According to its web site, the Academy of Art is one of the top schools in the nation, hosting one of the most famous fashion shows in the business. Classes include fashion design, merchandising, fashion marketing and journalism, knitwear and textile design, active sportswear design, visual merchandising, store design, history of fashion and sustainable and green design. The school prepares students for careers as designers, journalists and merchandisers. Firms ranging from Old Navy to Giorgio Armani hire Academy of Art graduates.
Academy of Art University
Admissions Department
79 New Montgomery St., 4th Flr.
San Francisco, CA 94105-3410
(415) 274-2200
academyart.edu
California College of the Arts seeks to inspire students to innovate and spark change in the industry. "Students gain technical expertise in pattern making, sewing, draping, and fashion illustration and learn the visual and verbal communication skills necessary for success in all aspects of the global field," says Amy Williams, the program chair. The college provides a rigorous curriculum, offering courses in drawing, fashion design illustration, body in motion drawing, visual studies and dynamics, and media history in addition to the core requirements in math, science and literature.
California College of the Arts
San Francisco campus
1111 Eighth St.
San Francisco, CA 94107-2247
(415) 703-9500
cca.edu
The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) has several campuses, with the main one in downtown Los Angeles near the garment district. Classes include beauty industry and merchandising, digital media, fashion design, knitwear design, graphic design, interior design, jewelry design, merchandise marketing, product development, textile design, visual communications, footwear design and many more.
Los Angeles Campus
919 South Grand Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90015-1421
(213) 624-1201
fidm.edu