Fashion Business
Essentials
Taught by People Who Run the Fashion Business
Faculty from Parsons School of Fashion alongside editors from WWD and working brand and production leaders.
Built to Launch Your Career in Fashion, Not Just Your Knowledge
Real Industry Scenarios
Hands-on assignments that mirror how real fashion brands are sourced, branded, and sold.
Start Immediately
On-demand video lessons and projects you can begin the day you enroll.
Insider Expertise
Learn directly from Parsons faculty and insiders from WWD and across the industry.
A Parsons Credential
Earn a certificate from Parsons to add to your resume and profile.
What You'll Be Able to Do
- Take a collection from idea to distribution with a clear, fundable plan.
- Identify your consumer and build a product into a cohesive collection.
- Source and cost materials, build a tech pack, and communicate with factories.
- Create a distinctive brand identity and a brand story that sells.
- Manage retail and wholesale relationships and choose the right channels.
- Build communication strategies to collaborate with major fashion brands.
Skills You'll Gain
Build Your Portfolio
The course is built around hands-on projects, so you leave with real portfolio pieces that prove what you can do, not just a certificate.
Brand Concept & Consumer Profile
Define a brand idea and the specific consumer it's built to win.
Production & Sourcing Plan
Build a tech pack, cost a product, and plan ethical, transparent sourcing.
Brand Identity & Story
Name the brand, craft its story, and design a distinctive brand presence.
Marketing & Launch Plan
Build a campaign to introduce the collection and grow an audience.
Retail & Distribution Strategy
Choose retail and wholesale channels and plan how the product gets to market.
Five Modules, One Through-Line: How a Fashion Brand Is Built
Each module is broken into short video lessons with assignments and hands-on projects you complete at your own pace.
Entrepreneurship and the Fashion System
Managing Fashion Production
Fashion Branding
Marketing Strategies
Retailing and Distribution
Results, Not Just Lessons
Since starting the Fashion Business Essentials course, I accepted a position at Belk as a Sales Associate Lead, where I work closely with customers to provide personalized styling advice and deliver exceptional service.
The certificate and portfolio from this course helped me land a salary increase.
I am in the process of expanding my resale business into a one-of-one custom style shop called Concrete Runway. I also just finished a two-year stint with heritage company Cockpit USA on the marketing team, and am now looking to take on clients as an agency.
Over the past year, I have learned in depth how the fashion industry currently works and the white space I can fill as an aspiring fashion sustainability professional.
I have been working as a freelance designer for almost ten years, and it felt stagnant. This program was a great stepping stone to help me and my business grow.
This course is a game-changer. In a region like Dayton, where fashion resources are scarce and gatekeeping is real, this opened doors I didn't know could open. I'm sharing it with everyone I mentor.
It gave me confidence in knowing what career in fashion to pursue, as well as confidence in my knowledge of the industry when interviewing for jobs.
If I had a friend who was interested in developing their own business, I would tell them about this course. I would want my friend to feel more confident about their career move.
Completing the Fashion Business Essentials course allowed me to obtain greater fashion industry knowledge from seasoned professionals and broadened my view of my business.
Choose How You Pay
Same full course either way: 5 modules, real industry projects, and your Parsons Certificate of Completion.
One-Time Payment
4 Monthly Payments
12 Monthly Payments
Have a discount code? Add it at checkout.
Frequently Asked Questions
Anyone building a career in the business of fashion: aspiring founders and entrepreneurs, designers moving into the business side, and professionals from adjacent fields. No prior industry experience is required.
Five self-paced modules. Most learners finish in well under 40 hours on their own schedule.
Yes. The course is 100% online and on-demand, so you can study on your own schedule from anywhere.
A non-credit Certificate of Completion from Parsons that you can add to your resume and LinkedIn profile.
No. The course starts with the fundamentals and is designed for people entering the field as well as those already working in it.
Yes. Request the course catalog and a program advisor can walk you through payment options and any current offers.
Fashion Business Essentials includes five on-demand courses covering topics such as Entrepreneurship and the Fashion System, Managing Fashion Production, Branding, Marketing Strategies, Retailing, and Distribution. Each course is 2 to 3 hours and is broken into shorter modules and activities that you complete at your own pace.
Courses are taught by Parsons School of Design faculty. You will also receive career insights from industry experts and leaders.
By the end of the course, you will have developed skills and knowledge to build your retail brand or advance a career in the fashion industry, explored the various career paths in the industry, and identified your areas of passion. You will also receive a non-credit certificate from Parsons that you can add to your resume and LinkedIn profile.
Students must be at least 13 years old to enroll.
Enrollment includes unlimited access to all course videos and materials for one year from your enrollment date. If you need more time after that, you can pay a monthly subscription fee to extend your access.
Most major credit and debit cards are accepted, including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, and JCB. If you enroll outside the United States, tuition is charged in your local currency at the prevailing exchange rate.
You can withdraw within 24 hours of enrollment for a full refund. After that, you have up to 7 days to withdraw for a full refund minus a $100 cancellation fee. No refunds are issued after 7 days. Subscription plans can be canceled before your renewal date by emailing [email protected].
Tuition is $999 when paid in full. Two payment plans are also available at checkout: 4 monthly payments of $269 or 12 monthly payments of $99.
