The New York Immersion class is a six credit course at Philadelphia University that runs during the fall semester. Sophomores in the fashion design and fashion merchandising programs are allowed to apply to take part, and Nioka Wyatt, the program director of fashion merchandising, is one of the main professors involved. Her Campus PhilaU’s Julia Pilch is involved in the program and sat down with Professor Wyatt to talk about it more.
“It is the only course offered in both design and merchandising where students are collaborating on an industry project and simulating the way we actually work in industry on different projects,” says Nioka Wyatt, summing up the course. Each semester students have been working with fashion company Xcel brands to create new lines for different designers and brands owned by the company. Last year, students worked to create a home line for Isaac Mizrahi and this year students are working with the brand C. Wonder, a New York based retailer. This time they have no restrictions on which product category they would like to work within.
This partnership between PhilaU and Xcel brands is largely due to Professor Wyatt, who worked for QVC for many years and helped guide PhilaU’s connection with them to create this project.
“One of Xcel’s main platforms is QVC and this project was initiated because of the relationship that we still have with their Vice President of Merchandising. When I was still working at QVC, she was a merchandise trainee and then was eventually promoted to assistant buyer then buyer then director and now she’s the Vice President, so she’s always throwing us projects to work on with the students.”
New York Immersion presents a unique opportunity for students to work with industry professionals. Professor Wyatt elaborates, “it also introduces students to executives and fashion companies and it’s important [that] you get to learn about not only their company strategy, but also what it’s like to work in design and merchandising at different companies. I think that’s important as you begin to shop for your own career paths and think of what your future will entail.”
Students’ work on this project is ongoing throughout the semester. The project is time consuming and difficult, but the knowledge that the students take away from this experience is exponential. Professor Wyatt says that multiple industry professionals can see how PhilaU students taking the course are “more polished.” One industry representative states, “I have not seen this at any other university.” Students also visit other companies to meet with high-up executives and are given tours of show rooms. This year, students spent four days in New York attending fashion shows during New York Fashion Week, giving them an opportunity to learn their way around the city.
This program can also help students down the road. When asking Nioka if this class can bring about internship opportunities, she said “absolutely, most of our students get internship opportunities at the companies we take them to in New York, and we are looking into cultivating new relationships.”
Image by Julia Pilch