On Feb. 12-15, students from the Advanced Fashion Course are going to New York City to expand their knowledge on many elements of the fashion industry. While the trip includes fun-filled activities, the students are enriched with new knowledge about the industry and how it functions behind the scenes through a completely educational trip.

Along with learning about the education behind the fashion industry, students are able to explore different colleges that specialize in fashion education, and are given the opportunity to network with people working within the industry.

“While in NYC, the students visit and tour two top-rated fashion colleges (Parsons and FIT), meet numerous industry professionals, and have the opportunity to network with all of them,” fashion teacher Jodi Miller said. “I strongly believe this can benefit the students who are eager to take that next step in the fashion industry and could possibly lead to internships or future job opportunities.”

Since the industry is rapidly progressing, students are able to use this as an opportunity to open windows for job opportunities and help them acquire new skills.

“The fashion industry continues to grow and thrive worldwide,” Miller said. “There are numerous job opportunities with companies eager to hire students with a passion for fashion. Our fashion courses, both Fashion and Advanced Fashion, teach students all aspects of the fashion industry, including design, merchandising and marketing. Students learn industry terminology, garment styles and parts, history of fashion, sketching, hand and machine sewing, textiles, trend reporting, journalism, and even have a live runway show showcasing the seniors own fashion collections.”

Although the students are exposed to many elements concerning the fashion industry within the classroom, the hands-on activities presented to the students assist them in gaining additional real world experiences.

“The NYC field trip is similar to our class and is 100 percent educational,” Miller said. “It is hands on, fast paced and an experience of a lifetime. Students learn more on this trip than can be taught in the classroom.”

The opportunity to take part in learning about fashion is open to all students, however the trip to New York is limited to students taking the Advanced Fashion course, which requires a prerequisite of a full year credit of the first fashion course available.

“Any and all students may take the Fashion course and seniors who have successfully completed the Fashion course as a junior may take the Advanced Fashion course their senior year,” Miller said. “Throughout the Advanced Fashion course there are numerous opportunities for optional field trips, NYC being one of them.”