparative examination of fashion across different cultural perspectives using Western and non-Western examples; we will take a three-pronged approach to distinguish dress across cultures, uncovering its relationship to human beings as biological, aesthetic, and social creatures. We will review readings collected from course text books, academic journals and other current articles from magazines and newspapers. In addition we will analyze the complexity of dress from a multidisciplinary perspective. Therefore we will explore topics that include anthropology, sociology, economics, fine arts, religion , natural sciences and technological changes.
FITS 450 Fashion and Technology
An in-depth look at how technology impacts the fashion industry. Examines uses of technology in the fashion design process, the emergence of wearable tech, the use of smart textiles, wearer-friendly interactive clothing, body scanners, and the Quantified Self (QS). The course further explores the revolutionary relationship between contemporary fashion and technology and how it translates into highly aspirational products that focus on self-expression.
FITS 496 Special Topics in the Fashion Industry's Science & Technology
This course provides an in-depth exploration of varying special topics within the fashion industry's science and technology field. The topics of the course vary depending on instructor and semester. Each course will overview core concepts, foundational knowledge, and practical applications about the topics presented. The course will focus on contemporary issues in the field and those issues' contextual positioning within industry, community, and societal contexts.
FITS 499 Independent Study
In this course, qualified students work on an individual basis with professors who have agreed to supervise such work.