Fashion School Plans
OC Campus Move
By JENNIFER BELLANTONIO
Los Angeles-based Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising plans to move its Costa Mesa campus by midyear, according to a spokeswoman.
The private design college, which trains students for the fashion, graphics, interior design and entertainment industries, hasn’t finalized a new location yet, the spokeswoman said. She declined to comment on a report that has the school moving closer to John Wayne Airport, or provide any other details on the planned move.
The Fashion Institute counts about 400 students at its OC campus near South Coast Plaza.
First-year students attend the campus and typically transfer to Los Angeles to complete their second-year and associate degrees.
Overall, the school has about 4,000 students spread among four campuses, including in San Francisco and San Diego.
The Fashion Institute opened its 33,000-square-foot Costa Mesa site in 1981 “in response to the area’s growing importance as a business, cultural and residential center,” according to the school’s Web site.
