Fashion Design & Product Development

Fashion design and product development students are encouraged to experiment and innovate while keeping market demands in mind. Wade College offers the latest industry-related technology in fashion design and product development to prepare students for careers within the industry. Facilities include industrial sewing machines and sergers, industry-standard pattern drafting tables, a variety of standard and custom-made dress forms, and gravity feed steam irons. The college’s computer and graphics laboratories feature individual workstations with connectivity to laser printers and scanners, Gerber Accumark pattern plotters and digitizers, software such as Gerber’s Yunique PLM, Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, and online access to fashion resources such as WGSN, a trend forecasting resource, The University of Fashion, WWD, and the Internet and WWD. The fashion design and product development program merges today’s latest computer software with hand skills utilized in garment design and construction.

At the freshman and sophomore associate level, the program emphasizes a strong technical skills foundation in construction, patternmaking, and draping while teaching design skills including, fashion sketching, fashion-related technology, trend analysis, promotion, textiles, and presentation while providing a strong technical background in patternmaking, draping, and sewing. Students also gain an awareness of the aesthetics of fashion design. In addition, students learn Gerber’s Yunique PLM product lifecycle management software, and digital patternmaking on the Accumark system, one of the industry’s most-widely used computerized pattern-making systems. Each trimester, graduating fashion design students at the associate-degree level design and present a finished collection at the Wade College Professional Portfolio Critique. Presentation skills are judged by a panel of faculty members and industry professionals that selects a best collection. Students also develop a professional portfolio geared to their individual career goals in the fashion industry. Fashion design and product development students are also given the opportunity to share their creativity by participating in design competitions and by showcasing their work at student shows held throughout the year. In addition, students will have the opportunity to further their knowledge with opportunities to gain industry experience during markets at Dallas Market Center.

At the junior and senior level baccalaureate, the program emphasizes advanced skills topics in garment design, customer research, product development, trend analysis and forecasting, technical design, and presentation skills while providing a strong technical enhancing students’ skills background in advanced computerized patternmaking, draping, and sewing. Elective studio courses address advanced topics that could include construction utilizing hand tailoring methods, evaluation of construction and costing, tailoring, advanced draping methods, knit and swimwear, and/or bridal and evening wear. Communication within the industry regarding garment construction, detailing, and fabrication utilizing computer aided design programs and Yunique PLM software is a focus. Baccalaureate students receive advanced instruction in the business of fashion as they complete merchandising coursework spanning the complete product lifecycle. Advanced techniques for development of the fashion flat and fashion illustration using industry-related computer-aided design programs are also executed. Mastery of the fields of design and merchandising is demonstrated by all graduating baccalaureate-level students in a formal presentation at the Professional Portfolio Critique. Students gain an awareness of the aesthetics of fashion design by designing a collection from inspiration in each studio course and completing it with a finished garment and formal presentation at the Professional Portfolio Critique.