Students thinking about rolling out of bed to attend one class might have to reconsider.
In addition to doing their homework and writing papers, students enrolled in Steven Fischer’s “The Fashion Industry: An Overview of How and Why it Works” must dress to impress. A dress code for the course is outlined in the syllabus.
After being offered for the first time during Fall and Winter quarters this year, the popular class in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences Business Institutions Program will be offered again next fall.
“We want the class to be, in a sense, a laboratory,” Fischer said from his office at the Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center. “Our own self-image is what drives fashion.”
The course, which Fischer said is the first of its kind at a major university, is so widely popular that Fall Quarter’s 30-person class had a waiting list of more than 100 names.
As a result, Fischer now requires interested students to submit an application for enrollment in the course. He already has received more than 90 applications for fall’s class.
Even though he admitted he isn’t a fashion guru, he said he sensed that Northwestern students are interested in fashion when about 75 students attended a speech given by designer Susan Sokol, president of Vera Wang, in November 2004.
Fischer spends much of his class time teaching students that fashion is more than just centerfolds and models – it’s a way students can learn about other industries. In his lectures, he relates fashion to other industries and teaches students about the business of fashion by requiring them to subscribe to Women’s Wear Daily, a daily trade newspaper.
“There is power to the clothes we wear because of what they do to us psychologically,” Fischer said.
Guest speakers such as Maureen Sherriff, the North American creative director for the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, and Sara Albrecht, the owner of Chicago’s Ultimo Boutique, also educate students about the industry.
Albrecht, Kellogg ’95, spoke about her store, the issues it faces and the fashion market in general.
“When I told people I knew about the class, they were surprised to hear that Northwestern offered it,” Albrecht said. “It was really great to see students with enthusiasm about the subject.”
Fischer also leads discussions on the international aspects of fashion: where clothes are made and how they make their way to store shelves.
“This sounds like a fluff topic, but through the lens of fashion, we can look at so many other disciplines,” Fischer said.
Although men have enrolled in the class, Fischer said it draws mostly females “because of the way humans are socialized.”
Weinberg sophomore Nick Rizzo was the only male student in Fischer’s class Winter Quarter. He recalled one lecture when the gender difference made him feel isolated.
“I remember one particular time in class,” he said. “The topic of Donald Trump’s wife’s wedding dress came up, and the girls in the class started rattling off statistics like the price, fabrics and number of hours it took to create.”
Reach Alysa Teichman at [email protected].
