Princess Anne, MD – The University of Maryland Eastern Shore is among 10 historically black institutions picked to receive grants from a consortium of apparel companies looking to nurture the next generation of fashion designers and merchandisers.
UMES will receive $50,000 from the “Closing the Gap” program launched in May by Gap Inc., Harlem’s Fashion Row (HFR), an agency for underrepresented African American and Latino designers, and Icon360, HFR’s non-profit subsidiary.
The competition was billed as “an initiative dedicated to funding and pipelining HBCU fashion students into the careers they deserve.”
Dr. Bridgett Clinton-Scott, an associate professor in UMES’ human ecology department, said the money will be used to connect her students with those working in the industry as well as support an on-campus retail outlet that trades in gently used professional attire.
“I think it’s important for our students to see for themselves … you can be successful as a UMES alumnus,” said Clinton-Scott, who joined the university’s faculty in 2004.
The 10 HBCUs, all with degree programs that teach fashion design and merchandising, will share $510,000 in the coming school year.
Brandice Daniel, Harlem’s Fashion Row founder and CEO, said the grant program was created to “address … issues of diversity and inclusion in the industry” and give recipients the “tools and guidance the next generation needs to take the fashion industry to new heights,”
Gap Inc. and HFR subsidiary ICON360 also plan to “partner to provide mentorship and internship opportunities to students currently enrolled in each of the winning HBCU programs.”
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore is a historically black, Carnegie-classified doctoral research, land-grant institution offering more than 90 academic programs and concentrations leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. UMES provides affordable access to higher education while developing innovative technology and research in key fields like agriculture, science, pharmacy and engineering.
