Overview

The Fashion Design Portfolio and Design Index is your chance to tell us your design story. We want to learn about your design process, conceptual approach, sources of inspiration, aesthetic sensibilities and technical skills, how your background and experiences inform your fashion design perspective.

Our applicants come from a variety of backgrounds with various connections to and experiences with fashion. The CHE mission together with the diverse perspectives of our faculty and students, inform our approach to teaching, learning and preparing our students for a rapidly changing industry.

This submission will be considered along with your application materials (Common Application, transcripts, etc.). Fashion Design applicants who do not submit the portfolio and design index will not be considered. 

Submission instructions

All Fashion Design Portfolio and Design Index components must be submitted via SlideRoom. Materials submitted through other means will not be reviewed or returned.

Deadlines

Design supplements submitted after the listed deadlines will not be considered.

First-year applicants

  • Early decision: November 1, 2025
  • Regular decision: January 2, 2026

Transfer applicants

  • Fall external transfer applicants: March 15, 2026

Internal transfer applicants

Current Cornell students applying for internal transfer must also complete the internal transfer application process.

  • Spring transfer: December 1, 2025
  • Fall transfer: May 1, 2026
fashion design student working on a white dress on a model
ruffles

Portfolio and index components

The Fashion Design Portfolio and Design Index consists of the two required components.

  1. Portfolio
  2. Fashion Design Index

Carefully review the instructions to ensure that you submit all required materials for evaluation. You should include work that best highlights your creativity, skill and passion for fashion design. Refer to the FAQs below as you consider the most effective ways to highlight these elements.

All work must be original and created by the applicant, with no assistance from consultants, artificial intelligence, etc. Submissions found to have significant similarity to work posted on the internet or from other sources will not be accepted.

Please use the description field in SlideRoom to identify date of creation, medium and other relevant details about each piece. If you use a commercial pattern, please indicate this and explain how you have modified the piece to reflect your unique vision for the final design.

Create a cohesive presentation of your portfolio materials that tell your story.

  • Consider your portfolio as a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. Your portfolio should be unified and cohesively reflect your design approach.
  • Include 12 - 15 examples of design work that demonstrate a breadth of skill.
    • Priority work should include fashion illustration; clothing, costumes or accessories you have designed and/or made; textile design projects; fashion sketch book pages; and/or examples of wearable technology and computer-aided design.
    • Secondary work such as examples of ceramics, crafts, glasswork, graphics, leatherwork, metalwork, painting, photography, sculpture and/or woodwork that has a connection to or is inspired by your interest in fashion may also be included.
  • At least one example should show your design process from ideation to execution.
Format
  • Include a brief description with each item, including title, inspiration and design intention, materials, techniques, date of completion and originality (for example, “original design using commercially available pattern”).
  • Scan original sketches.
  • When you photograph portfolio items, choose your background and lighting with care. Tip: use a plain, wrinkle-free sheet as a backdrop. Do not use professional photography or models.
  • Submit 1 page per image/item, with a maximum of 15 pages, to SlideRoom.

Respond to these prompts to help our faculty understand your design process and thinking, sense of aesthetics and perception of fashion:

  1. Students in the College of Human Ecology approach the study of human health and well-being by considering many different scholarly perspectives, including human development, nutrition, psychology, history, economics, design, and the social and material sciences, among others. How will studying Fashion Design in this interdisciplinary environment prepare you for your career path?

  2. Tell us about your educational, work, and/or personal fashion-related experiences and how they influence your interest in fashion design. 

    Your experiences may be related to garment construction, textile design, classes taken, personal experiences with dress, and internships, work, or volunteer opportunities in the creative industries more broadly, or fashion, fibers, and textiles more specifically.

Format
  • Submit your responses via the Fashion Design Index form on SlideRoom.
  • Each response has a 150 word maximum.

Frequently asked questions

No. Fashion graphics and garment construction are taught during the first two semesters at Cornell and are required of all Fashion Design students. We understand that not all students have opportunities to participate in fashion experiences or coursework. Consider using the Fashion Design Index responses to expand upon your interests and your opportunities to develop your unique design perspective. 

We are not scheduling faculty appointments. You can email FSAD-DUS [at] cornell.edu (FSAD-DUS[at]cornell[dot]edu) with questions about the program or the required Portfolio and Design Index.

Black and white sketches work well for fashion illustrations. You might want to include images of fabric swatches or written descriptions of fabrics with some of your sketch work to give us an idea of how you envision the finished garment(s). Our design faculty are interested in your thoughts about the design process, fabric selections and color choices.

Photograph front and back views of the design on a model or mannequin. Include close-up shots of any detail work you wish to highlight. Choose your background with care and make sure the room is well-lit. The focus should be the garment. Tip: use a clean, wrinkle-free sheet as a backdrop. Professional photography/models is not necessary.

You may include images or written descriptions of fabric swatches with your photos. Make note of the source of the commercial pattern and how you made choices during the construction process to assert your design perspective.

Create and include storyboards or collages around fashion themes and colors to demonstrate how you coordinate apparel and accessories. You can also include photos of your friends in the outfits you have coordinated for them and briefly explain your selection decisions.

Two letters of recommendation from your high school teachers are required to complete your application. However, a recommendation letter from a designer who you work with can be included in your portfolio.

Contact the College of Human Ecology Admissions Office (607-255-5471) to learn more about your candidacy. You can also send a statement of continued interest to the College of Human Ecology Admissions Committee through your application portal. Additional letters of recommendation are not helpful.

The summer before you matriculate at Cornell is an excellent time to establish a basic understanding of fabric and machine handling. Fashion design is a design field where it is possible to make what you design using your own hands. Background work will enhance the quality of projects in your fashion design studios. Fashion design work in the major includes original sketch ideas, textile color and surface design, apparel pattern development, and construction of garments by the student. Enrolling students who need to improve their sewing skills on campus will be enrolled in appropriate coursework their first semester.

You can email FSAD-DUS [at] cornell.edu (FSAD-DUS[at]cornell[dot]edu) with specific questions about the design supplement.