FIDM - Fashion Company Profile
FIDM - the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - was Los Angeles' private fashion college, founded in 1969 by Tonian Hohberg to educate students for the fashion, graphics, interior design and entertainment industries. In 2023 its fashion programs joined Arizona State University as ASU FIDM, and the independent college closed on March 31, 2025, with its final graduating class.
Company Snapshot
- Status
- Closed as an independent college on March 31, 2025 - in 2023 Arizona State University took over FIDM's fashion programs to create ASU FIDM, operating in Los Angeles and Phoenix; the Class of 2025 was FIDM's final graduating class
- Type
- Was a private for-profit college (founded by Tonian Hohberg)
- Location
- Los Angeles, California, United States (with former campuses in San Francisco, Orange County and San Diego)
- Founded
- 1969, in downtown Los Angeles, by Tonian Hohberg
Company Profile
This page is therefore a historical profile, with no shop box: the majors, degrees and campuses of the independent FIDM are summarised below and kept in full on the history page. Fashion education under the FIDM name continues as ASU FIDM within Arizona State University, in Los Angeles and Phoenix. The letter's other fashion school, New York's FIT, remains a public SUNY college and is filed separately.
The curriculum is described as developed, and continually updated, to reflect the needs of each industry served by the majors - and at FIDM, every program leads to a degree. The degree ladder as recorded: Associate of Arts, Associate of Arts Professional Designation, and Associate of Arts Advanced Study, as well as a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management. Three associate-level structures serve three kinds of entrant - the two-year student, the professional adding a designation, and the advanced-study student - topped by a bachelor's in the business of the industries the college teaches. That ladder, rather than a single degree, is the institution's shape.
FIDM History
The earlier record for this company - its history, past brand line-ups, figures and photographs from the periods described - is kept on a separate page for historical reference.
FIDM History & Historical Profile →Common Questions
What was FIDM?
The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - a private Los Angeles college founded in 1969, dedicated to educating students for the Fashion, Graphics, Interior Design and Entertainment industries. It closed as an independent college on March 31, 2025.
What happened to FIDM?
In 2023 Arizona State University took over FIDM's fashion programs, creating ASU FIDM in Los Angeles and Phoenix; the independent FIDM's final graduating class was the Class of 2025.
Which majors did FIDM offer?
Majors including Fashion Design, Textile Design, Jewelry Design, Footwear Design, Theatre Costume Design, Film & TV Costume Design, Apparel Industry Management, Merchandise Marketing and Beauty Industry Merchandising & Marketing, among others.
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