Do you have a passion for fashion? The Apparel Merchandising and Design program provides students with knowledge and hands-on experiences in the apparel and textiles industry.
Our curriculum explores the apparel and textiles industry, including merchandising and marketing strategies, fashion design, and production processes. You will develop skills applicable for retail establishments, visual merchandising, and entrepreneurship, and learn from valuable hands-on experiences including a supervised internship in a retail establishment, developing your own fashion line, and producing a fashion show in the spring.
Paying for your degree may be easier than you think with our financial aid and scholarships. Kirkwood offers more than $3 million in scholarships each year.
Graduates of the Apparel Merchandising and Design program will be able to:
Graduates from our Apparel Merchandising and Design can obtain jobs in a variety of creative opportunities. From design to production, merchandising to sourcing, here are some of the career paths you can take:
School Year: 2025–26
Program Entry Semester: Fall
| Fall | Spring | Fall | Spring | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Credit Hours per Semester | 15 | 18 | 13 | 15 | 62 |
| In-State Tuition | $3,315 | $3,978 | $2,873 | $3,536 | $13,702 |
| Technology Fee per Semester | $50 | $50 | $50 | $50 | $200 |
| Clinical Expenses (mileage, lodging, screenings, etc.) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Conferences/Seminars | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Course Resources (textbooks, software, etc.) | $1,100 | $1,390 | $1,140 | $1,165 | $4,795 |
| Course/Section Fees | $0 | $380 | $380 | $0 | $760 |
| Laptop (required devices) | $1,249 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,249 |
| Testing Fees | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Third Party Credentials | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Tool Sets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Uniforms | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other (sewing machine) | $0 | $749 | $0 | $0 | $749 |
| Total Estimated Cost | $5,602 | $5,976 | $4,987 | $5,066 | $21,631 |
Costs provided are estimated and based on the following current tuition rates: $221 (In-State), $296 (Out-of-State), $400 (International).
Fees and costs are subject to change. To view all costs associated with attending college visit our Tuition and Costs page.
The Kirkwood Fashion Show and the Apparel Merchandising and Design Exhibition are exciting annual events where students showcase their acquired fashion skills and accomplishments. Students experience planning and managing the fashion show and exhibition as part of their capstone project in the apparel program at Kirkwood Community College. The theme of these endeavors changes each year.
Students apply for leadership roles for the fashion show and exhibition, obtaining hands-on experiences creating budgets, raising funds, and marketing these events. Students work as a team to recruit, select, and train models. Looks for the fashion show are styled by students and loaned by local retailers and designers. Student designs are showcased on both the runway and in the exhibition.
Attendees can view the exhibition before and after the fashion show. The exhibition displays a culmination of students' works accomplished throughout the Apparel Merchandising and Design program.
Purchase tickets for the 2025 Fashion Show here.
BRICOLAGE is the fashion magazine for the Apparel Merchandising and Design program and provides students with unique opportunities to obtain a wide range of diverse skills applicable for the apparel and textiles industry. Students apply their learning for hairstyling, makeup artistry, styling looks, modeling, directing photoshoots, and much more. The apparel students build community connections by partnering with local retailers and designers to borrow merchandise as well as local businesses who permit students access to their facilities for photoshoots.
Kirkwood Media collaborates with BRICOLAGE for photography. The development of the magazine spreads and finalized compilations are accomplished by the Visual Communications and Design program. The overarching theme of BRICOLAGE is always sustainability, with each issue having its own specific concept.
BRICOLAGE was founded in 2018, by Apparel Merchandising and Design program coordinator and instructor, April Elisha Stanley. BRICOLAGE comes from the French term, meaning to "do-it-yourself" or "improvise," the transformative construction of creative work using the resources that you have.
Learn more by following the magazine's Instagram and Facebook accounts. Access past issues here.
The fashion club for Apparel Merchandising and Design students. Join us to experience fashion moments beyond the classroom!
Students in Kirkwood's Apparel Merchandising and Design program are encouraged to join the Kirkwood chapter of Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), the only national Career and Technical Student Organization with the family as its central focus.
FCCLA is one of eight recognized members of the National Coordinating Council for Career and Technical Student Organizations (NCC-CTSO). CTSOs are co-curricular groups that help students in career and technical education programs further their knowledge and skills by participating in activities, events, and competitions.
Supervised internships are completed in the apparel and textiles industry or BRICOLAGE, the Apparel Merchandising and Design program's fashion magazine. These are additional learning experiences for students to build their resumes and portfolios in preparation for industry careers
Several four-year apparel merchandising and design programs allow Kirkwood credits to transfer. If you are interested in obtaining your bachelor degree, schedule a meeting with your advisor to discuss your options.
Prepare and equip students with creativity, apparel industry knowledge and professionalism, in order to actively engage in their organization (such as university or local place of employment).
Bring your fashion dreams to life at Kirkwood!
Arts & Humanities
2092 Cedar Hall
arts@kirkwood.edu
319-398-4913