Fashion

Overview

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

Fashion Merchandising, Associate in Science (AS)
Fashion Merchandising, Certificate of Achievement (ACH)
FASHION DESIGN

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

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FD 5
Product Development

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FD 9
Clothing Selection

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FD 10
Textile Fibers and Fabrics

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FD 20
Introduction to Fashion Industry

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FD 21
Quick Sketch Croquis Drawing

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FD 23
Fashion/Merchandise Buying

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FD 24
Fundamentals of Apparel Construction

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FD 25
Intermediate Apparel Construction

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FD 26
Advanced Sewing

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FD 27
Production Sewing

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FD 32
History of Fashion

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FD 36
Flat Pattern Drafting

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FD 37
Pattern Draping

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FD 38A
Fashion Design

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FD 38B
Fashion Design

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FD 38C
Fashion Design

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FD 38D
Fashion Design

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FD 40
Advanced and Production Pattern Drafting

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FD 41
Fashion Promotion

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FD 45
Digital Fashion Illustration

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FD 46
Advanced Digital Fashion Illustration

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FD 200
Trend Forecasting

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FD 210
Fashion Styling

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FD 213
Textile Surface Design

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FD 215
Fashion Sketching

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FD 216
Fashion Portfolio Development

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FD 230
Fashion Design Laboratory

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FD 231
Fashion Design Lab – Garment Closures 

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FD 244
Computer Patternmaking

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FD 258
Swimwear

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FD 271WE
Work Experience

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View Course Descriptions on LBCC College Catalog.

CAREER INFO


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

Careers in Fashion Design

  • Designer
  • Patternmaker
  • Technical Designer
  • Textile Designer

Careers in Fashion Merchandising

  • Buyer
  • Costing
  • Merchandiser
  • Product Developer
  • Production
  • Sales
  • Sales Representative
  • Sample Coordinator
  • Sourcing
  • Store Manager
  • Trend Forecaster
  • Visual Merchandiser

Careers in Styling

  • Stylist
  • Wardrobe Designer
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)?

Alicia Andujo​
(562) 938-4262
aandujo@lbcc.edu
LAC, A-1092

Tom To
(562) 938-4224
tto@lbcc.edu
PCC, GG-207

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.