Imagine taking a blank canvas, defining a target market, building out unit economics and pitching a viable fashion brand to a panel of judges – all in under 120 hours.

That was the high-stakes reality for fifteen ambitious high school students who gathered at Drexel University’s Fashion + Entrepreneurship Summer Camp.

Designed as an immersive, non-residential incubator experience, the camp required no prior business or design background – just creative drive and a willingness to solve real-world industry challenges. Over five fast-paced days, the cohort moved from raw ideation to market-ready business concepts, experiencing firsthand how theoretical ideas transform into real ventures.

Applied Learning in Action

At Drexel, business education extends far beyond passive classroom lectures. The camp offered a direct look at Drexel’s core approach: breaking down the walls between traditional classroom study and real-world practice.

Throughout the week, students worked against the clock, moving through hands-on design, research and financial planning phases:

• Venture Foundations: Campers analyzed revenue streams and business models with Germyce Williams, M.EdL, followed by a strategic scavenger hunt inside the Baiada Institute for Entrepreneurship.
• Market Analysis & Tech Integration: The cohort explored sustainable fashion frameworks, interacted with cutting-edge visual technology via VR experiences and analyzed retail operations during a study of Reworn Shop.
• Field Research & Strategy: Students conducted off-campus market research at The Indie Shelf, a founder-led beauty boutique, analyzing retail positioning and customer acquisition strategies firsthand.
• The Pitch Showcase: The program culminated in a live, time-limited pitch competition in Room 102 of the Close School, where student teams presented their fully realized business models to guest judges before an audience of peers and mentors.

Strategic Collaboration Between the Close School and Westphal College

Central to the camp’s impact was the cross-disciplinary partnership between the Charles D. Close School of Entrepreneurship and the Westphal College of Media Arts & Design. By aligning Westphal’s creative design expertise with the Close School’s focus on venture strategy and financial viability, the program provided students with a comprehensive view of the modern fashion industry.

Working alongside faculty, alumni and undergraduate mentors across both colleges, campers learned how design vision and commercial strategy must work in tandem to drive sustainable business growth.

Shaping the Next Generation of Global Innovators

The program’s reach extended well beyond regional borders, attracting high school students nationally and internationally who wanted to test their skills in a university setting.

Gaining Perspective in an International Market

For Sakurako F., an incoming student from Tokyo, Japan, the camp provided a lens into the product-driven business ecosystem of the United States and validated her ambitions to pursue fashion marketing at the university level.

“My main goals were to learn about the product-driven business environment in the United States… and to experience what classes at an American university are like. I gained a deeper understanding of marketing and the current state of sustainable fashion.

During the public speaking course, my team proposed a custom graphic jeans brand based in New York. Before this program, I was not confident speaking English in front of a large audience. This experience became a valuable opportunity for me to improve not only my English communication skills but also my presentation skills and confidence in taking on new challenges.” – Sakurako F., Tokyo, Japan

Developing Real-World Viability Through Experience

For María O., a rising high school senior from Tampico, Mexico, the camp provided a practical environment to evaluate a potential career path while learning how to build realistic financial models.

“For our project, my team and I created a sustainable, affordable and inclusive jewelry brand called Helumana. We researched what materials were best to make long-lasting jewelry and also about the plating process… We created prices based on how much we spent on labor and materials while still gaining enough revenue. This project felt very realistic, including prices, yearly gains and an ask to the sharks at the end.” – María O., Tampico, Mexico

From Concept to Commerce

The week concluded with student teams delivering polished, well-structured pitch decks. Highlights included Helumana, a fully costed, ethically sourced jewelry venture complete with margin calculations and investor asks, alongside a custom New York-focused graphic denim concept.

By combining the strengths of the Close School and Westphal College with Drexel’s commitment to hands-on learning, the Fashion + Entrepreneurship Summer Camp showed that pairing creative passion with core business discipline is the key to preparing engaged future industry leaders.