Welcome to the Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design

• Do you have the talent to create new fibers from agricultural by-products?
• Do you have the imagination to create and market the next fashion trend?
• Maybe you're the person who launches the next successful apparel brand...

It could happen with a degree from the Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design -nationally-recognized for its outstanding academic programs and achievements in the fields of textiles and fashion.

Students in the Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design benefit from the interdisciplinary nature of the program and facilities. Concentrations in bio-fibers and textile sciences, fashion and textile design, fashion merchandising and communications co-exist in fully equipped laboratories and studios, with extensive support facilities in the department and college.

The training in the department is rigorous and concentrated. A highly motivated and engaged faculty committed to undergraduate and graduate education and to research, creative and extension work provide students with a challenging academic curriculum. They offer ongoing opportunities for mentoring experiences and for individual academic advising and support.

A Word from the Department's Chair

 

Thank you for visiting the TMFD website and for your interest in our programs. We are a diverse and dynamic community of educators, researchers, Extension specialists, curators, staff and students who share a common passion: bio-fibers and textiles and the products that are fashioned from them.

We take our mission seriously: to create, disseminate and apply knowledge about textile and apparel products, their development, design, distribution and consumption across the global community. We actively engage with constituents and colleagues in our state, across the nation, and overseas, and we are fully connected to the pulse of the textiles and apparel industries and professions.

Our alumni take with them a strong foundation in our disciplines when they move into the career sphere. Recent alums are working as product developers, merchandisers, fashion buyers, sourcing specialists, small business owners and managers, entrepreneurs, e-commerce specialists, quality assurance specialists, museum professionals, apparel designers, educators, and independent fiber artists and designers. We feature some of these successful TMFD’ers on the site – they are representative of the talent and initiative that our graduates embody.

As you explore our website you’ll find answers to many of your questions, and you’ll form additional questions that only a visit to the department will answer satisfactorily. We look forward to welcoming you here where we engage with problems and ideas and initiatives affecting the world of textiles and apparel. We look forward to sharing our passion and excitement with you, and if your career goals and interests align with those that drive us, we look forward to working with you!

Michael James, Professor and Chair