LIM College Partners with Fashion Fantasy Game & Junior Achievement of New York to Deliver Fashion Education Through Social Media Gaming Platform
LIM College has partnered with Junior Achievement of New York (JA New York), Fashion Fantasy Game (FFG), and the High School of Art & Design to pilot a unique business education program that gives high school students a taste of what it would be like to own their own fashion retail business or fashion design company. At the center of the program is Fashion Fantasy Game (www.fashionfantasygame.com), a sophisticated, educational social-networking web game platform that allows students to make real world business decisions in a virtual environment. This partnership focuses on emerging synergies between online social networking and education--an idea that resonates strongly with a younger generation of students.
The goal of the program is to ignite students' entrepreneurial spirit in a competitive online environment. At the end of the seven-week intensive program, student groups will have their businesses judged on profitability, revenues and marketing execution. The winning team will be announced on April 13 and will get to have dinner with Fashion Fantasy Game CEO Nancy Ganz. They will also receive JA Job Shadow placements with NYC fashion designers and retail outlets.
The program kicked off on February 23 at LIM College. More than 30 high school students were grouped in teams of four and each team received $20,000 Fashion Buckz game currency to launch their fashion line and retail operation. Students from Art & Design High School interacted with LIM College faculty experts in design, marketing, and retail operations. They gave students business and design tips and briefed them on industry best practices. Over the course of the program, the high school students will continue to be mentored by LIM College faculty and students. The LIM College mentors will meet with the high school teams once a week in the classroom to discuss winning business strategies and monitor students progression and achievements in a virtual business environment.
The FFG platform is excellent for younger students thinking about pursuing a career in fashion because not only does it give them hands-on experience and insight into the skills needed to be successful in this field, but it does so in a way that is fun and collaborative, said Professor Michael Palladino. We jumped at the opportunity to be involved in this program because it allows our college students and faculty to put their skills to use mentoring younger students. LIM College has been involved in molding the next generation of fashion business leaders for more than 70 years and it is always a rewarding experience.
"This marks the first time JA New York has targeted an exploration into the fashion industry," said Joseph Peri, president of Junior Achievement of New York. "It's also an exciting look into leveraging social networking, new technologies and popular culture to educate young people. Teens have been inspired by television shows and fashion marketing platforms such as Project Runway and New York Fashion Week and long to create their own space and statements within this industry. By partnering with LIM College and Fashion Fantasy Game, we're giving young people an interactive, fun experience revolving around business lessons that will remain with them long after the competition ends."
Developed by fashion industry veteran and successful entrepreneur Nancy Ganz, FFG creates a virtual world for style-savvy young adults. Ms. Ganz, whose previous business success include revolutionizing the intimate apparel industry with the invention of the Hipslip and development of the Bodyslimmers line of shape wear, which she sold to Warnaco in 1996, has always been drawn to the business side of fashion. When her daughter approached her teen years, she saw an opportunity to create an online game that would offer teens a creative outlet and social networking experience, with underlying lessons about financial management and business development.
"Starting your own fashion line is more than just designing. To be successful, it also requires one to be business-savvy. Red may be a great color on the runway, but in business, it means bankruptcy," said Ganz. "Kids are already web savvy users. This is an opportunity to elevate young people's web interactions by delivering quality fashion business education while young people are having fun and connecting and sharing with each other. By teaming with JA New York & LIM College--both dedicated to teaching students entrepreneurial and business skills--this competition will allow teens to showcase their creativity and business smarts."