Scholarships for the Most Passionate of Fashionistas

By Amanda Cohen on January 15, 2017

Fashion is considered a completely different realm when it comes to college applications, deciding what major you would like to pursue, and financial assistance in the form of scholarships. However, since fashion is not always included in the area of more conventional major choices, like psychology, English, communications, economics, etc., many people do not know if they can receive financial assistance in order to pursue the wonderful art of fashion.

Before writing this article, I honestly did not know what fashion scholarships existed simply because fashion is not my field of study. However, after conducting a quick search on Google, I was able to find a plethora of scholarships that fashionistas should look into (quick note … these are only a few of the scholarships that I found in the 200+ pages of options on Google, so make sure that you conduct some research of your own)!

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#LiveLikeLyly Memorial Scholarship: This scholarship specifically targets Asian-American students who want to pursue a career in fashion and/or graphic design, therefore it is open to people who are not specifically fashion majors. Learn more about the #LiveLikeLyly scholarship here.

CBC Spouses Visual Arts Scholarship: This scholarship is really open to any individual who is pursuing a career that involves substantial creativity — ceramics, drawing, fashion, architecture, photography, interior design, illustration, graphic design, sketching, painting, and video production. It is open to both African American U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents. If you want to learn more about the CBC Spouses Visual Arts scholarship, click on this link.

YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund: This scholarship is presented to students who have had a 3.0 GPA or above while in college. FSF is a major nonprofit organization that supports those who want to pursue a career in fashion. However, the scholarship is available to people who are not pursuing a fashion major, but rather, a major than can be somewhat applicable to the fashion industry (this ranges from economics to apparel design). If you want to learn more about the YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund, click here.

The Art Institutes Fashion Program: The Art Institutes Fashion Program does not list any specific scholarships on their websites unless you have applied; however, they do say that they provide a plethora of financial aid opportunities for their fashion students. Since the Art Institutes is a very specific type of education focused on fashion and the creative arts, their scholarships are only open to those who are sure about pursuing a career in fashion and/or the creative arts. Learn more about the Art Institutes Fashion Program here.

If these specific scholarships are not what you are looking for and/or you are not eligible to apply, I suggest looking into applying to colleges that are solely fashion-based. Here is a list of great colleges that cater to students who want to pursue a career in fashion:

•Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) in four different locations in California

•Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York, New York

•Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in Providence, Rhode Island

•Parsons School of Design in New York, New York

•Kingston University in London, United Kingdom

•London College of Fashion in London, United Kingdom

•Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia

•ESMOD in Paris, France

In addition, if you are not entirely sure that you want to pursue a career in fashion, but you still want to gain some expertise, look into your individual university’s club and class offerings for classes revolving around fashion. At some schools, you can even create your own major and/or minor in fashion if you are willing to put the time into making one. If you decide later in the game that you want to pursue a career in fashion, consider studying abroad in some of the most accredited fashion capitals of the world (like Paris, France or Milan, Italy). Also, take advantage of summer internships in the fashion world to get some firsthand experience in the field as both a student and an employee.

There are so many undiscovered fashion scholarships and opportunities out there that I have not mentioned in this article, and they are easier than you think to find. Do a quick search on Google or talk to your advisor at college to find out what these other opportunities are and whether or not you qualify to apply. If applying to a fashion-specific scholarship is not in the books for you, but you need financial assistance and you want to continue to pursue a career in fashion, make sure you are looking at scholarships that are need-based rather than just skill-based and talk to your university’s financial aid office so that you have the means to pursue the fashion career of your dreams.

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