INTERESTED IN A CAREER IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY? ENTER THE ART INSTITUTES PASSION FOR FASHION COMPETITION 2009 AT THE ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF ART - SCHAUMBURG

[Schaumburg, August 19, 2008] – Do you love fashion and want to turn your love of the industry into a career? The Art Institutes Passion for Fashion Competition gives high school students interested in the highly competitive fashion industry an opportunity to earn a full tuition scholarship to study in a fashion program at The Illinois Institute of Art – Schaumburg. The College was recently approved by the Illinois Board of Higher Education, the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology, and the Higher Learning Commission to launch a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fashion Design beginning in August 2008 in addition to its Bachelor of Arts degree in Fashion Marketing & Management.

Open to high school seniors throughout the U.S. and Canada, The Art Institutes Passion for Fashion Competition was created to encourage and reward young fashion talent at the high school level. 

Participation in the competition has risen each year since it began four years ago. Fashion Marketing and Management Academic Director Pati Akerman said, “There are so many wonderful fashion courses in high school today, and many students see a career in this industry within their reach.”  

The competition consists of two categories, Fashion Design and Fashion Marketing & Merchandising and Retail Management. The grand prize in each category includes a full tuition scholarship to The Art Institutes school with a Fashion program at which the student entered the Competition. 

In addition to a full tuition scholarship, the grand prize winning student in each category will receive an all-expense- paid trip to New York City for Fashion Week in February 2009, a “meet and greet” at Seventeen Magazine’s offices and lunch with a Seventeen Magazine Style Pro.

Deadline for entries into the competition at The Illinois Institute of Art – Schaumburg is November 21, 2008. 

To be eligible, students must be a senior in high school, set to graduate in 2009, complete an Entry & Release form, have a minimum G.P.A of 2.0, write a short essay describing their interest in fashion and submit a finished, originally designed evening wear garment and process book, for the Fashion Design category or create a product or plan for the Fashion Marketing &  Merchandising and Retail Management category (for complete details and official rules go to www.artinstitutes.edu/pr.aspx?ID=p4f091).

For more information on how to enter The Art Institutes Passion for Fashion Competition, visit www.artinstitutes.edu/pr.aspx?ID=p4f091, or contact our Admissions department at 800.314.3450.

About The Illinois Institute of Art – Schaumburg
The Illinois Institute of Art - Schaumburg is located at 1000 N. Plaza Drive in Schaumburg, IL. The school’s bachelor’s degree programs include Advertising, Audio Production, Digital Filmmaking & Video Production, Digital Photography, Fashion Design, Fashion Marketing & Management, Game Art & Design, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Media Arts & Animation, Visual Effects & Motion Graphics and Web Design & Interactive Media. The school also offers an evening and weekend option for a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design, Interior Design or Web Design & Interactive Media and an associate’s degree in Graphic Design or Web Design & Interactive Media. Additionally, diploma and continuing education programs are available. Faculty at The Illinois Institute of Art – Schaumburg trains graduates for entry-level positions in their chosen fields through curricula that emphasize actual job skills and competencies necessary for success in the field. For more information about The Illinois Institute of Art - Schaumburg, call the school at 847.619.3450 or 800.314.3450 or visit www.artinstitutes.edu/schaumburg.