LOS ANGELES — After years of downsizing and under an imminent threat of losing accreditation, Los Angeles' Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising found a lifeline in Arizona State University, forming a new partnership that is likely to forever change the longtime fashion school — and save it from financial ruin.
The merger has created ASU FIDM, which will offer classes in both Los Angeles and Phoenix through ASU's Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts — mixing ASU's relatively new fashion program with FIDM's 50-year legacy, which includes its renowned museum and library.
The new partnership "will offer students pursuing degrees in creative industries enhanced educational opportunities by embedding world-class fashion education within a public research university with global reach," according to the news release from ASU this week.
