This past summer we reported that Arizona State University’s famed Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts planned to launch a new Bachelor of Arts in Fashion. Well it did, and guess who now heads the highly anticipated program? None other than Dennita Sewell, Fashion Design Curator at the Phoenix Art Museum. Sewell, who was “incredibly excited” to be working on what will she said will be a "world-class program," is part of an institution that, in April, celebrated the 50th anniversary of its fashion design collection in collaboration with the Arizona Costume Institute. The museum, she says, “gets overlooked sometimes by people who are interested in contemporary fashion, but there are amazing things happening there." With Sewell at the helm, it seems amazing things are well on their way to happening with ASU’s new fashion program too.
Besides the latest developments with ASU Herberger’s Fashion BA Program, we are excited to announce that ELLE International, MIT, and Complutense University of Madrid have joined forces to create an innovative new Fashion and Luxury Management Program. Another powerhouse partnership between renowned French fashion school Institut Français de la Mode (IFM) and historic Paris University Pantheon-Sorbonne has formed to create a first-of-its-kind fashion program for elite designers. Read on.
Arizona State University – Tempe, Arizona
The Arizona State University (ASU), Herberger Institute of Art and Design’s new Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Fashion is “distinguished from other fashion programs in the U.S. through its integration with other research disciplines in the university,” says the school. The curriculum combines “history, business practices and hands-on studio experience to prepare students for a variety of roles in this important industry.” Explains Sewell, “there are going to be some really exciting foundation courses and plenty of opportunities to take advantage of working with other students in subjects like sustainability, engineering, business and film and theater.” She adds, “sustainability is the number one concern in the fashion industry right now.”
In addition to Sustainability, the Herberger ASU BA in Fashion allows students to pursue tracks in other growing areas such as Wearable Technology, Management and Leadership, International Experience, and Fashion and Culture. Tracks in Marketing and Merchandising and Costuming are also available. Students will develop a “substantial” project within their focus track in the capstone experience and they will participate in one or more fashion events, including a fashion show, of course.
Applications for Fall 2018 are now being accepted.
Arizona State University was established in 1885 as a teachers college. One of six ASU campuses, the school has the largest population of students in the system. Nearly 52,000 students at ASU Tempe are enrolled in more than 800 degree programs, certificates, and majors across 17 colleges and schools. ASU’s Herberger Institute offers 125+ degrees across the Schools of Art; Arts, Media and Engineering; Design; Film, Dance and Theatre; Music, and the ASU Art Museum.
All ASU undergraduate and graduate academic programs are fully accredited by the North Central Association Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Though several programs offered through the Herberger Institute have been accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), the fashion program is still in development and not yet NASAD-accredited.
ELLE International, Paris, France, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts & Complutense University of Madrid
ELLE International has announced a new partnership with MIT and Complutense University of Madrid. The trio has joined forces to launch the ELLE International Fashion & Luxury Management Program. Set to launch November 2017, the program will run through May 2018, and according to ELLE, “will offer young professionals in the fashion and luxury industries access to premiere professors at the MIT Sloan School of Management and the Complutense in either online sessions or through a hybrid of online classes and onsite modules” in Boston, New York, Paris, and Madrid. Those accepted into the program can “attend all modules in person, through the program's global track, or attend only the European or U.S. modules in person and the rest online.”
Per ELLE, each destination in the program will cover a different area of the business including Fast Fashion in Madrid, Haute Couture in Paris, Premium Brands in New York, and Innovation at MIT in Massachusetts. These areas will give students “access to business leaders and fashion experts in some of the most glamorous and innovative cities in the world,” explains ELLE. “The curriculum and its flexible organization reflect an ever-changing global marketplace, drawing on the case-study method to illustrate how businesses work around the world.”
Upon completion of the program, graduates will receive an MIT Sloan Executive Education Certificate in collaboration with Complutense.
MIT was incorporated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on April 10, 1861. The Institute serves more than 11,000 students across five schools. Students have access to well over 100 programs at all degree levels. MIT is fully accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).
Complutense University of Madrid dates back to the 13th century, making it one oldest universities in the world. It is also one of the largest. The school serves more than 80,000 students enrolled in hundreds of programs across dozens of departments, research institutes, specialty schools, and more.
Institut Francais de la Mode and Paris University Pantheon-Sorbonne, Paris, France
Institut Francais de la Mode (IFM) and Paris University Pantheon-Sorbonne are set to launch the first contemporary fashion degree in France. The multidisciplinary program will be “dedicated to fashion theory and practice,” says Fashion Network UK, and will address “the economics and culture of the fashion sector, in all its diversity and in a global context.” The program will also be a first for IFM in terms of curriculum length, “with the program serving as the highest path of education available as part of IFM’s collection of programs.
Several major themes for the new program include Philosophy and Anthropology in Fashion, Economics and Management, Legal Approaches and Sustainable Development, Historiography, and Sociology. The program, which leads to a Doctorate, will consist of 192 hours of instruction time.
The application phase ended October 30, 2017, so the program is set to kick off in December. Submissions for the next application phase are now being accepted and is open to designers with a Master’s degree.
Institut Français de la Mode (IFM) was founded in 1986. The institute offers “a broad range of activities” including postgraduate academic programs, executive education, and expertise in areas such as textile, fashion, luxury and design industries.
Paris University Pantheon-Sorbonne University (or University Paris 1) is centuries old and it is one of the largest universities in France. The school serves some 40,000 students enrolled in hundreds of programs across 14 teaching and research departments and five institutes.
