2024 - 2025 Fashion Scholarship Fund
Fashion Scholarship Fund (FSF) Case Competition
130 undergraduate students from 72 universities will win:
- Scholarships of $7,500 - $10,000 (finalists $15,000-$25,000)
- Expense paid trip to New York for FSF Gala Events
- Access to career fairs and networking events
- Summer fashion industry internships
- Mentorships from industry leaders
- Industry job placement assistance
- Ongoing career development events and support
- Seminars and master class sessions with industry experts
Details about the Scholarship
All Fashion Scholarship Fund (FSF) scholarship applicants will enter a case study competition. 130 students who enter this competition will win a scholarship of $7,500 - $10,000 or more - a small number of the top winners will win a scholarship between $15,000 and $25,000. Last year, 521 applicants participated in this competition, and 130 won scholarships. Over the past 7 years, 106 USC students participated in this case competition scholarship and 27 won scholarships, for a total of $195,000 in scholarships for USC students.
Click here for a Brief Overview of this Case Competition Scholarship.
The deadline to submit the case study is October 14, 2024. This scholarship is open to all USC undergraduate full-time students with a minimum GPA of 3.2 who will be sophomores, juniors, and seniors during the fall semester of 2024 (seniors must not be graduating earlier than May of 2025). International students with an F-1 Visa must submit a CPT for 2024 Spring, Summer, or Fall semester or a valid OPT. This is an individual scholarship, so all case studies must be completed individually.
To win a FSF Scholarship, you must complete a written case study in one of the following four areas – all four areas focus on The Intersection of Digital Technology and Fashion:
- Business Strategy - Advance the Integration of Artificial Intelligence in Fashion Ecommerce
Click here for the Business Strategy Case Study Prompt.
- Design and Product Development - Further Fashion Design in a Modern, Technology-Driven World
Click here for the Design and Product Development Case Study Prompt.
- Marketing - Establish a Digital Technology Driven Marketing Plan to Engage the Marketing Funnel
Click here for the Marketing Case Study Prompt.
- Merchandising - Curate a New Product Assortment Maximized by Data and Digital Technology
Click here for the Merchandising Case Study Prompt.
Please decide which area you would like to compete in, as you may only compete in one of the four areas listed above. Please note that both the Marketing and Merchandising areas are related to marketing issues.
Click here for the Case Studies of Last Year’s Winners.
Students who participate in this scholarship will be invited to attend the 2024 Summer Scholar Series, which consists of a variety of seminars and master classes with industry leaders and experts via Zoom.
Students who win this scholarship will be invited to exclusive career fairs, online seminars and master class sessions, and networking events with industry leaders, including an expense paid trip to New York City for the FSF Gala Events. The FSF helps scholarship winners find internships and jobs in the fashion industry, matches scholarship winners to mentors working in the fashion industry, and organizes ongoing career development events and support opportunities for scholarship winners throughout their careers (including competing for a grant of $50,000 for an early-stage startup fashion business).
An Information Session for USC Students will be held at USC (via Zoom) on Thursday, April 18, from 6:00 – 7:30 PM. Please attend this information session to learn about this opportunity from USC students who won the FSF Scholarship last year and USC faculty. Click here for the Zoom link to this information session – please note that if you need a Passcode it is 763474.
An Information Session will be held nationally (via Zoom) for all 72 colleges and universities that participate in the FSF on Friday April 19, from 9:00 – 10:00 AM Pacific Time (or 12:00-1:00 PM Eastern Time). Please attend this information session to learn about this opportunity from the organizers of the FSF Scholarship in New York City as well as students from other universities. Click here to register for this information session.
If you are a student of Black, African-American, or African descent, you may apply for the FSF Virgil Abloh “Post-Modern” Scholarship. For additional details about this Scholarship Fund, an Information Session will be held nationally (via Zoom) on April 26, from 9:00 – 10:00 AM Pacific Time (or 12:00-1:00 PM Eastern Time). Click here to register for this information session.
Founded in 1937, the Fashion Scholarship Fund (FSF) is the foremost fashion-oriented education and workforce development nonprofit organization in the U.S. It is composed of influential members of the fashion industry. The Fashion Scholarship Fund’s goal is to advance the fashion industry by encouraging gifted and enterprising college students to learn about different types of opportunities in the fashion industry.
Click here for the Fashion Scholarship Fund Website.
If you plan to participate in this case study competition or if you are potentially interested in participating, please fill out the following short survey as soon as possible:
Click here if you plan to participate or if you are potentially interested in this Case Competition Scholarship. You are required to fill out this short survey if you are a USC student who plans to participate in this case competition scholarship. If you are not sure about whether you will participate, you are also encouraged to fill out this short survey so that you can be placed on a mailing list to receive additional information and updates.
If you have any questions, please email Professor Dennis Schorr at dschorr@marshall.usc.edu.
Steps and Timeline to Apply
March through May 2024 (Second Half of Spring Semester and Beginning of Summer)
- Complete the Short Survey of USC Students who Plan to Participate or are Potentially Interested in this Case Competition Scholarship. Click on this link for this survey.
- Register with the FSF on the Wizehive portal as soon as you decide to participate so that you can receive communications, reminders, and invitations to participate in events for participants. Click here for the link to register with the FSF.
- Participants who are registered with the FSF for this Case Competition Scholarship will be invited to special events such as seminars and sessions about the fashion industry.
- Begin working on the FSF Case Study. Select a brand or retailer for your case study, conduct preliminary research and analyses, and begin to develop your ideas and recommendations. The case study prompts have many information sources for research relevant to the prompts. Click on this link for a research guide with additional information sources relevant to the fashion industry.
- Solicit advice and feedback from the USC FSF advisor: Professor Dennis Schorr at dschorr@marshall.usc.edu.
June through August 2024 (Summer and Beginning of Fall Semester)
- If you have not started yet, follow the steps for March through May 2024 (listed above).
- Participate in the FSF Summer Scholar Series of online seminars and sessions about the fashion industry with leaders from prominent fashion companies. This online series of seminars and sessions is open to all students who are participating in the FSF Case Competition Scholarship. Although participating in this series is optional, it should be helpful in preparing your case study.
- Work on the FSF Case Study. Conduct extensive research and analyses, and develop your ideas and recommendations. The case study prompts have many information sources for research relevant to the prompts. Click on this link for a research guide with additional information sources relevant to the fashion industry.
- Prepare the Slide Deck for your FSF Case Study submission. Be sure to follow all the guidelines and check your submission against the judging criteria outlined in the case study prompt. For examples of winning case study submissions from last year, click on this link.
- Solicit advice and feedback from the USC FSF advisor: Professor Dennis Schorr at dschorr@marshall.usc.edu.
September 2024 (Fall Semester)
- Finalize your research, analyses, ideas, and recommendations.
- Finalize the Slide Deck for your FSF Case Study submission. Be sure to follow all the guidelines and check your submission against the judging criteria outlined in the case study prompt. For examples of winning case study submissions from last year, click on this link.
- You should submit a draft of your case study to Professor Schorr at dschorr@marshall.usc.edu by September 20, 2024, so that it can be reviewed in advance of submission. However, you should seek Professor Schorr’s advice and feedback well before this date, as you develop the research, analyses, ideas, and recommendations for this case study.
- The deadline for registering with the FSF on Wizehive is September 30, 2024. However, you should register with the FSF on Wizehive well before this deadline. You should register as soon as you decide to participate so that you receive relevant communications, reminders, and invitations to participate in events for participants.
October 2024 – Before October 14, 2024 at 8:59 AM Pacific Time (or 11:59 AM Eastern Time)
- Finalize your FSF Case Study submission.
- Prepare and Submit all of the required documents and the required 90 second video. Detailed instructions about the Required Documents and video for Submission are provided in the case study prompts.
- The DEADLINE for uploading your case study submission and other required documents on Wizehive is October 14, 2024, before 8:59 AM Pacific Time (or 11:59 AM Eastern Time). The Wizehive submission portal will automatically close at this time. Therefore, all your submission materials must already be finished uploading by this time.
- Please upload everything well before 8:50 AM California Time (or 11:59 AM New York Time). Please don’t wait until the last minute to submit your case study and other required documents and video. The uploading process might take some time. Case studies will not be accepted if all required documents are not completely uploaded by this deadline. Submit early to make sure there are no last minute technical difficulties.