Connections

"I was so amazed to get such a great job right out of college," says Katie Keyes. After graduating from the two-year diploma program, she landed a job as a Visual Representative with Buffalo Jeans. Another graduate of the program, Adam Martin, landed a job as an Assistant Sports Wear Buyer with an equally high-profile company - menswear giant Harry Rosen's.

So why are grads like Katie and Adam in such high demand in the fashion industry? First and foremost, Humber's Fashion program is different from every other program in the field because it focuses on the business and promotional aspects of the industry. In the first year of the program, students take courses in traditional business topics like marketing, product knowledge, trend forecasting, Photoshop, and colour and styling theory. In the second year, practical skills are emphasized in courses on fashion events production, cosmetic marketing and product launch, business plan preparation, and fashion shoot styling. Students also study retail operations, buying, store planning and international trade to round out the retail component of their education.

It was the business focus of Humber's Fashion program that initially attracted Katie Keyes: "That's what I really liked. I didn't want to be a fashion designer; I really loved the business side of the industry. I loved the realworld side of it. If you love planning and being a leader this program is for you. If you love being creative and have many ideas about the industry, this program is for you. If you love being hands-on, this program is especially for you."

The Fashion Placement Experience 

The field placement component of the Fashion program is a key reason why grads are in such high demand. As Adam describes, "the classes really gave me a chance to learn about all aspects of the fashion industry, like buying, marketing, colour theory, coordination, and event production. In the classroom, you get to focus on what interests you. Then, with the field placement, you get to really develop what you need to succeed after graduation. I was interested in marketing and buying, other classmates of mine were interested in production and cosmetics."

Adam says it was his field placement with Harry Rosen's that allowed him to land a job after graduation: "Susan Weiler, the field placement mentor, gave me a contact name at Harry Rosen's. I made contact, got sent over to their HR department, went for an interview and said I was interested in marketing or buying. They said most of the buying was based in Italy, so I decided to give marketing a shot. I learned so much just from sitting in on meetings and experiencing how a fashion workplace functioned." Adam is the first student from Humber to be offered a field placement at Harry Rosen's.

Katie's placement experience included stints as an Editorial Intern with Glow Magazine and a Category Assistant at Shoppers Drugmart. "At Shoppers I was a Category Assistant and helped with things like vendor correspondence and cosmetic selection for weekly flyers. At Glow, I was an Editorial Intern where I assisted with photo shoots, vendor communications, and pulling press kits together. I also spent some time at CAO Productions Inc., where I did a lot of work helping put on fashion shows - dressing and fitting models, stage set-up, recruiting, assisting and communicating with vendors. I'm really grateful for the amazing placements that I had."

Program Coordinator Susan Roberton says that the field placement experience really does prepare students for lifeafter graduation. According to Susan, the placement experience gives students "an opportunity to see what finding a job in the industry is really like. We provide contacts with alumni and previous employers, we introduce them into various industry networks, and we provide a whole range of job strategy skills. But getting a job is a job in itself and that is why we have students find their own placement positions. With encouragement and support from faculty and alumni, our experience is that students find the most amazing positions when they develop their own contacts and hone their own job search and interview skills. They get the jobs that they may never have realized existed before. And the great thing is that many students find full-time employment from their field placement jobs, which of course, is the ideal situation."

Still need more convincing to apply to the Fashion program? Just listen to Katie Keyes: "There are a million reasons to apply, but here's a few. The teachers are phenomenal. They are all so experienced and know so much about the industry. They want to help you whenever you need it, with school, with life, with anything. They were just amazing. They helped me find field placements, they had really good advice when it came to projects, and their passion for the industry and teaching really inspired me to be successful."

Contact Susan Roberton at susan.roberton@humber.ca to find out for yourself why a Fashion diploma from Humber means business!