Skip top navigation Skip to main content
Lasell University
Lasell University

2019 - 2020 Academic Catalog

Fashion Merchandising and Management Minor

The Fashion Merchandising and Management minor allows non-fashion majors to engage in a condensed study of the retail and manufacturing facet of the fashion industry. The minor consists of  19 credits; 7 courses- 3 of which are required foundations and 4 of which allow for exploration into various business aspects of the industry.

Course Code Course Title Credits
Minor Courses
FASH101 The Business of Fashion 3
FASH105 Excel for the Industry 1
MATH116 Merchandising and Financial Mathematics 3
Choose 4 from the following:
FASH102 The Fashion Consumer 3
FASH201 Merchandise Planning & Control 3
FASH207 Digital Tools for Fashion 3
FASH210 Textiles 3
FASH211 Retail Management and Operations 3
FASH309 Apparel Product Development 3
FASH406 Global Retailing 3
FASH410 Fashion Supply Chain Management 3

Credit Requirements for minor: 19 credits

FASH101 - The Business of Fashion

This survey course takes an interdisciplinary approach to the fashion business as it relates to cultural, historic, economic, and contemporary influences, giving students a basic understanding of the terms and concepts associated with the fashion and retail industries. The concepts and practices developed are equally applicable to the many career paths possible within the Fashion Industry. Topics include: technological applications, environmental influences on fashion; the fashion cycle; trend forecasting; fashion marketing; women's, men's, and children's apparel; supply chain management; product development, foreign and domestic market centers; and retail merchandising on multiple platforms.

FASH105 - Excel for the Industry

Microsoft Excel is the foundation of business analytical software and has become the number one required skill for industry professionals. This course will introduce basic spreadsheet functions such as; formatting, data entry, pivot tables and analytical graphical display. Projects will directly reflect best industry practices. Students will apply developed skills to projects throughout the fashion curriculum.

MATH116 - Merchandising and Financial Mathematics

This course focuses on retail mathematics. Topics include simple and compound interest, the time-value of capital, annuities, amortization, sinking funds, bond and investment, business problem-solving and decision making. Other topics include profit, loss, and break-even analysis, pricing, inventory, and merchandise planning. The course introduces basic theories of statistics. Prerequisite: MATH 106 with a grade of C or better or through placement testing.

FASH102 - The Fashion Consumer

This course examines the psychological and sociological variables that shape the fashion consumer’s decision-making process. The wants and needs of consumers will be explored through an understanding of attitudes, and purchase motivation. Students will consider internal and external influencing factors, including the influence of social media and technology, the potential impact of government regulation, the consumer’s perception of self, and their perceived social and ethical responsibilities. The goal of building a strategy towards a satisfied and loyal customer will be at the heart of the conversation.

FASH201 - Merchandise Planning & Control

This course provides an understanding of business strategies related to assortment planning, buying, and allocating inventory. Building upon retail math and excel fundamentals, students create stock and sales plans in accordance with the goals and objectives of a given seasonal sales strategy, including methods of figuring markups, sales projections, turnover, average stock, stock-to-sales ratios, open-to-buy, markdowns, and gross margin. Negotiation skills related to terms of sale, shipping and pricing strategies are explored within the wholesale/retail business relationship. Both manual and computer-based calculations are explored through the use of Excel.. Prerequisite: FASH 101, FASH105 & MATH116

FASH207 - Digital Tools for Fashion

Technical skills are becoming more and more a required proficiency in all capacities of the fashion industry. This course introduces Fashion & Retail Merchandising and Fashion Communication & Promotion students to software prominently used for apparel manufacturing, retail and media. With a focus on methods of visual communication, projects include technical drawing, colorization, editing, and integration and manipulation of photographic images.

FASH210 - Textiles

This course introduces the study of textiles through exploration of the production of fibers and methods of creating fabrics. Students learn to identify fiber content, properties and various types of weaving and knitting applications. Other topics include the study of fiber characteristics, quality and care of fabric finishes, and a practical assessment of fabrics in relationship to particular end uses.

FASH211 - Retail Management and Operations

The course will review ways in which both brick and mortar and e-commerce channels are managed in terms of strategic planning, store operations and logistics, merchandise promotion, employee management and development, inventory control, and growth strategies. Using industry based case studies and forum discussions, students will survey various types of innovative retail formats and merchandising techniques within Omnichannel platforms as well as various consumer dynamics. The course will also evaluate levels of technology used by retailers within their ecosystems.Prerequisite: FASH101 & ECON101

FASH309 - Apparel Product Development

Exploring the global product development matrix, students in this course work together in teams to explore the product lifecycle in terms of sourcing and production. Class sessions combine lectures and cases with hands-on exercises to reinforce key concepts. This survey course covers topics including supply chain management, design calendars, apparel product price points, brand differentiation, product distribution channels, trend forecasting services, color management, specification and technical package development, sizing, quality control, ethics, and evaluation of the global production environment. Pre-requisite: FASH211

FASH406 - Global Retailing

This course is a concentrated exploration of the challenges of serving international retail dynamics and trends. The focus will be to provide students global perspectives regarding retailing through different channels within a variety of geographies. With an emphasis on increasing demand for product, marketing, merchandising and supply chain analysis, this course enables the student to interpret a worldwide perspective when planning for retail execution across regions with different seasonality, retail models and supply chain dynamics. Topics will include; competitive threat from online retailing, the challenge of cybersecurity, similarities and differences of international retail business models, distribution and supply chain practices and the fragmentation of the consumer market. FASH302 or permission of instructor.

FASH410 - Fashion Supply Chain Management

This course will enable the student to learn the elements of the global supply chain. Students will review in detail supply chain from raw materials to the consumer. Content will also include organizational logistics, sourcing and production, inventory and information systems. The course focuses on the apparel and textile industry and discusses Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as global factors that impact the supply chain. Students will gain an understanding of how the fashion industry supply chain relates to various roles in a fashion company from designer to merchandiser so that value can be created for the consumer. Pre-requisite: FASH309 & MATH208