Cultivating fashion merchandising talent at Fresno State

Alyson Burgess uses the skills she’s learning in the fashion merchandising program at Fresno State when she’s on the job as a sales associate at Pum Bum, a women’s boutique owned by a Fresno State alumna.

It’s a win-win situation for Burgess, who started as a business major in entrepreneurship thanks to some influence from her father who works in international business. A friend introduced her to the fashion merchandising program early this year, sparking an interest that allowed her to combine her love of fashion with business.

“I love business, and I was like, ‘I’m always going to be a business major, 100%. I’m never changing my major. I’m never going to be one of those people,’” said Burgess, a sophomore from Fresno. “But I’m glad I took that one fashion merchandising class because it changed everything.” 

The fashion merchandising program in the Craig School of Business at Fresno State prepares students for a variety of careers related to marketing, management and the buying and selling of fashion goods. It combines product and industry knowledge with business, communication and computer skills. 

Originally a home economics program in the Department of Family and Consumer Science in the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, the curriculum was revamped by Dr. Lizhu Davis, who came to Fresno State in 2007. Now a true fashion merchandising program with a business focus, it moved into the Craig School of Business in 2018. The program has a major, minor and certificate. 

The goal is to teach students about the fashion industry, its structure, products, consumers, markets, supply chain as well as merchandising knowledge and skills to provide them with experiences that prepare them for jobs in the industry that range from buyers, merchandisers, store managers, product developers and fashion consultants.

Classes include textile science, fashion merchandising fundamentals, visual merchandising, fashion retail buying, fashion entrepreneurship, digital and social media and marketing concepts and more.

“When I talk with others on campus — no matter if they are faculty, staff or students — so many people have no idea about fashion merchandising,” Davis said. “The unique thing about our program is we’re the only four-year program in the Central Valley. Although we don’t have a big [fashion] industry presence in the Central Valley, we’re so close to the fashion center in Los Angeles, in Orange County.” 

The program is small, allowing students to bond and work together over their years at Fresno State. In fall 2023, the program had 46 students, Davis said. 

This spring, Burgess and her classmates learned about visual retail display and put their skills to the work by designing and decorating five display windows in the Family, Food and Sciences building on campus. 

“The principle seems very simple. You apply basic techniques for an art and visual display,” Davis said. “But once you start, it’s not so simple because you have to be creative.”

The theme was spring. Burgess borrowed a dress from the shop she works at and, with her team, designed a window with mannequins dressed in pinks and blues and a hat along with a basket and bunny for an Easter theme — the quintessential spring holiday. Students are now designing windows to reflect “date night.”  

Other projects over the years have included working with the Fresno State Library diversity committee to decorate display boxes, working with the Clothing Closet to help with merchandising and display, and working with community business owners and partners to create displays. 

“It’s about real-life experiences,” Davis said, “and the opportunity to apply what they learned.”

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