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Do you dream of studying Fashion in countries of Europe? So for sure the Old Continent is a great choice, since most of the best schools in the world in the area are concentrated in these countries as defined by Countryaah. You have certainly heard of cities like Milan and Paris as major fashion capitals, and it really makes perfect sense, as you will see in the list. So without further ado… Discover the 11 best fashion schools in Europe now!

11 best fashion schools in Europe

Central Saint Martins

Where is? London, United Kingdom

The Central Saint Martins emerged from the merger in 1989, the Saint Martin’s School of Art and the Central School of Art and Crafts, and today is one of the main centers of fashion studies in the UK , offering programs in different areas, both at undergraduate and master’s level. Some of the main areas of activity of the institution are Men’s Fashion, Fashion Design, Women’s Fashion, Fashion Journalism and Textile Design. The institution’s undergraduate degrees last for 3 years, while master’s courses last for 2 years.

Central Saint Martins undergraduate courses have an average value of 10,000 euros per year for European students and 25,000 for international students. However, the college offers many scholarship opportunities and collaborations with outside professionals and sponsors such as Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, L’Oréal Professionnel, Puma and Nike.

London College of Fashion

Where is? London, United Kingdom

The London College of Fashion is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London and offers courses in areas such as Technology of Fashion Design, Photography and Fashion Illustration, Women’s Fashion and Jewelry Design. The size of the institution’s classes varies from 7 to 20 students. Jimmy Choo, Jonathan Anderson, William Tempest and Alek Wek are some of the famous alumni who graduated there.

Royal College of Art

Where is? London, United Kingdom

The Royal College of Art (RCA) is the only postgraduate university exclusively dedicated to Art and Design courses in the world. The institution has specialized courses in Women’s and Men’s Fashion, Shoes, Knits, Accessories, Headgear and Glasses. All programs have a duration of 2 years.

Prices are high and costs vary between 32 thousand and 64 thousand euros for international students, but there are opportunities for scholarships. RCA has three campuses: South Kensington, Battersea and White City.

Instituto Marangoni

Where is? Milan, Italy

The Marangoni Institute is a private school of Fashion and Design based in Milan with branches in Florence, London, Paris, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Mumbai and Miami. With 3-year undergraduate and 1-year master’s programs, the main focuses of the school are Women’s and Men’s Fashion, Fashion and Accessories Marketing. The Institute also offers short courses, from 1 to 4 weeks, created specifically for anyone interested in learning basic concepts about Fashion Design.

Two types of scholarships are available: the first with a deduction of 50% of the registration fee and the second with discounts of 5,000 euros on the registration fee. Among the school’s most famous alumni are Franco Moschino, Alessandra Facchinetti, Domenico Dolce, Rahul Mishra, Julie de Libran, Rafael Lopez and Alessandro Sartori.

Politecnico di Milano

Where is? Milan, Italy

The Polytechnic University of Milan (Politecnico di Milano) is the largest technical university in Italy, with around 42,000 students. The university offers undergraduate and graduate courses in Engineering, Architecture and Design. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest university in Milan. The Bachelor’s programs in Fashion Design last 3 years and the Master’s programs, 2 years.

There are many scholarships for international students as part of the university’s recent internationalization strategy. But even without a scholarship, studying in Italy is much cheaper than in other European countries. Expenses with registration fees are at the maximum of 400 euros per year!

Raffles Milano

Where is? Milan, Italy

The Raffles Milano (Milan known as MRI) is one of the institutes of Fashion Design and most exclusive in the world and consists of a network of 22 campuses in 12 countries. However, the Milan unit is the heartbeat of the group and usually admits a maximum of 20 students per class. The institution’s master’s courses last 10 months and undergraduate courses, 3 years.

All of RM’s programs are led by professional designers who are highly integrated into the fashion world and who have worked for leading brands such as Prada, Giorgio Armani and Salvatore Ferragamo. It is not by chance that one of RM’s strong points is its orientation towards the rapid insertion of its graduates in the fashion job market.

Institut Français de la Mode

Where? Paris, France

The official launch of the new Institut Français de la Mode took place on January 8, 2019, bringing together Fashion Design, Fashion Management and Crafts under one roof. Two new Fashion Design programs were launched in September of the same year: a bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design in French and English and a master’s degree in Fashion Design in English. The bachelor’s degree lasts for 3 years and the master’s degree extends over 2 years (19 months of course plus a 6-month internship) with a specialization in Clothing, Knitwear, Patternmaking, Footwear and Image.

There are also 2 other programs of shorter duration. The first is the Advanced Intensive Program in Fashion Design and Pattern Making, lasting 1 year and fully taught in French. The second program is “My Little Black Dress”, a one-week course open to anyone interested in the world of fashion.

Last but not least, the university offers scholarship and internship opportunities with a minimum duration of 6 months in companies such as Givenchy, Balenciaga, Hermès, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Kenzo, Lanvin, Loewe, Nina Ricci, Maison Kitsuné, Valentino, Maison Margiela and Saint Laurent.

ESMOD

Where? Paris, France

The École supérieure des arts et techniques de la mode (ESMOD) is a private French fashion school. It was founded in Paris in 1841 by Alexis Lavigne and today has branches in Bordeaux, Lyon, Rennes and Roubaix, France, and in several cities in other countries, including Moscow, Dubai and Tokyo.

The university’s main headquarters is a magnificent private mansion built around a central atrium with 15 classrooms spread over 5 floors. There is also a sewing room, a CAD room (computer-aided pattern creation), a documentation center, a tissue library, a study room and a food court.

It offers many courses with different durations:

• Graduation in Fashion Design (3 years): specialization in Women’s Fashion, Men’s Fashion, Children’s Fashion, Knitwear, Traditional Haute Couture, Modern Haute Couture, Lingerie, Accessories and Costumes. Classes taught in French and English.
• Post-Graduation in Creative Direction (2 years). Classes taught in French only.
• Intensive 1 year course in Fashion Design: intensive training that allows students to complete the first two years of the degree program in 1 year and then enter directly into the third year of the program. Classes taught in French and English.
• Summer courses of 2 to 4 weeks focusing on Fashion Design and Pattern Creation. Classes taught in French and English.
• Basic preparation courses for the graduation in Fashion Design. Classes taught in French and English.

Paris College of Art

Where? Paris, France

The Paris College of Art (PCA) is an international Art and Design College accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, a highly recognized association of the United States.

In 1981, the school was established as a French association under the name “École Parsons à Paris”. From 1986 to 2010, she had a very close relationship with the American Parsons The New School for Design and became known as “Parsons Paris”. Since 2010, it is no longer associated with Parsons and is an independent institution.

The PCA has 300 students and 100 teachers from more than 50 different countries. Some of the institution’s notable alumni are designers Erin Fetherston, Tom Ford, Georgia Hardinge and Calla Haynes.

The college offers a bachelor’s degree (4 years) in Fashion Design and a master’s degree (30 weeks) in Cinema and Fashion Photography. In addition, there are also some intensive summer courses in Fashion Design. All of these programs are in English.

Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp

Where? Antwerp, Belgium

The Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp is one of the oldest of its kind in Europe, having been founded in 1663 by the painter David Teniers. In the 19th century, the Royal Academy became an internationally acclaimed institute in the fields of Fine Arts, Architecture and Design. In 1946, the Architecture program became an independent school, the National Institute of Architecture. Another important moment in the history of the Academy was in 1963, with the emergence of the Fashion Design course that became one of the world leaders in the 1980s.

Currently, the Royal Academy offers two programs in Fashion Design, one undergraduate (3 years) and the other master’s (1 year). Classes are taught in Dutch and English. The institution’s entrance exam is held three times a year in March, July and September. For that, you only need a portfolio with photographs of your works of art or fashion projects.

Some famous alumni who studied Fashion Design at Royal were Martin Margiela, Dries Van Noten, Demna Gvasalia, Hideki Seo, Ann Demeulemeester and Kris Van Assche. Even the great post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh studied there!

Swiss Mode

Where? Montreux, Switzerland

The SWISS MODE International Fashion Design School was founded in 2016. Although it is a fairly young school, managed to progress deeply since it was founded. It is located in the picturesque city of Montreux (on the banks of Lake Léman), which is home to many international schools.

Montreux is known for its world famous music festival and has been a haven for many iconic people over the years, such as Charlie Chaplin, Vladimir Nabokov, David Bowie and Freddie Mercury. The city has a direct train connection with Milan (3 hours journey). It is situated half an hour from world renowned ski resorts in the Alps, 1 hour from Geneva and 2 and a half hours from Zurich by train.

SWISS MODE offers some undergraduate and master courses, in addition to a good range of short courses. The main areas of activity of the institution’s undergraduate and master’s programs are Fashion Design, Sewing, Luxury Fashion Design, Pattern Creation and Fashion Illustration. Mini courses cover topics such as Shoe Design, Accessories and Men’s Fashion.