Young Menswear Association (YMA) has announced their 2015 Fashion Scholarship Fund (FSF) recipients, and University of WIsconsin-Madison students are once again among the winners:
- Lauren Wellenstein – Retail
- Megan Donovan – Retail
- Dvorah Elster – Textiles and Fashion Design
- Anastasia Janson – Retail
- Lauren Smyczek – Textiles and Fashion Design
- Madalyn Manzeck – Textiles and Fashion Design
- Mariel Bolger – Marketing
The Fashion Scholarship Fund is a prestigious national case competition that involves students from design, retail and business programs. This year’s competition revolved around designing a product strategy for Lululemon to help regain consumer confidence. 400 students compete for $5000 scholarships, with 4 finalists receiving an additional $10,000. FInalists are eligible to compete for the $30,000 Geoffrey Beene Scholarship, previously won by a SoHE student.
This case competition allows students to put into practice what they have learned in the classroom by giving them a real-world industry issue and charging them to create a multi-faceted solution. Students pull concepts such as marketing plans, trend analysis, assortment plans, and open-to-buy decisions into a 10-page case.
As further support to its scholars, FSF facilitates internships with prestigious fashion companies and provides career mentoring by prominent senior executives who serve on the FSF Board. Participating companies have included Calvin Klein, Li & Fung, VF Sportswear, Fishman & Tobin, Nike, Polo Ralph Lauren, Liz Claiborne, Nordstrom, Macy’s, Perry Ellis, Bloomingdales, Levi Strauss & Co., Target, Kenneth Cole, Lacoste and Tommy Hilfiger.