Our 2017 rankings of the top 10 fashion merchandising programs on the East Coast.

We define the East Coast as Virginia, Rhode Island, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. 

Our 2014 rankings of the top 15 fashion merchandising programs on the East Coast.

We define the East Coast as Virginia, Rhode Island, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. 

Our 2014 rankings of the top fashion design programs on the East Coast.

We define the East Coast as Virginia, Rhode Island, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. 

For an explanation of ranking criteria, click here.

1. Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, New York
Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), State University of New York (SUNY) offers a wide variety of Associate and Bachelor’s degree programs for aspiring fashion designers. Unique offerings include a BFA in Fabric Styling, AAS and BFA degrees in Accessories Design, and AAS and BFA degrees in Fashion Design with Concentrations in Children’s Wear, Intimate Apparel, Knitwear, Special Occasion, and Sportswear.

Janice Ellinwood has been the Chair of Marymount’s Fashion Design Department for more than 25 years.  In that time, the industry has changed considerably.  While students will learn the essential skills that will always be part of a designer’s core, including sewing and pattern making, understanding the shift to overseas production, and the role of the Internet on the industry, are also part of the ever-changing curriculum at the school.

The state of Virginia has a growing population of more than 8.1 million residents that pump well over $105 million a year into the state’s retail industry. Virginia’s casual but stylish fashion scene features upscale brands ranging from Gucci, Hermes, and Louis Vuitton to hip, but affordable retailers such as Express and H&M. Virginia is also home to hundreds of independent boutiques, consignment stores, resale shops, and more. Some of the best places for fashion finds are Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Arlington, Richmond, Alexandria, Hampton, Vienna, McLean, and Newport News—home of the famous Newport News catalog.

Each day we receive emails from aspiring fashion designers asking us for advice as to which fashion design schools are the “best” in the US, a given state, or in a particular area of the country.  As such advice is difficult to provide on an individual basis, we have instead created this list of the Top 20 Fashion School Programs on the East Coast. For the record, we define the East Coast as Virginia, Rhode Island, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. 

Each day we receive emails from aspiring fashion designers asking us for advice as to which fashion design schools are the “best” in the US, a given state, or in a particular area of the country.  As such advice is difficult to provide on an individual basis, we have instead created this list of the Top 75 Fashion Design School Programs in the US.