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20 Best Fashion Schools in the World
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Fashion schools

20 Best Fashion Schools in the World

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Studying fashion and attending the best fashion schools in the world is a dream for many. The process of choice may not be easy, but it is crucial.

Renowned institutions are mainly in the USA, Europe, but also in Asia. They bring together in their curriculum courses in design, fashion business, marketing, and many other options for those who want to work in the industry.

In this article, we present to you the 20 best fashion schools in the world. Keep reading!

Best Fashion Schools

The CEOWorld, the world’s leading business and technology publication focused on CEOs, listed the top 100 fashion schools worldwide. Published at the beginning of the year, the assessment was based on a methodology that analyzed academic reputation, diversity, and teaching quality.

They conducted surveys with more than 62,000 former students, institutions, designers, and recruitment consultants in the fashion area, as well as industry professionals. The study lasted more than two months, with questions that sought to analyze the relevance of each institution’s program and establish a comparison in terms of academic quality, staff, and campus infrastructure.

The ranking was organized according to three factors: learning experience, influence, and values. First place went to the Fashion Institute, in New York, followed by the London College of Fashion.

Here are the top 20 fashion schools that you should know about!

1. Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT)

Located in New York, the FIT is an internationally recognized college for design, fashion, art, communications, and business. They’re known for their adaptable academic programming, experiential learning opportunities and, academic and industry partnerships. Furthermore, the institution is also committed to research, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

Additionally, FIT’s broader ethos is to foster creativity, inspire leadership, impart a global perspective, and educate students to embrace inclusiveness, commit to sustainability, and engage with community. 

2. London College of Fashion

With the mantra “Fashion Shapes Lifes”, the London College of Fashion offers courses in all fashion areas. From business to design and fashion curation. They have over 60 undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, and 165 short courses. 

Through boundary-pushing research, they unite design, science, engineering, and technology, to redefine fashion. They also have Student Enterprise programs, business incubators, and industry collaborations forming a dynamic network to help our enterprising graduates launch and grow businesses.

3. Westphal College of Media Arts & Design at Drexel University

The Drexel’s Westphal College of Media Arts & Design is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the US. The institution goes about teaching design, media, and the performing arts in a different way. 

Their undergraduate and graduate degree programs empower students with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to succeed in highly competitive creative fields. Also, their programs are predominately studio-based. That means small classes and hands-on learning. 

4. School of Arts, Design and Architecture – Aalto University

“We shape a sustainable future”. Those are the mains words that can describe Aalto University. Their Department of Design is a diverse community of competent, creative, and responsible individuals. In addition, when it comes to design, they appreciate technical skills, social significance, and artistic expression.

They offer Bachelor’s degrees that major in Design, Fashion, and others. Master’s studies can be conducted either in Collaborative and Industrial Design; Fashion, Clothing and Textile Design; or Contemporary Design program. In addition, the Department provides two Aalto-level Master’s programs: International Design Business Management and Creative Sustainability.

5. Central Saint Martins

London is definitely one of the world’s fashion poles. The Queen’s city has amazing fashion schools and Central Saint Martins is among those. In the institution, they believe that art, design, and performance can generate real, productive change. 

They began as two colleges founded in the nineteenth century: St Martin’s School of Art and the Central School of Art and Crafts (which became the Central School for Art and Design in 1966). Both believed in the fundamental importance of learning through making. People knew them for their radical approach to art and design – values that remain until today.

6. Parsons School of Design

For more than a century, Parsons has been inspired by the transformative potential of design. At the heart of a comprehensive university — The New School — Parsons draws on a range of academic fields to deliver a unique interdisciplinary education enriched by the resources of its home in New York City and a branch campus in Paris. 

7. Istituto Marangoni International – Milan

Studying fashion at Istituto Marangoni Milano is an immersive journey through the heritage of their very first school. Also, the campus surrounds the Italian contemporary fashion pole and the ready-to-wear mindset. 

The institute’s students engage with the ‘Made-in-Italy’ culture and the latest fashion trends, inspired by experimental design and research and combining handmade luxury and attention to detail with striking effects. Furthermore, the school has the philosophy of leveraging long-standing expertise and a creative, forward-thinking attitude towards both design and business. And, in addition, the city and the school have a privileged position in the global fashion arena. 

8. Bunka Fashion College

The Bunka Fashion College is located in Tokyo and it’s Japan’s first fashion school. The institution was founded as a small dressmaking school in 1919. Most Japanese wore a kimono at that time. So, the Bunka Fashion College was approved as the first dressmaking school in Japan in 1923. In addition, the college has produced about 300,000 alumni, and has played a significant role in fashion education in Japan for about 100 years.

9. National Institute of Fashion Technology

In Indian lands, the National Institute of Fashion Technology came into existence in 1986. In addition, NIFT is the pioneering institute of fashion education in the country and has been in the vanguard of providing professional human resources to the textile and apparel industry. 

It became a statutory institute in 2006 by an Act of the Indian Parliament with the President of India as ‘Visitor’ and has full-fledged campuses all across the country. Over the years, NIFT has also been working as a knowledge service provider to the Union and State governments in the area of design development and positioning of handlooms and handicrafts.

10. Savannah College of Art and Design

SCAD prepares talented students for professional, creative careers. The institution is in the US in the city of Savannah, Georgia, and they are really strong when it comes to excellent arts education and effective career preparation for students.

11. School of Design at Royal College of Art

In London, the School of Design at Royal College of Art has an outstanding campus. Summing up, they have over 180 years of history and unites fashion and art in a special way.

Furthermore, the RCA works closely with local groups, residents, schools, and businesses to develop collaborative projects and create a positive impact in the social and cultural fabric of their local communities in Battersea, White City, and Kensington. Since 2018, over 7,500 people have participated in the RCA’s community engagement activities including events, exhibitions, tours, and workshops.

12. Fashion Design Institut

Since 2014, the Fashion Design Institut is the best fashion school in Germany. They have a strong curriculum in the fashion business preparing their students for the industry’s reality. 

The school offers the following at the highest level in Düsseldorf: Fashion Design, Fashion Journalism, and Fashion Management / Marketing.

13. Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp

The Belgium college provides a challenging environment for the soon-to-be designer or artist who wants a very individual and personal artistic education. Also, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp offers a bachelor and master programme in Visual Arts with different courses going from the Fine arts (Sculpture, Painting, Printmaking) and Photography, to the more design-oriented courses Graphic design, Jewellery Design and Gold- and Silversmithing, Fashion and Costume Design. 

Furthermore, they offer theoretical courses, drawing, and observation to the students can develop personal artistic practice.

14. Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art

The Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art is in Tel Aviv, in Israel. The institution was founded in 1970 as the “College for Fashion and Textile Technology”. They had the goal of qualifying skilled manpower for the then-thriving Israeli textile and clothing industry. 

The school was named after Arieh Shenkar, founder of the Manufacturers Association of Israel (formerly Industrialists’ Union in The Land of Israel) and a pioneer in the Israeli textile industry. 

15. Polimoda

Polimoda faculty is among the industry leaders with unique ideas and innovative experiences. The school was founded in 1986 as Politecnico Internazionale della Moda. Back then, it was an agreement between two international centers of fashion and two trailblazers of the industry.

Shirley Goodman, the former Executive Vice President Emeritus at FIT in New York and Executive Director of the Educational Foundation for the Fashion Industries, and Don Emilio Pucci, Marchese di Barsento and founder of the famous Florentine brand Emilio Pucci, came together to create a center for excellence in fashion education, to serve the city as much as the global industry. The first classes took place at Villa Strozzi in central Florence that year, and the Institute has only grown in strength and influence since then.

16. University of Westminster

The English institutions are the majority in the best fashion schools list. In 16th place, we have the University of Westminster. The campus is in UK’s capital and started out 180 years ago as the first polytechnic in the city. They support more than 19,000 students on their undergraduate, postgraduate and professional courses. 

17. ESMOD Paris

The City of Lights is also a famous fashion pole. The ESMOD Paris has celebrated 180 years and they also have schools in Bordeaux, Lyon, Rennes, and Roubaix (Lille). 

18. University for the Creative Arts (UCA Rochester)

In 18th place, we have the University for the Creative Arts (UCA Rochester). In short, for 160 years, the university has been a passionate advocate for creative education and research. 

Furthermore, UCA Rochester offers different courses. Among them are Architecture, Crafts, Fashion, Graphic Design, Illustration, Fine Art, Photography, Film, Media, the Performing Arts, and Creative Business. 

19. ArtEZ Institute of the Art, Arnhem

The ArtEZ Institute of the Art is in the Eastern Netherlands. They prepare students for professions in which art, knowledge, and creativity play a central role. Also, the institution offers students a vibrant and independent atmosphere. Therefore, they enable young artists to thrive.  

20. Stephens College

On American grounds, Stephens College is an institution committed to educating students to be leaders and grow in their professional fields. To sum up, the university came to life in 1833 and for almost 200 years is focused on the health sciences, performing arts, and integrative studies.

Other amazing and well-known fashion schools such as LIM College, Instituto Marangoni Paris, and Geneva University of Art and Design were also on the list of top 100 fashion universities in the world. Summing it up, all of those institutions offer the students a unique experience in developing critical thinking as well as understanding fashion theories – both essential when it comes to changing the industry’s reality and building a more sustainable and inclusive version of it.

Don’t forget to check out our previous article entitled “CRUELTY-FREE: TAKING ANIMALS OUT OF FASHION”.

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Credits:
Júlia Vilaça

Head of Content & Social Media

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Author:
Júlia Vilaça

Head of Content & Social Media

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