Morgan State Fashion Merchandising Students Attend National Retail Federation 2024 Big Show in New York

Global Event Features Who’s Who of Retail, Providing Students with Educational and Learning Experience, Networking and Career Opportunities

Baltimore — Morgan State University (MSU) students studying Fashion Merchandising within the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences recently attended the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) 2024 Retail’s Big Show conference in New York to learn more about the operations and latest innovations in the retail industry. Recognized as the retail industry’s largest marketplace, the conference brings together the top minds to discuss critical topics and new insights and includes educational programming for future professionals. 

The week-long conference, which drew 40,000 attendees from over 100 countries and more than 6,200 brands, offered insightful sessions led by the top professionals in the industry. In all, there were more than 50 sessions led by more than 170 experts in the fashion industry. The event’s student conference featured thought-provoking sessions by retail industry leaders such as Tony Spring, president and chief executive officer-elect of Macy’s, Inc.; Julie Averill, chief technology officer at Lululemon Athletica Inc.; Libby Edelman, founder and senior vice president of Sam Edelman; and Fashion Icon Fern Mallis, also known as the Godmother of Fashion. With more than a thousand exhibitors in attendance, students were able to network and connect with representatives from companies from all over the world.

Housed within the School of Education and Urban Studies (SEUS), Fashion Merchandising offers students the opportunity to prepare for retail and wholesale buying, merchandising, fashion coordination, publicity, sales, and marketing careers.  The courses are designed to give students maximum exposure to business and management concepts to prepare them to move rapidly into areas of leadership. Three students, Joi Jones, Loretta Gray, and Tonae Lee, attended the conference with assistant professor Geetika Jaiswal, Ph.D. This year, two popular fashion stores, Nordstrom and Kohl’s, recruited two students during the NRF career fair. 

This enriching experience allowed the students to learn more about the cutting-edge technologies and sustainable practices happening within the fashion industry and share their passion for retail with fellow educators and seasoned professionals. Morgan’s students were able to attend the event thanks to scholarships made available from NRF.