An apparel merchandising and management student has been recognized with a $10,000 scholarship for her innovative approach to a challenge facing the fashion industry.
Andrea Avalos Lujan was named a recipient of the 2026 Fashion Scholarship Fund Scholarship in the Merchandising Category. The selection followed a national case study competition where students were asked to design a hypothetical partnership between a fashion brand and a non-fashion brand.
Avalos Lujan, who is in her senior year with a retail emphasis, proposed a collaboration between American clothing label Stüssy and FIFA, the international soccer organization, ahead of the 2025 World Cup. Her idea involved creating limited edition fan jerseys that represent the three host countries: Mexico, Canada, and the United States.
“I also wanted to address the plastic waste generated by both the fashion industry and massive events,” Avalos Lujan said. “The jerseys would be made from stadium-collected waste from previous FIFA matches and later processed into recycled polyester.”
She was one of 100 students across the country to receive this scholarship out of about 700 applicants.
“My dream since I was a kid had always been working in the fashion industry,” she said. “I’m extremely excited to build a successful career in the fashion industry.”
The Fashion Scholarship Fund is an educational nonprofit focused on workforce development within fashion. Each year it awards more than $1.9 million in scholarships to students and provides additional support through internships, networking opportunities, and mentorship.
