Arizona State University has increased its presence in Los Angeles by expanding its fashion program through The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising--known as FIDM. FIDM is a school teaching fashion, entertainment, beauty and design. This expansion will happen very soon and some students at FIDM are not happy about it.
FIDM was established in 1969. It prides itself on giving students hands-on experience and industry partnerships mostly in the fashion, design, and entertainment worlds. They also focus on innovation in sustainability. Located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, not far from USC, FIDM attracts a diverse community of students from around the world. Almost half the student body comes from out of state and nearly 10% are international.
FIDM working with ASU is part of their expanding move into Los Angeles. ASU’s official press release on the matter states that FIDM will continue operating as a separate educational institution from ASU with a more intentional focus on academic programs related to business in the creative industries. They recently opened what they call the ASU California Center, which includes the LA branch of ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
ASU sees Los Angeles as a gateway to the West Coast and Asia Pacific and hopes to further expand enrollment here. Specifically, ASU seeks to admit students who have been historically underrepresented in higher education. They do it in Arizona and they hope to do it here, too.
Students at FIDM are not required to move to Arizona to complete their degree and those who are currently enrolled can start taking the new ASU curriculum classes as early as June 2023. Tuition is not expected to rise. But some students at FIDM had a few concerns about it.
Xochi L is a student at FIDM.
XOCHI: “I guess with is with ASU merging with FIDM, I mean I guess there’s more diversity and like working to connect with, I suppose. But I guess I’ll kind of miss just that specialty that comes with going to a fashion based school meant for fashion.”
“ASU requiring FIDM, for one, having it being called ASU FIDM and not FIDM ASU. That’s going to be a turnoff for a lot of people now, like a lot of people come here for FIDM and not for ASU to take over, so it’s it’s definitely going to be a mixed bag, but probably for the negative.”
FIDM student Emme Drue questions ASU’s expansion into LA.
EMME: “A party school, a major university, especially in Arizona, merging with like a private fashion school that’s like essentially like a trade school. We’re making them look good, but they’re making us look bad.”
“Because now the credibility that FIDM had and the the name that FIDM has built for itself over the years is kind of like gone because now it’s not going to say, for future generations, luckily, not for us, our diplomas will say FIDM. They won’t say ASU, luckily. But for anybody that’s behind us, their diplomas are going to say ASU or ASU FIDM.”
The transformation will be in effect by the end of the summer so for now, students await the “Sun Devils” arrival.
For Annenberg Media, I’m Nicki Berelson.
The previous version of this story had inaccurate information about the relationship between ASU and FIDM. The story has been changed to reflect this correction on April 11 at 2:10 PM. We regret the error.