Merchandising and Design (HEME)

Merchandising is forecasting what customers want, investigating where to find the merchandise, determining the appropriate price, and making it available to customers through various means such as retail stores, catalogs, and the Internet. The industry includes designing, manufacturing, wholesaling, and retailing of textiles, apparel, home furnishings, and other consumer products.

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Careers

Examples of careers available in merchandising include clothing and textiles specialist, consultant, merchandise buyer, sales representative, visual merchandiser, retail manager, shopper/stylist, and fashion coordinator. Other careers in the apparel and textile industry include fashion designer, pattern maker, fashion model, and textile researcher.

This concentration provides excellent preparation for graduate school, as well as management trainee programs with many of the large retail companies. Also, this curriculum is an excellent choice for careers in sales and direct marketing.