FSF CASE STUDY PROCESS
In April 2025, I began a journey to create a merchandising case study for the Fashion Scholarship Fund (FSF). Each year, the foundation releases a prompt inviting fashion students across the nation to compete within their respective disciplines—from design and merchandising to marketing. This year’s prompt asked participants to craft a collaboration between a fashion brand and a non-fashion brand, exploring how different industries can intersect, whether through music and photography or fashion and food. Coming off my experience with the National Retail Foundation competition—where, similarly to FSF, teams tackle a yearly prompt and develop a retail business plan—I found myself navigating a familiar process, but this time completely on my own. Here, I break down the inspiration and process that shaped my case study.
The process truly began during the first FSF class session with our instructor and longtime mentor to many students, Dana Connell. It was in this session that we dissected the year’s prompt, and my ideas immediately began to form. Although I had worked through a similar structure during NRF, this experience felt different because I could fully follow my own instincts and creativity during brainstorming. It was the first time I had ever brainstormed at such a large scale. I felt like I was imitating scenes from films where characters stand in front of giant whiteboards, scribbling every idea that comes to mind. In my own version of that, I opened a Google Doc and started listing every brand I knew and loved. That list grew to about 150 brands, and from there, I began identifying unexpected pairings—brands that seemed unlikely collaborators or had yet to work together despite clear potential. I narrowed my selections down to three concepts: Oura Ring and Athleta, On Running and Liquid I.V., and Rhode and Aritzia.
The next stage was conducting research and determining which pairing could realistically work together. Fortunately, I felt an intuitive pull toward the idea of On Running and Liquid I.V., though I wasn’t fully sure why at first. Looking back, it may have been a sign to choose them, especially since I couldn’t move forward with Oura Ring and Athleta or Rhode and Aritzia. Oura Ring is not a public company, and Rhode and Aritzia are both classified as retail brands, making those concepts less viable. That left me with On Running and Liquid I.V. I wasn’t entirely convinced my intuition was pointing me toward a winning concept, but I sensed something there—something I knew I had to take the time to unlock, even if the idea didn’t initially sit comfortably with me.
Over the five-week course, I gradually began to identify the thread connecting the two brands. Both emphasize building strong communities through their messaging as well as their philanthropic efforts. And both are expanding into multiple facets of sport and fashion—On Running is exploring luxury athletic wear while still serving its niche running audience, and Liquid I.V. is partnering with F1, giving them a unique foothold in the fitness and performance space. Today, the alignment feels obvious, but during the process, the connection felt incredibly unclear. I questioned whether the brands truly complemented each other and whether their identities could realistically align. I struggled to find where the thread pulled tight. At one point, I even considered changing my entire case study; after the five-week course ended, I had the whole summer to pivot, and I genuinely planned to do so. But during the final week of the course, I finally uncovered the connection and committed to these two brands with full confidence.
It was far from an easy process. Looking back now, especially after becoming an FSF scholarship recipient, I realize those initial intuitive feelings may have been pointing me toward a strong concept—while also warning me that discovering it wouldn’t come easily. No meaningful collaboration or compelling idea comes without long nights and persistent effort. It wasn’t until September 2025, when I sat down with Dana Connell, that we figured out how to structure the case in a way that felt clear and cohesive. Throughout this process, I learned that great ideas rarely develop overnight—though it’s possible—but seeing a concept through, even when it becomes challenging, is deeply rewarding. I am proud to be an FSF scholar, and I am excited to see where this experience leads me next.
