IED – Istituto Europeo di Design Florence

Bachelor in Fashion Design

Who is it for?

If you feel you are fascinated by the world of fashion, if design is your driving passion and anything that is trendy catches your attention, if you believe that fashion is the sector where you can best express your creative style, our three-year English-language degree programme in Fashion Design is definitely your best option. You will be inspired by different sources and influences as you make your own designs for clothes and accessories. You will also be able to accurately shape your creative identity as a fashion designer. You will complete your three-year programme with a full understanding of how to assess project consistency across every step, from concept development to implementation. Upon completion, you will be able to check if the overall vision of each project is consistent, starting from concept all the way to project execution.

If you decide to go for our three-year degree programme in Fashion Design in English-language at IED Firenze you will translate very soon your creativity into a world where fashion design is seen as self-expression of artistic and professional skills. If you dream of becoming a fashion designer and have the curiosity to develop, deepen and learn about the subjects, tools and methods that best suit the fashion world in its many aspects, this is the definitely your best training opportunity, studying Fashion where all started, from Pucci to Ferragamo.

Methodology and structure

The three-year Fashion Design Undergraduate Programme in english-language at IED Firenze will give you the opportunity to build up technical skills and carry out all tasks and activities involved in working as a fashion designer. This will cover everything from material selection to full production, as you work with other professionals on every step of the process to make and promote your own fashion collections.

With the English-language degree programme in Fashion Design at IED Firenze, you will learn how to manage and use all the tools you need to produce and promote a collection of garments or accessories.

Studying theory subjects will provide you with an overall picture of fashion as a historical, artistic and social phenomenon. You will get first-hand knowledge of an industry where creative flair is matched with specific requirements of the economic system and supply chain. At the same time, your creations will also reflect the typical Made in Italy standards of quality, innovation, originality and sustainability. You will also learn about the need to promote products through the most innovative and impactful marketing strategies. You will become familiar with drawing and fashion illustration techniques, trying your hand when designing clothes and accessories. Once you have learned the basics of project design, we will move on to an in-depth exploration of technical and analytical skills. This training aims to build awareness and expertise in all areas of fashion, from visual communication to full production and execution.

Study Programme

First Year

The first year of the course is propaedeutic, prioritising the basic technical, cultural and design tools, with an emphasis on managing the creative flow and on the quest for identity. Educational activities focus on imparting the fundamental technical tools, a correct basic design method and a solid cultural grounding.

The teaching concentrates on designing a clothing collection, starting out by observing the world and interpreting signs, then developing an initial idea and translating it into a product.

This requires that students learn certain technical skills, methodological basics and cultural foundations .

The essential aim is to stimulate students’ ability to elaborate new forms, to analyse and synthesise reality and their own ideas and to translate creativity into objects and products.

Second Year

The second year is devoted to developing on what students have learned and conducting tangible experiments with the method, the tools and the cultural issues involved.

Students tackle the research, development and communication phases of their projects, which constitute the main structure of the curriculum. Each subject is considered as a function of the project: technical and expressive media, cultural codes and the approach to fashion marketing are treated as tools for moving the project forward. From the search for an inspiring theme to the product and its communication, every phase is monitored and studied in detail. The basic aim is to achieve a conscious approach to managing creativity, time and the mechanisms of design, so as to throw light on a first terrain of personal tastes and skills with the potential to describe a style.

Third Year

The third year is devoted to specialisation and focuses on the critical development of students’ design knowledge and skills in a specific field, on communicating identity and on managing design independence. The year is dedicated to advanced design work in a context of professional simulation and of complex cultural benchmarks. When drawing up their final projects, students are allowed space for personal intuitions and critical thinking. In addition to developing their own personal style and an original, coherent product, students are expected to use the thesis project to demonstrate the ability to position their work effectively in the fashion market, describing its technical and quality aspects and the costs related to its production. In the course of the three years, students also have the option to take part in design workshops, cultural seminars, competitions, lecture cycles, special projects and visits to firms and production facilities. Participation in these activities is complementary to the structured curriculum of which such participation is an integral part, just as both individual and workshop activities in the school’s own facilities are a fundamental and integral part of the curriculum.