Jefferson Fashion & Textiles Summer Academy: Wanderlust

Through this program, you will complete a week-long project involving aspects of textile design, fashion design and fashion merchandising. You will have the opportunity to design and explore in Thomas Jefferson University's 14,000-square-foot Fashion & Textile Futures Center, as well as the new Phil J. Kodroff Fashion Merchandising & Management Studio.. Learn about one of the largest and most exciting industries in the world from current faculty and industry professionals.

This workshop invites you to explore the vibrance, tactility, and collaborative core inherent to these industries and embodied within our programs. Members of the TJU faculty and exceptional students will guide participants through an immersive, career-focused curriculum that will redefine how they interact with the textiles, fashion, and marketing that surround them.

This Summer Academy aims to inspire curiosity and encourage high school students to consider what impact they want to have on the world around them. How can their future contributions redefine what is possible?

In trend forecasting, wanderlust refers to a cultural and consumer trend driven by the desire for travel, exploration, and experiencing new places, cultures, and lifestyles. It reflects a deep longing to escape routine and seek adventure or inspiration in distant, often exotic, destinations. Fashion and Textiles are global industries with focuses on sustainability, eco-friendly practices, and authenticity.

Drawing from their personal style, participants will be tasked with creating their own unique brand. Through research and discussion, they will learn to articulate the core concepts behind their ideas and create visual mood boards that encapsulate their aspirations.

With the guidance of our Fashion Merchandising & Management Faculty, participants will delve into brand development and customer profiling. They will explore the significance of understanding target audience while maintaining brand integrity. An investigation of white-spaces in the industry will expose them to opportunities for grouping relevant product offerings that speak to the intended market.

From there our Textile Design Faculty will guide the participants through the development of seamless, repeating print designs for their brand. Those designs will be digitized and translated into Jacquard woven, Jacquard knit, and printed textiles. Participants will also have the opportunity to try their hand at floor-loom weaving and hand-machine knitting on our studio equipment.

Finally, our Fashion Design Faculty will lead the participants, charged with ideas, into an exploration of fashion design through the lens of sustainability. They will drape exciting silhouette ideas and create concept boards to inspire an illustrated capsule that incorporates their textile designs.

To incorporate the principles of Nexus Learning featured in the Jefferson Design, Engineering & Commerce curriculum, the final day will be comprised of a professional-style critique. Participants will receive feedback on their brand development, textile designs, and capsule collection. The work produced during this Summer Academy be portfolio-quality pieces that will make the participant standout among their peers.

This experience is open to students entering their freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior year of high school.

Enrollment in this summer academy is $600.

• Scholarships are available, please contact [email protected]

Lunch will be provided every day. Individuals with dietary restrictions are encouraged to bring a bagged lunch.

Host or Publisher Jefferson Fashion Design Department