Overview of Fashion Merchandising

Every Great Boutique or Department store needs a Wizard of Oz-someone behind the curtain making everything appear as impressive as possible-someone deciding to stock ruby slippers because they're the next big thing. Fashion merchandising experts accomplish tasks like these on a regular basis.

Fashion Merchandising requires a blend of fashion sense and business expertise. Style alone won't yield a successful career in this field. Staying ahead of the fashion curve is a feat involving both art and science. Strategy and marketing know-how are an integral part of fashion merchandising.


Fashion Merchandising is the combination of the processes that a new fashion item must go through to be available in mass quantities to the consumer after it is left the hands of the designer. Fashion merchandising often gets confused with fashion marketing and although they work together, they are two very different things. To understand fashion merchandising completely, it is important to examine the role that fashion merchandising plays in manufacturing, buying, promoting and selling fashion items

Students in Fashion Merchandising learn how to manufacture, buy, promote, and sell fashion items, from clothing and jewelry to cosmetics and furniture. They also learn about textiles (fabrics and the fibers used to make them).