Fashion and merchandising are two closely-related design fields that involve the creation and arrangement of such things as clothing apparel, storefronts, and the visual layout of stores. Fashion professionals are involved in creating the clothes and accessories people use everyday or for special occasions.
A career in fashion usually entails learning about textiles, material construction, and visual design issues. Merchandising professionals merge visual design with marketing, focusing on how to sell fashion and fashion-related items to the masses. Fashion designers can typically expect to earn $30,000 to $67,000 working in an established business, although many designers go on to earn more operating their own designer boutiques. Merchandising employees on average earn from $30,000 to $76,000 or more, working as a planner or buyer. Since these two fields are often tightly integrated in the industry, fashion school programs tend to emphasize design with a strong business aspect in their lessons.