Fashion

Fashion is among the largest and most established industries in California and Long Beach City College is located in one of the country’s largest fashion hubs. The fashion industry looks to LA for its “LA style”, trendsetters, influencers, celebrities, and innovations in premium denim, swimwear and active apparel. A fashion education can provide the necessary background and skills for a career in this ever thriving and dynamic field. The LBCC Fashion Design & Merchandising program provides an environment that promotes critical thinking, creativity, multicultural awareness, sustainable practices, hands-on learning, work experience and networking. Our students learn from faculty who have worked in the fashion industry and bring their experience and industry connections to the classroom.

FASHION DESIGN & MERCHANDISING - Program Brochure

(Program Video: LBCC Career Technical Education, Fashion)
 

DEGREES & CERTIFICATES

FASHION MERCHANDISING

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Fashion Merchandising, Associate in Science (AS)

Fashion Merchandising, Certificate of Achievement (ACH)

FASHION DESIGN

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Fashion Design, Associate in Science (AS)

Fashion Design, Certificate of Achievement (ACH)

Fashion Design – Custom Apparel Design, Certificate of Achievement (ACH)

Fashion Design – Patternmaker/Technical Design, Certificate of Achievement (ACH)

Fashion Design – Wardrobe Designer/Stylist, Certificate of Achievement (ACH)

Fashion Design – Advanced Apparel Construction, Certificate of Completion (C-COMPL)

Fashion Design – Industrial Sewing and Factory Production Methods, Certificate of Completion (C-COMPL)

Fashion Design – Swimwear Construction, Certificate of Completion (C-COMPL)

Fashion Design – Textile Surface Design, Certificate of Completion (C-COMPL)

View all LBCC’s Programs of Study and Curriculum Guides
(New students need to refer to the current academic year for the most up-to-date info) 

Receiving a Degree/Certificate

Class Schedule

Make an Appointment

COURSE OFFERINGS

View courses offered in different semesters to assist in academic planning.

Course Name	Fall	Winter	Spring	Summer	Advanced/Capstone Courses Only Offered Every 3-4 Semesters
FD 3 Intro to Careers in Fashion
FD 5 Product Development
FD 9 Clothing Selection
FD 10 Textile Fibers and Fabrics
FD 20 Introduction to Fashion Industry
FD 21 Quick Sketch Croquis Drawing
FD 23 Fashion/Merchandise Buying
FD 24 Fundamentals of Apparel Construction
FD 25 Intermediate Apparel Construction
FD 26 Advanced Sewing
FD 27 Production Sewing
FD 32 History of Fashion
FD 36 Flat Pattern Drafting
FD 37 Pattern Draping
FD 38A Fashion Design
FD 38B Fashion Design
FD 38C Fashion Design
FD 38D Fashion Design
FD 40 Advanced and Production Pattern Drafting
FD 41 Fashion Promotion
FD 45 Digital Fashion Illustration
FD 46 Advanced Digital Fashion Illustration
FD 200 Trend Forecasting
FD 210 Fashion Styling
FD 213 Textile Surface Design
FD 215 Fashion Sketching
FD 216 Fashion Portfolio Development
FD 230 Fashion Design Laboratory
FD 231 Fashion Design Lab – Garment Closures
FD 244 Computer Patternmaking
FD 258 Swimwear
FD 271WE Work Experience

View Course Descriptions on LBCC College Catalog.

CAREER INFO

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Long Beach City College is located right in the middle of two Southern California apparel hubs; the Orange County action sports industry and the LA fashion district, home to the largest apparel wholesale market in the world, the California Market Center. L.A. fashion is truly a global industry with a range of career opportunities. Long Beach City College Fashion Program prepares students for entry-level jobs in the fashion industry, transfer to a University, and provides the technical skills to start a custom apparel line.
 

POTENTIAL JOBS

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Careers in Fashion Design

Careers in Fashion Merchandising

Careers in Styling

To explore potential jobs in this field of study, we strongly urge you to visit LBCC Career Center. Working with a career counselor, we will assess your strengths, skills, interests, and accomplishments to help you identify internship opportunities and career goals that match your educational and professional needs.

FAQ

What is the difference between Design and Merchandising?

Merchandising focuses more on the business end of fashion. This includes math for generating profit, the process of buying, manufacturing concepts, and an understanding of textiles and the fashion design process from concept to creation.

The design side focuses more on the concepts and creation of apparel.  This includes multiple levels of sewing, pattern making, sketching (by hand and on the computer), and design. Course work includes the development of concepts such as trends, color, fabric, and silhouette design.

Both Design and Merchandising require learning computer programs used in the fashion industry, such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.

I am interested in getting a Bachelor’s degree, are there classes that transfer to a university?

Yes, we work closely with the apparel/fashion programs at CSULB, CSULA, and Cal Poly Pomona. You can visit assist.org to view classes that transfer. You can also meet with a counselor or meet with fashion faculty who can help you identify the classes that transfer.

I am a fashion Design student and don’t know what classes to take my first semester?

We recommend you schedule an appointment with a counselor and with fashion faculty prior to your first semester to make sure you are registered for the appropriate courses. Make a 30-minute appointment with an academic counselor to receive services in educational plans, transcript evaluation, and career planning.

In the Design program, some courses have a specific sequence that needs to be followed. Courses taken in the first semester build the skills you need for courses that you will take in the second semester.  For example:

• If your first semester begins in the FALL you will register for: FD24 Fundamentals of Apparel Construction, FD36 Pattern Drafting.
• If your first semester begins in the SPRING you will register for: FD24 Fundamentals of Apparel Construction, FD37 Pattern Draping.

Who are the Career and Technical Education (CTE counselors)?

What is the difference between an Associate of Science Degree and a Certificate of Achievement?

An Associate of Science Degree will prepare you for transfer to a university. It includes both general education coursework and fashion coursework. Many of our fashion students transfer to Cal State Long Beach, Cal State LA, and Cal Poly Pomona’s Fashion programs.

A Certificate will prepare you to go straight into the fashion industry. It focuses only on fashion coursework and has no general education requirements.

How much does the program cost?

Please visit Financial Aid for tuition cost and Federal Work-Study information.

How to transfer and lookup comparable course listings?

To help determine if courses taken at other schools are comparable to Long Beach City College courses, please visit LBCC Transfer Evaluation System (TES).

For more information, please visit LBCC Transfer Center.

How do I receive my degree or certificate after I finish the coursework?

You will need to complete an application for your degree or certificate and submit that application to the LBCC Admissions & Records office. Read how to apply for graduation and receive your degree or certificate for more details.