Unlocking Opportunities: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fashion Scholarship Fund Case Study Scholarship

The Fashion Scholarship Fund (FSF) stands as a beacon for aspiring talents in the fashion industry. As a national nonprofit organization, the FSF is dedicated to fostering education in fashion arts and business. Its core mission is to propel the fashion industry forward by nurturing gifted and enterprising young individuals pursuing careers in design, merchandising, retailing, and business. By ensuring the industry attracts dedicated, capable, and creative minds, the FSF plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of fashion.

Understanding the FSF Case Study Competition

At the heart of the Fashion Scholarship Fund lies the FSF Case Study Competition, an annual challenge designed to immerse students in strategic problem-solving within the fashion industry. Each year, the competition revolves around a timely, industry-relevant theme, pushing applicants to think critically and innovate.

The FSF Case Study topics change each year but always involve an in-depth student challenge that focuses on real issues facing the fashion industry today. The FSF Case Study Scholarship is our signature program. No matter what sector of the industry you’re interested in, we have a challenge for you.

Key Disciplines

Applicants choose to compete in one of four disciplines:

Design and Product Development: Create a collaborative collection between a fashion brand and non-fashion brand that distills fashion’s influence in external industries.
Merchandising: Curate a collaborative assortment between a fashion brand and non-fashion brand demonstrating product and distribution opportunities.
Marketing: Establish a marketing plan centered around a cross-industry collaboration to engage the marketing funnel and create lifetime customer value.
Business Strategy: Establish a long-term strategic partnership centered around a cross-industry collaboration that creates mutual benefits such as customer growth and improved sales performance.

All four areas focus on Collaborations Between Fashion Brands/Retailers and Companies in Other Industries outside of the fashion industry, such as entertainment, technology, transportation, hospitality, or service industries

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Eligibility Criteria

The FSF Case Study Scholarship is open to college sophomores, juniors, and seniors enrolled in an FSF member school. For more information on how to apply, interested students should reach out to their member school.

Specifically, for USC students, this scholarship is open to all undergraduate full-time students who will be sophomores, juniors, and seniors during the fall semester. Seniors must not be graduating earlier than May. If you are an international student, you must have a F-1 Visa and are encouraged to submit a CPT for any semester prior to the case study deadline. This is an individual scholarship, so all case studies must be completed individually.

Scholarship Awards and Benefits

By applying, students are eligible to win $10,000 to go towards their post-secondary educational costs. 160 undergraduate students from 50 universities will win scholarships of $10,000 (finalists $15,000-$25,000).

FSF Scholars receive:

Financial support through scholarships. Scholarship funds can be applied to any educational expenses such as tuition, summer intern housing, study abroad, etc.
One-on-one mentorship with industry professionals. Scholarship recipients can join the FSF Mentor Program and select a Mentor during the year of their award.
Access to career-building opportunities, including networking events, internships, exclusive competitions, and job openings.
A trip to NYC for FSF LIVE, where they’ll present their case study, meet industry power players, visit top fashion brands, and connect with fellow Scholars. Scholarship winners are invited to the annual FSF Awards Gala in New York City.

The four highest-scoring case studies earn the opportunity to present their work to top executives and compete for the $25,000 Chairman’s Award-a career-defining moment with unparalleled industry exposure.

Important Dates

February: Case Study topics/focus are published every year in February.
October: The application deadline is typically in October. The deadline to submit the case study is October 13.
February 3, 2025: Case Study Competition opens.
October 13, 2025 (11:59 AM ET): Submission deadline.
Mid-December 2025: Competition results announced.
January 2026: FSF’s Class of 2026 Scholars announced in Women’s Wear Daily.
Opens: 3/1/
Closes: 10/16/

How to Prepare a Winning Case Study

Understand the Theme: Begin by thoroughly understanding the year's theme and the specific challenges it presents.
Choose Your Discipline: Select the discipline that aligns with your strengths and interests.
Research Extensively: Conduct thorough research on the chosen fashion brand/retailer and the potential non-fashion company for collaboration. The case study prompts have many information sources for research relevant to the prompts.
Develop Innovative Ideas: Generate creative and practical ideas that address the case study prompt.
Seek Feedback: Obtain feedback from professors, mentors, and industry professionals to refine your ideas and recommendations. Seek Professor Schorr’s advice and feedback well before this date, as you develop the research, analyses, ideas, and recommendations for this case study.
Prepare a Compelling Presentation: Create a clear, concise, and visually appealing slide deck to present your case study. Be sure to follow all the guidelines and check your submission against the judging criteria outlined in the case study prompt.
Submit on Time: Ensure all required documents, images, video, and other required information are submitted on the Wizehive portal before the deadline. The DEADLINE for uploading your case study submission and other required materials on Wizehive is October 13, before 8:59 AM Pacific Time (or 11:59 AM Eastern Time).

Additional Opportunities

If you are a student who identifies as Black or African American, you are eligible for a FSF Virgil Abloh “Post-Modern” Scholarship. The requirements for the FSF Virgil Abloh “Post-Modern” Scholarships are the same as for the other FSF Scholarships except that you need to submit a response to one additional question with your case study and application materials.

Students who participate in this scholarship will be invited to attend the 2025 Summer Scholar Series, which consists of a variety of seminars and master classes with fashion industry leaders and experts via Zoom.

Students who win this scholarship will be invited to exclusive career fairs, online seminars and master class sessions, and networking events with industry leaders, including an expense paid trip to New York City for the FSF Gala Events.

Registration and Participation

Register with the FSF: Register with the FSF on the Wizehive portal as soon as you decide to participate so that you can receive communications, reminders, and invitations to participate in events for participants. The deadline for registering with the FSF on Wizehive is September 30.
Attend Seminars and Sessions: Participants who are registered with the FSF for this Case Competition Scholarship will be invited to special events such as seminars and sessions about the fashion industry. This online series of seminars and sessions is open to all students who are participating in the FSF Case Competition Scholarship. Although participating in this series is optional, it should be helpful in preparing your case study.
Complete the USC Survey: You are required to fill out this short survey if you are a USC student who plans to participate in this case competition scholarship.

FSF University: Leveling the Playing Field

FSF University is an online learning platform created by the Fashion Scholarship Fund to ensure all students-regardless of school affiliation-have equal access to educational resources that prepare them to complete the FSF Case Study.

“FSF University exists to level the playing field,” says Peter Arnold, Executive Director of the Fashion Scholarship Fund. “No matter where you're studying or what your background may be, this platform will guide you through the FSF Case Study process and equip you with the tools to succeed.

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Key Features of FSF University

Accessibility: Any student eligible to apply for the FSF Scholarship can enroll in FSF University, including those from FSF member schools and schools that are not in the FSF network.
Platform: FSF University is hosted on Arizona State University’s Canvas platform. FSF University is a free, self-paced digital program delivered on Arizona State University’s Canvas platform, FSF’s official Learning Management System (LMS) partner.
Modules: Students start with three introductory modules, all available online now, then select an FSF discipline: Design and Product Development, Merchandising, Marketing, or Business Strategy. The next four modules, released in early June 2025, offer step-by-step guidance to creating a case study.
Guidance: As Marie Colletta, Head of Education Programs, explains: “Through FSF University’s seven on-demand modules, you’ll learn everything you need-from choosing your discipline to researching, drafting, and submitting your case study.
Feedback: You’ll also receive qualitative feedback from FSF Adjunct Faculty partners within 48 business hours of each assignment submission, helping you improve and refine your ideas ahead of the competition deadline.
Enrollment: If you are an eligible student, your first step will be to enroll in FSF’s application portal, Wizehive, which you can access from our How to Apply guide.
Pace: The program is self-paced but structured, with suggested weekly milestones to help you stay on track. Expect to dedicate about 2 to 3 hours per week over 6 to 8 weeks, but if you fall behind, don’t worry-you can catch up anytime before the final FSF University course completion deadline.

Maximizing Your Scholarship Award

The Fashion Scholarship Fund’s expectations for the use of the scholarship award are pretty straightforward. A Scholar must demonstrate a commitment to his/her studies, remain a student in good standing, and honor the academic obligations as required by his/her school. It’s the Scholar’s responsibility to follow the policy of his/her college/university to process the funds received. It’s possible that the FSF Scholarship may be applied to the Scholar’s financial aid award. If the Scholar’s college/university doesn’t require the FSF Scholarship to be applied to a financial aid award, the student may use the funds to fulfill other financial obligations, such as college tuition or payment to a private lender for a college loan.

Contact Information

For access to Case Studies and the application, UW students should contact the UW scholarship advisors. If you are not a part of a member school, please contact Marie Colletta, Senior Director Education Programs for help applying. Please contact Marie Colletta, Senior Director Education Programs.

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