Fashion Design
Recent Student Work
About the Fashion Design Program
find the perfect path for you.
- More studio-intensive experience
- 65 credits of studio courses (about ½ of your total coursework)
- Capstone experience + annual fashion design show thesis exhibition
*Students may also earn the BFA as part of a dual-degree program.
- Broader liberal arts focus
- 30-36 credits of studio courses (about ¼ of your total coursework)
- Optional concentration in Fashion Design
- No capstone requirement
*Students may also earn the BA as part of a dual-degree program.
- Optional concentration in Fashion Design
- Designed for WashU undergraduates pursuing a primary degree in another discipline
- Develops essential skills like visual thinking + creativity
- Creative Practice for Social Change
- Design
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Studio Art
During senior year, students in the BFA program design a capsule collection that defines their personal aesthetic. Students are guided by faculty and professional mentors from the stages of concept and research, to pattern and muslin, to final garment construction and presentation. Designs are featured by professional models on the runway in the annual Fashion Design Show and reviewed by external fashion professionals.
Recent professional mentors:
2023: Keith Lissner, Executive Vice President, Design, Vera Wang
Rony Patzán, Buyer—American Designer & Evening Collections, Saks Fifth Avenue
Jason Ross, Founder and Creative Director, Artemas Quibble, Wallace Herndon Smith Distinguished Visiting Faculty | Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts
Bret Schnitker, Founder and CEO, Stars Design Group
Jillian Shatken, BFA ’07, Owner and Creative Director, Saylor
Paula Varsalona, BFA ’71 Owner, Founder, and Designer, Paula Varsalona NYC
2021: Xavier Brisoux, designer, Maille Haute Sculpture
2020: Philip Fimmano, executive director and curator, Trend Union / Edelkoort Studio
2019: Jillian Shatken, BFA ’07, Owner and Creative Director, Saylor
FASHION DESIGN FACULTY
Alumni Spotlight
Featured news
After working in corporate fashion for more than 20 years, Anastasia White (BFA96) founded crescent bleu in 2019.
