It’s easy to wander through the quad, tap someone on the shoulder and find a student studying electrical engineering or nursing. At Bradley, those are popular majors. But far less common are the 19 students who claim retail merchandising as their field of study.
Under the generalized umbrella of Family & Consumer Sciences, retail merchandising prepares students for careers in the retail industry. Bradley’s program is primarily business-oriented, emphasizing the buying or selling of goods more than the creating or designing of those goods. Retail merchandising students are also required to pair their major with a minor in marketing or management & leadership.
Assistant Professor Carmen Keist, who joined Bradley’s staff this year is one of only two professors in the retail merchandising department, said people often wrongly assume retail merchandising is all about “high fashion.”
As Keist puts it: “Runway models are not the only people wearing clothes.”
Rather, the classes start with the basics, teaching about the industry as a whole and then branching out to cover a wide range of topics, and allowing students to obtain skills along the way.
“Retail is such a huge industry … there are so many outlets to get into,” said Anna Gavalick, a senior retail merchandising major. “I’ve worked jobs in retail and had internships that covered event planning, editorial work, photography, merchandising, tracking inventory and much more.”
Visual merchandising classes promote creativity, according to Keist. In these classes, students learn the elements of design and create displays for real companies. For example, Keist’s students are working with a local Goodwill location this semester. Using the elements of design, they develop an “expensive” outfit, then recreate the look for less money, using only clothing found at Goodwill.
Keist stresses hands-on practice and experience in her classes. Students may have to bring in an article of clothing and explain how it was constructed. Students actually sew various items themselves. Representatives from Von Maur are hosting an interactive buying simulation in the near future.
By graduation, students will have worked through courses focused on textiles, properties of fabrics, garment construction, buying, global issues and the history of retail. And with class sizes averaging around eight students, the learning is notably personalized to prepare students for life after graduation.
Within six months of graduation, the goal for most graduates from Bradley’s retail merchandising program is to pursue graduate school or work in the industry of companies such as Marshall Field’s, Walt Disney Co. or Von Maur.
Commonly, many retail merchandising students aim to reach a career as a buyer, according to Keist. Buyers determine what products their company sells, so students must understand how to evaluate products and negotiate business deals.
“What Rachel Green does in ‘Friends,’” Keist said. “That’s the easy way to explain [retail merchandising].”
Students pursuing degrees in retail merchandising become the workers who control individual stores and the fashion industry as a whole, impacting everyday consumers.
“We all wear clothes,” Keist said. “You can’t tell me that you don’t engage in fashion. Even your indecision is a decision.”
