Fashion & Diversity for the Professional Environment

Build the Cultural Awareness Today's Fashion Industry Demands

Fashion does more than reflect culture. It helps shape how we see ourselves and one another.

In an increasingly global industry, understanding the complex relationships between fashion, race, identity, culture and representation is essential. Fashion & Diversity for the Professional Environment is a professional certificate program that equips participants with the knowledge and practical tools to approach creative work, messaging and decision-making with greater cultural awareness.

Through research, discussion, real-world examples, and hands-on exercises, participants will learn to think critically about race, ethnicity, gender, power and representation while applying those insights to their own professional practice.

Duration: Two months
Format: Hybrid, self-paced online
Tuition: $750 for currently enrolled SMU students

Why This Certificate Matters

Fashion is never just about what we wear.

The choices made by designers, editors, marketers, retailers, image makers and other industry professionals influence how cultures and communities are represented. When those decisions are made without cultural awareness, the consequences can affect brands, careers and real lives.

This certificate gives participants a framework for recognizing those complexities and the tools to make more thoughtful, informed decisions in their own work.

Rather than simply identifying problems within the fashion system, participants will examine how and why those problems developed, how they continue to appear today, and what fashion professionals can do differently. 

Who Should Enroll?

This program is designed for anyone interested in understanding the relationship between fashion, culture, identity, and representation, including:

  • Students preparing to enter the fashion and media industries
  • Fashion, beauty and media professionals
  • Designers and creative professionals
  • Editors, writers, photographers and other image makers
  • Marketing, branding, communications and social media professionals
  • Fashion entrepreneurs and business leaders
  • Fashion enthusiasts seeking a deeper understanding of the industry

Whether you're beginning your career or already making decisions within the industry, the program provides a framework you can apply to your work. 

What You'll Learn

By the end of the program, participants will be prepared to:

  • Apply foundational theories to systemic issues at the intersection of fashion, race and power
  • Think critically about the relationship between fashion and race within their own professional work
  • Use approaches from visual and material culture studies to reconsider fashion history and dominant narratives
  • Identify and critically evaluate existing imagery, narratives and design practices
  • Develop ideas and solutions that contribute to a more thoughtful and diverse fashion system

Most importantly, participants will learn how to move from awareness to application by using what they learn to inform the choices they make in their own careers.

Learning You Can Put Into Practice

This isn't a program built around passive learning.

Each module combines assigned readings, podcasts, and video content with an applied exercise and review quiz. Participants will put concepts into practice through projects such as:

  • Analyzing objects from The Fashion and Race Database archive
  • Developing visual campaigns
  • Creating manifestos
  • Crafting personal design-ethos statements

These exercises allow participants to leave the program with tangible work that can inform (and be incorporated into) their professional practice.

Developed in Partnership with The Fashion and Race Database

The program was developed in partnership with The Fashion and Race Database (FRD), drawing from an interdisciplinary body of research examining the relationships among fashion, race, culture, identity and power.

FRD's work spans political science, psychology, anthropology, sociology, fashion design, fashion journalism, textile design, business, and media studies, providing participants with multiple perspectives on fashion's role within larger cultural systems.

Together, the program connects academic research with the realities of today's fashion industry, providing a roadmap for thoughtful and lasting change.

Meet Your Instructors

Kimberly-Jenkins-september-2026Kimberly Jenkins, M.A.

Fashion studies scholar, educator, and founder of The Fashion and Race Database, a globally licensed fashion education platform, and CEO of Artis Solomon.

A former professor at Parsons and Pratt and a TEDx speaker, Jenkins is a trusted voice on fashion, race and culture whose work has been featured in The New York Times, Vogue Business and PBS's American Experience.

laura-beltran-september-2026Laura Beltrán-Rubio, Ph.D.

Curator, researcher and educator specializing in Latin American and Indigenous textile and fashion arts.

Beltrán-Rubio's work focuses on diversifying global fashion and building bridges between industry and academia. She holds a Ph.D. in American Studies from William & Mary and an M.A. in Fashion Studies from Parsons School of Design. Outside FRD, she hosts the podcast and YouTube channel Redressing Fashion.

Earn a Credential You Can Share

Upon successful completion of the program, participants earn a professional certificate and digital seal from SMU.

The credential can be showcased on:

  • Resumes and CVs
  • LinkedIn profiles
  • Professional portfolios
  • Personal websites and digital profiles 

It's a tangible way to demonstrate your commitment to thoughtful, culturally informed professional practice.