There are various fashion colleges to choose from if you aim to pursue a career in Fashion. The pandemic over a year has led us to wonder if are Fashion schools still relevant anymore. Degree or no degree is a question that confuses many young students.
Undoubtedly, creative professional courses have more to offer than just theoretical learning as social media and E-commerce boom at raging graphs, while education is still a question.
The US reported COVID-19 as “the largest disruption of the education system in history.” Rising costs and relocations question the practical value of Fashion colleges at the moment.
While the question remains unanswered, we’re here to discuss how Virtual Education is changing how we study fashion and much more.
The concept of distance learning was already prevailing even before the pandemic started, but with the given situation, even the best Fashion colleges are forcibly diving into Online fashion education which obviously is the need of the hour but there are a few aspects that still might be a hurdle concerning students and professors.
20 Best Fashion Colleges in the World
Here is the list of Best Fashion Colleges in the world if you’re considering fashion as an industry you want to in, these are the reputed fashion school for you to check:
| The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) | US |
| Parsons, The New School for Design | US |
| London College of Fashion | UK |
| Royal College of Art | UK |
| Central Saint Martins | UK |
| Istituto Marangoni | Milan |
| ESMOD | France |
| Bunka Fashion College | Japan |
| Savannah College of Art and Design | US |
| Shenkar College of Engineering, Design, and Art | Israel |
| University for the Creative Arts (UCA Rochester | UK |
| Marist College – Poughkeepsie | US |
| Miami International University of Art & Design | US |
| The Geneva University of Art and Design | Switzerland |
| Swedish School of Textiles | Sweden |
| Art Institute of Tampa | Tampa |
| National Institute of Fashion Technology | India |
| Manchester School of Art | UK |
| Istituto Marangoni International | India |
| Thomas Jefferson University | US |
1. The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT)
Fashion Institute of Technology offers 25 distinct undergraduate degrees, concentrated into 10 majors within 5 broad fields of study. It includes Design & Applied Arts, Specialized Sales, Merchandising & Marketing, Public Relations & Advertising, Marketing, Textile & Apparel Studies, etc as majors. It is one of the best fashion schools in the world.
2. Parsons, The New School for Design
The major courses Parsons offers include Architectural Design, Communication Design, Design and Technology, Design History & Practice, Fashion Design, Fine Arts, Illustration, Integrated Design, Interior Design, and Photography. It is also one of the best fashion schools in the world.
3. London College of Fashion
The major courses Parsons offers include 3D effects for performance and fashion, bespoke tailoring, Accessories: product design, and innovation, Footwear: product design, and innovation, Fashion Media, Fashion buying & merchandising Fashion Contour, Fashion imaging, and illustrations, name a few courses.
4. Royal College of Art
Royal College of Art provides a Fashion MA program for 2 years, Adaptive wear, Bio wear, Footwear, Accessories, Millinery and Eyewear (FAME), Human wear, Knitwear, and Menswear are the major courses offered here.
5. Central Saint Martins
Central Saint Martins, University of arts in London offers distinct undergraduate degrees, pre-degree courses, short courses, post-grad, and research degree courses as you please. As it’s reputed to be one of the top fashion schools, it’s also quite hard to get in with the MA in fashion receiving 600 applications for 50 places.
6. Istituto Marangoni
Istituto Marangoni provides degrees in Fashion Design, Styling, and Fashion business as the main genre, some of these courses are Fashion design and marketing, Fashion design in womenswear, menswear and accessories, and Luxury accessories design and management, to name a few. It is one of the best fashion schools in the world for fashion design.
7. ESMOD
The major courses ESMOD offers are Fashion Design, Fashion Business, and everything that deals with fashion design, media, and marketing curriculum but is also one of the hardest colleges to get in.
8.Bunka Fashion College
Bunka Fashion College provides degrees in four major departments; Fashion Creation, Fashion Technology, Fashion Marketing, and Distribution and Fashion Accessories and Textiles which is also is the first specialized skills-related postgraduate institution in Japan. It is also one of the best fashion schools in the world.
9. Savannah College of Art and Design
SCAD provides lots of courses like Accessory Design, Advertising, Animation, Architectural History, Art history, Branded History, Design for sustainability, design management, and the list goes on as it has more than 40 programs for fashion enthusiasts to choose from!
10. Shenkar College of Engineering, Design, and Art
Shenkar College of Engineering, Design, and Art provides Bachelor’s and Master with varied elective courses in the following fields: kids clothing, lingerie, swimwear, menswear, leisure clothing, jeans, bags, shoes, evening wear, bridal clothing, photography, product design, styling, embroidery, crochet, surface handling, ceramic design, visual communications for fashion designers to name a few.
11. University for the Creative Arts (UCA Rochester)
University for Creative Arts provides lots of courses like Advertising Animation, Architecture, Business and Management, Communication and Media, Computer Arts, Crafts, Education, and Fashion to name a few.
12. Marist College – Poughkeepsie
Marist College has different Major and Minor courses that include courses like Advertising, Animation, Cinema Studies, Creative Writing, Fashion Business, Fashion Design, Fashion Merchandising, Interior Design, etc.
13. Miami International University of Art & Design
Miami International University of Art & Design provides courses like Visual design, Interior design, Fashion, Marketing, Filming, and production as major courses. Even after the pandemic, the university is still operating physical courses with limited classes! It is also counted as one of the best fashion schools in the world.
14. Geneva University of Art and Design
Geneva University of Art and Design provides a variety of Bachelor’s degree courses (fine arts, cinema, interior architecture, visual communication, fashion, and accessory design) and Master’s programs (fine arts, cinema, style, and accessory design, spaces, and communication and media design and lead by various workshops for additional skills.
15. Swedish School of Textiles
Swedish School of Textiles provides bachelors degree in Fashion Design, Textile Design, Design Technician Programme, Textile Engineering, Textile Management, and Business Administration, Textile Product Development and Entrepreneurship, Retail Education with Specialization in Textile and Fashion as well as Textile management and Fashion Management and Marketing in Master.
16. Art Institute of Tampa
Art Institute of Tampa provides courses that include Visual Design, Graphic & Web Design, Interior Design, Animation & Effects, Media Arts & Animation, Film & Production, Digital Filmmaking & Video Production, Gaming & Technology, Game Art & Design, Fashion, to name a few.
17. National Institute of Fashion Technology
The National Institute of Fashion Technology provides various courses that include a Bachelor in Fashion that include Fashion Design, Leather Design, Accessory Design, Textile Design, Knitwear Design, Fashion communication, Apparel Production, and a Master of Design as a few best courses.
18. Manchester School of Art
Manchester School of Art provides bachelor courses that include Master of Arts (MA) and Master of Fine Art (MFA) courses in art, design, and media subjects. In addition, they also offer a range of postgraduate architecture, landscape architecture, research degrees, and many courses you can check out!
19. Istituto Marangoni International – Mumbai
Istituto Marangoni International was established in Mumbai in 2017. While it offers courses like foundation courses like UG, PG, preparatory, and UG progression programs in the streams of Fashion, Art, and Design with additional short courses that include Fashion Design & Illustration, Fashion Image & Styling, and Fashion Business & Entrepreneurship as a few courses.
20. Thomas Jefferson University
Thomas Jefferson University is an amalgamation of multi-field courses, In fashion consists of courses that covers fashion and textiles in total. The job opportunities after taking these courses are the fabricators, suppliers, merchandisers, engineers, marketers, and event planners – from concept to consumer and the marriage of fabric to the frame.
Is a degree in fashion worth it?
The fashion industry is all about fun, art, and creativity. Imagine being in a space where different people showcasing their creativity on a similar theme still one is so different from the other. There’s a lot to get inspired from and to push your boundaries keeping in mind that the same industry can get toxic to as there’s a lot to do with physical appearances etc.
A degree in Fashion will only be worth it when you’re clear of career choices and very specific about them. There are tonnes of options to choose from but people do get lost while figuring it out. So make sure you refer to videos, and professors, and attend counseling that gets you clear.
Introduction of Online Classes During the Pandemic
But first, let’s also perpend the current situation of Online fashion education. Apart from traditional online classes, De La mode introduces us to Future Learn issues mini-courses for textile, fashion, luxury, and design industries,
BoF (Business of Fashion) brings us bite-sized modules of 2-7 min each introducing every possible theme that a fashion student or anybody interested in Fashion must know, Masterclass puts you in the front row of editorials with Diana Von Furstenberg and Anna Wintour (what better can you ever imagine!).
If we look into it, we know that the future of fashion education would definitely go digital in a bigger spectrum as apps like Zoom, Teams, and Discords have replaced the traditional classroom setup overall.
Are Fashion Schools Still Relevant?
The question arises, are these fashion schools still relevant? Fashion and textile design (even other design departments) need more hands-on training than theoretical classes, the touch, and feel of a texture or fabric is as important as learning the history and evolution of fashion as so is getting skills with various equipment that come along.
SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) provides limited courses for physical education while the FIT relies a lot on online fashion education.
A professor from “De Tao Masters Academy” (Shanghai based) mentions the lack of equipment and ignorance of practical knowledge, hand sewing gets really tiring and stressful.
A teacher from Fashion promotion and Imaging is giving projects where students shot images of natural objects/still life from their phones inside their homes.
While it’s challenging, a teacher-student relationship has gone much better from formal greetings to Whatsapp emojis but what’s taking a toll is personality development and teamwork!
Online Fashion Education Vs Traditional Classroom Training
Even if the situation seems chaotic, there’s a balance between the pros and cons of online fashion education, while the best fashion colleges are relying much on the online situation today,
there will be better options through which online courses will be easier since 70% of the academic officers believe that online training is the future of fashion education.
It has the potential to change the traditional methods of teaching and make education practitioners rethink their processes and techniques.
Traditional classes had limitations on which subjects to choose, Students from distant residences were confined in choosing fashion colleges and courses nearer.
With Online courses, you get the freedom to choose any curriculum you want based on specific skills while you can reject the subjects that do not interest you, take classes at any moment according to your comfort, and distance is not a thing right now, all you need is good wifi!
What Do Fashion Schools Look for?
First things first, keep yourself away from misconceptions around it. Good sketching does not always mean you’ll be skilled at Illustrations too.
The first and foremost thing any fashion school looks for is CREATIVITY. It’s a field where art is celebrated in the most diverse form, without creativity there’s nowhere to go!
The thought process, deep thinking skills, and philosophy is also expected as at the end of the day whatever collection you make is a part of your thought coming to reality. Best Fashion schools even provide a different curriculum to support the same.
In addition, this field demands a good personality and more confidence. That will also help you to stand out from the crowd. If you’re already dealing with inner battles around your looks, the industry might turn a bit toxic after a point.
You can also lookup for student portfolios and create one for yourself. Although once you’re in the fashion school the fashion terminologies, history, and innovation keeping up with fashion trends and knowing more than your peer, always helps!
Conclusion
As Fashion goes hand in hand with technology, there are ways the problems to get on hands training for specific skillset will surely be achieved in no time.
We have come so far with fitting education around our schedule, flexible timings, improved learning skills, and freedom to choose any curriculum, while also breaking financial and geographical barriers as Online fashion education is much more accessible.
It’s making the whole studying experience bit more personalized hence you can work on your strength and weaknesses by having a one-on-one discussion over a chat!
I do believe Fashion needs to amend its ways of traditional teaching system while keeping in mind the drawbacks it brings, but keeping in mind numerous technologies that work hand in hand to make it possible, Fashion education will figure its way out!
