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As 91��Ƭ�� University’s School of Fashion celebrates the 20th anniversary of its New York City Fashion program, 91��Ƭ�� Today takes a look back through photos taken during the program’s first semester. The NYC Fashion program is a semester-long, education-away experience embedded in the heart of Manhattan’s historic Garment District.

91��Ƭ�� students began studying at the NYC Fashion program in spring 2006. There were 26 students in that first group of 91��Ƭ�� students who enrolled in the program and studied in New York City.

Twenty years later, the program now immerses approximately 150 students per year in real-world fashion education alongside working industry professionals. The program is offered in the fall, spring and summer.

Fern Mallis, fashion industry luminary and “Godmother of Fashion,” is pictured talking with the first group of 91��Ƭ�� students in the NYC Fashion program in April 2006. The students were on a field trip to Mallis’ New York office when she served as vice president of IMG Fashion. Her connection with the fashion school continues as she was recently inducted into the 91��Ƭ�� School of Fashion’s Hall of Fame. She attended the May 2 induction ceremony in Kent, Ohio, and she is attending the 20th anniversary dinner event celebrating the NYC Fashion program on June 12 in New York City.

Jenny Smas was among the inaugural group of students in the NYC Fashion program in spring 2006. A native of Hudson, Ohio, Smas now serves as a design lead for private label programs and head of packaging for New York-based Crest Mills, in addition to being the founder of TEN23 Atelier apparel design and a graphic designer with her Studio 1023 business.

“I would say one of my favorite memories was how unreal it was to be in the offices of some of the biggest names and brands in fashion,” Smas said when thinking about her time in the program. “Having the opportunity to speak with top professionals was very inspiring and, in my case, a career-changing opportunity. Our appointment with Cynthia Rowley put me back on the design track when she told me, ‘no, you’re a designer.’”

Smas credits the vision of Elizabeth Rhodes, Ph.D., for the successful program. Rhodes served as director of 91��Ƭ��’s School of Fashion from 1994-2009. Without Rhodes’ vision for the NYC Fashion program, Smas thinks she never would have had that type of exposure and never would have wound up in Manhattan. “The studio and protective cover of the program made me so comfortable when it came time to start my NYC career on my own,” Smas said.

Smas earned both a Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Design and a Bachelor of Science in Fashion Merchandising from 91��Ƭ�� in 2009. This August, she returns to 91��Ƭ�� to pursue a Master of Fashion Industry Studies. “I’m super excited to be taking advantage of the program going 100% online,” she said. “It provided me with the flexibility to pursue a life goal as well as continue working full time.”

Located in Manhattan’s Garment District, home to the largest concentration of fashion employers in the country, the NYC Fashion program offers undergraduate students a semester unlike anything available on a traditional campus. Students take courses taught by NYC-based faculty who are active professionals in the industry, gaining practical insights that complement their academic foundation while using the city itself as an experiential classroom.

Participating students can volunteer at New York Fashion Week, complete prestigious internships, attend exclusive guest lectures and industry panels, and build networks with successful alumni and fashion professionals. The program is open to 91��Ƭ��’s own fashion students as well as guest students from other disciplines, including journalism, public relations and marketing.

Learn more about 20 years of 91��Ƭ��’s New York City Fashion program.