The fashion design students who create the garments that are shown in the annual Family and Consumer Sciences TRENDS Apparel Design and Merchandising Student Fashion show this spring will benefit from a $10,000 grant from TOMS Men’s Footwear and Beyond Footwear. 
Jongeun Kim (Family and Consumer Sciences/Apparel Design and Merchandising) announced that the funding will offset expenses the dressmaking students usually absorb on their own “I am so glad to support design students,” said Kim. "In the past, these designers have spent their pocket money to buy fabric, lining, buttons, zippers, threads, and etc. to develop their fashion collections."
While the fashion show production team that produces the annual show does receive funds from ticket sales to support the expenses of the production, the designers/garment-makers do not. Kim says she is dedicated to continuing to look for opportunities to support these students in obtaining funding to support or even cover their materials costs. "Their average spending for the materials are $700-1000," Kim added.
The grant is part of “TOMS Tomorrows Project: Help Gen Z Fashion Students Succeed.” Richard Cheng, E-Commerce Merchandise Planner for TOMS wrote in a letter to Kim that, “I know this will help the CSUN FCS Fashion Design Senior Students tremendously in their fall semester, as we can’t wait to hear more about these students and their progress!”
This story contains corrections about the nature of the grant and the students for whom it provides. The TOMS grant is for senior fashion designers (dress makers) rather than the fashion show production team.
F 2021
Contributor: JongEun Kim/Family and Consumer Sciences