The boulevard is an emblem of tradition at SMU, but in recent years, it has come to create a new tradition. Crafted by color and texture, this new tradition is one of trend: fashion.
SMU’s boulevard is a fashion runway in itself. It is a place where students can display individual styles and show off seasonal trends. The boulevard has even become a haven for bloggers, such as D Magazine’s Style Sheet, which includes various photographs of chic students spotted on campus. But what opportunities in fashion are available for students that exceed the daily walk down the campus catwalk when walking from class to class?
Fall 2011 marked the introduction of the Fashion Media minor as an addition to the journalism department in the Meadows School of the Arts. Approximately 40 students have declared Fashion Media minors, but the program is rapidly expanding.
According to senior Meg Jones, the campus editor of SMU Style, event coordinator of SMU Retail Club, and the SMU Fashion Week coordinator, the program is “still very young, but it’s growing and expanding.” She further explains that the Fashion Media Department is “trying to get as much interest from students early on so that they are exposed to all the different opportunities in which the minor has to offer.”
The minor’s most recent opportunity is its new website, which was launched Feb. 9. Camille Kraeplin, director of Fashion Media minor and professor in the journalism department, is thrilled with the site and what it has to offer for students.
“The students in my Fashion Journalism course produced all the written content and worked with Fashion Photography students on many of the visuals,” Kraeplin says. But the educational experience goes beyond just writing and photography she further explains, “They are also learning more about producing a Web-based publication and about production cycles and meeting deadlines.”
Another opportunity, which is in the works, is a spreadsheet of fashion internships that students have held in the past. The spreadsheet includes all contact information needed, as well as the positions and job tittles held by the different students. The spreadsheet will be passed down to fashion media minors and added on to.
This spreadsheet will help students interested in fashion since already numerous SMU students have held prominent positions in the fashion industry. Jones gives details on classmates, saying, “Just in my class alone, I think there are people who have worked for Vogue, Teen Vogue, Lucky, Vanity Fair, D Magazine, and Papercity.”
With its new website, job networking, and campus opportunities, the minor may be on its way to a major. According to Kraeplin, “recently—primarily due to the very positive response we’ve had to the minor—there has been talk of expanding the program to a major.”
However, is a major necessary? Some students argue yes, since fashion is so prevalent and popular amongst SMU students. But in today’s world, where the work field is so competitive, students need to be well rounded and possess various strengths in order to set them apart from other job applicants.
Versatility is key when building a successful career, so studying fashion only could potentially narrow one’s skills. The Fashion Media Minor, however, gives students a broad range of knowledge through its required courses, which encompass theater, art history, film, photography, public relations, journalism, and advertising.
Jones explains, “[Employers are] going to hire someone who can write really well about fashion, or the student who has taken fashion photography and knows how to take street style photography and use fashion photography lighting or the student who has taken PR courses and has all the fundamentals and skills of public relations and knows how to bring that to the fashion industry.”
While Fashion Media may only be a minor, the opportunities are available for those students looking to start a fashion-oriented career, or just simply enjoy fashion and are looking for a means to channel their passion.