NEW RECRUITS: Urban Outfitters Inc. and Drexel University’s Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design welcomed the first round of participants in the Urbn x Drexel: Made to Measure Apprenticeship program.
To make the cut for the two-year program, the six students who were selected had to get past a review process that was led by staffers at Urbn and Drexel, as well as faculty members at the Philadelphia school. That required a video interview, a creative project and a design portfolio. Urbn is picking up the tab for each of the students’ tuition and room and board via a grant to the university, which was created to spare students any costs.
The inaugural class is made up of Alexandra Belmonte, Eden Miller, Layla Ortiz, Merter Sezer, Luke Wallace and Donald Whorley.
Drexel is among the secondary schools and universities that are working to create more professional opportunities for their students. Austin Community College, the London Fashion Academy, the California College of the Arts and the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising are also helping undergrads prepare to carve a path in the fashion industry through such means as brand-financed scholarships, incubators and custom curriculum.
While most college students are still enjoying the ides of summer, the six participants got a jump on their apprenticeships this week. The customized curriculum blends fashion design courses at Drexel with mentorship and on-the-job training at Urbn. Before everything winds down, students will have taken such courses as construction skills, fashion drawing, and patternmaking at Drexel and they will have worked within Urbn’s design and production and sourcing teams.
Revealing the launch, Urbn’s chief people officer Matt Strode said, “We are committed to breaking down traditional barriers to entry in the fashion industry, and made to measure is helping us realize that vision.”
Upon completion, apprentices will earn 70 transferable course credits and stackable certificates from Drexel University. Another major perk is an offer for continued employment at URBN.