- As seen in Humber Today Winter 2012 issue
When Sylvie Alexandre was in high school, she would window-shop, trying to determine what current styles would last, but she wanted to do more than browse. She wanted to make fashion decisions.
After high school, Alexandre went to Humber College for a two-yearFashion Arts advanced diploma and was able to work in retail. After two years, she decided that in order to reach her career goal as a decision-maker and executive
in the fashion industry, she would need a degree, as every corporate fashion job she applied for required one.
Humber’s pathway from her diploma to a Bachelor of Applied Business – Fashion Management degree met this need.
Her diploma gave her advanced standing, giving her one-and-a-half years of credit. The degree taught her additional skills and insight into the fashion industry, such as wholesale management, retail operations and import/export management. The program also included a paid summer internship, which Alexandre did at the retailer TJX in the logistics department.
Connie McCulloch, a vice-president at TJX and a Humber Fashion Management advisory committee member, is confident when hiring Humber graduates.
“The Humber Fashion Management program curriculum is fully aligned with retail business needs, and students learn the subjects and develop the skills needed by employers,” McCulloch says. “Students learn first-hand the finer points of retail fashion, in areas such as buying, designing or store planning, which complements their classroom learning.”
After completing her internship and graduating, Alexandre was immediately hired as a merchandise assistant by TJX, which owns Winners, HomeSense and other brands.
“My job involves coordinating clothing shipments and logistics,” the Toronto resident says. “I find working in fashion extremely engaging and challenging, and it’s great having a job that I’m excited to go to each day.”
The opening of the Humber Fashion Institute
