Business of Creative & Fashion Styling (College/Adult)

Course Description

In this hands-on course, students explore creative and fashion styling as both a visual practice and a fashion business function within the global fashion industry. Designed for emerging creatives, career changers, and aspiring stylists, the course combines studio-based styling with the strategic, commercial, and operational knowledge required to work within fashion business environments. Students begin with foundational creative methods, including primary and secondary research, image and data analysis, concept development, and exploratory styling exercises. Visits to showrooms, retailers, and production spaces provide insight into how styling operates within fashion business systems, influencing brand image, merchandising strategy, and marketing objectives. Building on this foundation, the course examines how styling functions across various contexts, including editorial, commercial, e-commerce, product, and lifestyle, and how visual strategy influences brand positioning, consumer behavior, representation, and sales within competitive market landscapes. Through individual and group projects, as well as engagement with industry professionals, students learn professional workflows that include creative direction, collaboration, strategic budget planning, and business decision-making. Students will develop a professional styling portfolio and a career or business blueprint supported by research and process documentation. Whether your goal is to build a styling business, join a brand or retailer, or expand your creative career, this course equips you with the creative vision and business strategy to start your styling journey.

NOTE: This course requires students to bring a modern computer laptop to class to complete course assignments. The New School provides all degree and credit-seeking students (enrolled in the current term) with subscriptions for the full Adobe Creative Cloud suite of applications.

Learner Outcomes

• Develop and communicate creative styling concepts through visual research and presentations, including trend reports, mood boards, and creative direction presentations that articulate the narrative, brand identity, and target audience
• Apply styling practices across industry contexts, including editorial, commercial, e-commerce, product, and lifestyle formats, demonstrating technical and aesthetic judgment
• Manage professional workflows, including pulls, budgets, merchandising systems, production planning, and on-set logistics
• Analyze how styling influences brand strategy, merchandising, and selling, including its role in shaping consumer perception, commercial outcomes, and representation across race, size, ability, gender identity, and culture
• Analyze consumer behavior, competitive market landscapes, and future-of-fashion trends to inform styling decisions
• Apply foundational business skills relevant to fashion styling, including understanding the fashion pyramid, contract agreements, budgeting strategies, intellectual property, and client communication
• Collaborate effectively within creative and corporate teams, communicating styling direction while working with brand partners, merchandisers, designers, and production teams to support both creative and business objectives
• Produce a cohesive professional styling portfolio and career blueprint, supported by primary and secondary research and process documentation, articulating a clear creative identity and strategic plan

Additional Information