From the Fund: “The Fashion Scholarship Fund awards over 160 awards or $1.4 million in scholarships each year to students just like you. We also offer our Scholars career-boosting talent acquisition events, internships, mentorships, and exclusive educational and networking events.
The annual case study competition allows applicants to pursue the scholarship in one of four disciplines, therefore four versions of the case study are available for: Design and Product Development, Merchandising, Marketing, or Business Strategy.”
The fund has created a How to Apply guide, which outlines all competition requirements, including eligibility and additional submission content beyond the case study. Additionally, it provides students with guidance on how to identify the right discipline based on their interests. The 2026 Wizehive portal application link can be found within the “How to Apply” guide, and is also linked HERE.
The general topic for the 2026 Case Study Competition is “Fashion Crosses Industries”. Across disciplines, applicants are asked to develop a collaboration with a business in an industry outside of fashion. Their business partner could be in industries such as hospitality, tourism, technology, or a variety of other business sectors. The central requirements of the collaboration are that it (1) cannot be with another fashion brand/retailer, and (2) cannot be with an individual – such as a celebrity or influencer. For clarity, applicants can propose a collaboration with a namesake brand, such as the Micheal Kors brand, but it cannot be with a singular person, like Sabrina Carpenter.”
Harvard has had students win this competition almost every year. This year’s winner, Claire Swadling ’26 has taken the time to share some of her tips on preparing:
“Participating in the FSF Case Study Scholarship has been one of the best decisions of my college career–I’m so glad that MCS helped me discover the opportunity! I created a case study on how Coachtopia, Coach’s sustainability arm, could integrate a Metaverse experience into their business strategy as part of the AI theme. I later found out that in addition to being named a FSF Scholar, I’m also a PVH Forward Fashion named scholar, meaning that I’ll get extra exposure to the industry through a specific brand! I highly recommend the program to any college student (sophomores and above)–in addition to the scholarship, once you become a FSF scholar, the FSF team is very proactive about helping students secure employment (internship or full time) in the fashion industry (merchandising, designing, etc) at top firms. I’ve also gotten the opportunity to participate in scholar-exclusive networking activities and meet tons of amazing industry leaders and fellow students!
My biggest tip for prospective applicants is to have a good idea of what you want your finished product to look like: since past winners are posted on the FSF website, it’s easy to see what a winning case study looks like. I encourage you to also think about why the Top Four Finalists each year stood out. Beyond that, it’s helpful to look at different case study discipline cases (business, merchandising, marketing, design) to decide which best suits your interests. Even if you don’t have previous fashion experience, spend some time thinking about your strengths and which discipline would highlight them the most. My last tip is to start early–I probably put two full day’s worth of work into my case, and I really wish I would’ve spread that out more! I suggest conducting preliminary research on your topic while brainstorming layouts, then finishing your research, and finally focusing on slide design.”
View Claire’s case study here.
