ATLANTA, Ga (September 11, 2024) – CLC, the nation’s leading collegiate licensing company, and IMG, the operator of New York Fashion Week, partnered to deliver the 13th installment of the successful U of NYFW, a one-of-a-kind education experience for 28 students from 17 universities at this September’s New York Fashion Week. This unique academic enrichment program, which is exclusively available to CLC partner institutions as an extension of the company’s continued efforts to support innovative education initiatives for its universities, provides future fashion leaders a behind-the-scenes look at the industry, including entry into select runway shows, panel discussions, and networking opportunities with industry leaders. 

The students were treated to runway shows with 2015 Council of Fashion Designers of America / Vogue Fashion Fund winner SIMKHAI Design Studio, as well as a special Global Fashion Collective show for emerging designers, including Tulip ‘n Room, Universidad Iberoamericana, Memory Lane Park, and Chemi Akutami. The students also received an NYFW Backstage experience that included special access to the TRESemmé Style Studios, and participated in a Q&A with representatives from WME Fashion who provided valuable insight into careers and opportunities in fashion.

“Our longstanding collaboration with CLC and their participating university partners aligns with our mission to deliver opportunities for future leaders in the industry and support the development of new perspectives in the ever-evolving fashion business,” said Kim Fasting Berg, EVP, Marketing at WME Fashion. “As we continue to evolve our programming and experiences, we are proud to help provide this generation of college students the chance to interact and learn from some of the best designers and experts in the world of fashion at NYFW.” 

In addition to the unique New York Fashion Week experiences, the students spent a half day with Amazon, engaging with business leaders across their fashion, luxury, licensed sports, and creators divisions. The students were able to seek career advice and discuss topics ranging from the impact of artificial intelligence on fashion to the evolution of “watch & shop” and other retail trends, including the blending of sports and fashion.

The students rounded out their U of NYFW program at top flagship store for athletic fashion brand and collegiate licensee Champion where they collaborated with the store team to customize their own Champion garment.  

“I have had the privilege of seeing firsthand how transformative our U of NYFW program can be to the lives and dreams of the student participants, and we are honored to deliver this once-in-a-lifetime learning opportunity to these talented future leaders in fashion,” said Cory Moss, CEO of CLC. “This innovative experience adds tremendous value to the participating universities beyond our traditional role as their brand licensing partner.”

The CLC exclusive U of NYFW program delivered unique academic enrichment opportunities for the students with expenses covered by their universities. Institutions that participated in the collegiate enrichment program at NYFW: The Shows included Baylor University, Florida State University, Iowa State University, Liberty University, Michigan State University, NC State, Northern Arizona University, Sam Houston State University, TCU, Texas A&M University, University of Alabama, University of Arizona, University of Oklahoma, University of Pittsburgh, University of South Carolina, University of Texas, and West Virginia University.

Participating students chronicled their experiences through social media via Instagram at U of NYFW and were asked to share their learnings with other students upon their return to campus.  

Media Contact:

Tammy Purves, CLC, tammy.purves@clc.com, 770-799-3275.