FASHION MERCHANDISING AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
COURSE DESCRIPTION

FASHION 9 - FASHION MERCHANDISING/ENTREPRENEURSHIP I (3 credits)
All Grade 9 students go through the Exploratory Program.  Please see page 7 for more detail. Students deciding to enter the field of fashion merchandising and entrepreneurship will be introduced to the basics of safety and sanitation, as well as equipment identification and use. Students will be introduced to the world of fashion by exploring the components of fashion, and why fashion has been important through history.  Students will examine the basics of marketing fashion products and a wide variety of fashion businesses as well as learn about the variety of fashion products and follow the manufacturing process, from raw materials to finished products (examine fibers and fabrics (natural and man-made) and how they become fabrics.  Technology-related mathematics, reading, writing, vocabulary and science are integrated throughout the curriculum.

FASHION 10 – FASHION MERCHANDISING/ENTREPRENEURSHIP II (3 credits)
In Grade 10, students will learn about various marketing and merchandising activities for fashion goods and services and explain why they play an important role in domestic and global economics; explore product planning and research, buying and selling, pricing and merchandising and advertising and promotion; examine different types of fashion products and how fashion trends  move through the fashion cycle; examine the important role of fashion designers and the design process as well as the process involved in making fashion; define e-commerce and some of the key components of the internet, including FTP, e-mail, and the world wide web.  Define the seven commonly used Business models on the web, which include: business-to-business, business-to-consumer, consumer-to-consumer, and consumer-to-business; develop an understanding of e-tailing and the components of a successful e‑commerce business, including merchandising, payment options, order fulfillment and customer service.  Technology-related mathematics, reading, writing, vocabulary and science are integrated throughout the curriculum.

FASHION 11 – FASHION MERCHANDISING/ENTREPRENEURSHIP III (3 credits)
In Grade 11, students will focus on the principles of business management and entrepreneurship.   Instruction will cover topics such as buying, selling, payments, stock records, negotiating terms and conditions with buyers.  Students will also be introduced to business planning, franchising, corporations and e-commerce and fashion marketing.

FASHION 12 – FASHION MERCHANDISING/ENTREPRENEURSHIP IV (3 credits)
In Grade 12, students will be operating a store featuring fashion related items within the school, which will be open to the public.  Students will be expected to perform all the operations of running the fashion store to include budgeting, sales promotions, events coordination, product merchandising, and inventory control, utilizing the electronic Point of Sale System.  Students will set and establish goals and objectives for an e-commerce website while considering the target audience demographics; practices website development and follow basic design principals, including color consistency, visual balance, graphics, and multimedia; understand the importance of website positioning and back-end management to ensure a good customer experience.  They will also be introduced to fashion marketing and to entrepreneurship trends.  Students reaching an acceptable level of proficiency may be eligible for Work Based Learning (WBL).

Students can choose to further their education at numerous colleges and universities across the country in order to obtain a two or four year degree in fashion merchandising, retail merchandising, or visual merchandising.  Immediate employment opportunities upon graduation include sales opportunities in a variety of retail stores or clothing manufacturers or tailoring.