Undergraduate - Fashion Business & Management

The biggest fashion institute in the Netherlands places an emphasis on the global and vocational elements of the industry. AMFI’s exchange contracts with 35 universities worldwide provides students with the opportunity for an international education, including a visiting second-year student scheme with London College of Fashion, while six-month internships are a compulsory component of all of its courses. The BSc Fashion & Management course at AMFI emphasises production and sourcing knowledge, to prepare students in Europe for the increasing globalisation of the fashion industry. The programme’s curriculum also involves working closely with industry professionals and companies. Previous collaborations include H&M, WGSN, G-Star, Circle-Economy, Fashion for Good, Lectra, Candiani, HEMA and Denham. AMFI also brings companies and students together by hosting Beyond Next, an annual sustainability conference, which culminates with a hackathon of ideas where students and industry work together to find solutions to sustainability challenges.

As part of an Ivy League university, Cornell’s undergraduate fashion programmes offer the opportunity for students to engage in a variety of interdisciplinary research studies. Housed in the university’s College of Human Ecology, The Fiber Science & Apparel Design Department places an emphasis on quantitative reasoning and writing skills in its Fashion Design Management course, which is offered as a Bachelor of Science — rather than BA — degree. Students can choose to focus on marketing management, communication or product development. While Cornell’s College of Human Ecology is a strong academic institution, students are largely underwhelmed by the careers service and quality of recruiting companies, and satisfaction scores in this area among the lowest of the finalist schools. However, the student-run Careers in the Fashion Industry Network (CFIN) arranges mentoring and guest speakers across a range of industry figures and school alumni.

De Montfort’s BA (Hons) Fashion Buying programme aims to produce creative buyers with a responsible ethos. It can be combined with Design, Product Development, Marketing or Merchandising. The programme emphasises a global outlook through field trips to companies and factories in New York, Hong Kong, Porto and Amsterdam. In order to improve employability of its students, De Montfort offers an optional placement year and provides networking opportunities at national seminars organised by the Association of Suppliers to the British Clothing Industry. Visiting lecturers at the University have included the director of sourcing at ASOS and buyers from Next, Hugo Boss and Joules. The University’s Fashion and Textiles department is housed in a new, award-winning building that offers an extensive range of facilities and resources.

Drexel University is a 128-year-old private research university based in Philadelphia, and students on its Design and Merchandising programme can pursue a broad, interdisciplinary education. The programme is housed in the Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, and Drexel is home to the Richard & Penny Fox Historic Costume Collection, which includes over 12,000 items and accessories dating from the Renaissance to today. The Design and Merchandising programme focuses on business with elements of creativity across the fashion and lifestyle industries, from product development to buying and marketing. As part of the programme, students have the opportunity to stage the Drexel Fashion Show and develop retail strategies in the school’s retail lab. Drexel places an emphasis on collaborative education and boasts a number of partnerships in the industry. Students participate in Drexel’s cooperative education programme, which requires them to work in industry for six months during their third year. The school is on the board of Philadelphia Fashion Incubator at Macy’s and has close ties to the URBN Outfitter brands, among others.

New York’s FIT boasts academic programming that is rigorous and adaptable, offering experiential learning opportunities, academic and industry partnerships, and commitment to research and entrepreneurship. Students across disciplines have access to The Museum at FIT, which houses a permanent collection of over 50,000 garments and accessories from the 18th century to the present, as well as studios and labs including fragrance, lighting and digital video studios, and knitting and production labs. The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and Lululemon Athletica are among the sponsors of student competitions at FIT. Students in the Fashion Business Management BS programme are trained to take on roles in retail, buying, sales management, wholesales and product development post-graduation. Students and alumni that felt that their overall objectives were met at FIT is at 91 percent, one of the highest on BoF’s list.

Founded as a private school in Milan, Italy, in 1966, Istituto Europeo di Design (or IED) focuses on design, fashion, visual communication and management education across its campuses in 11 cities in Europe and South America. To date, IED has trained students from approximately 100 countries and welcomes around 2,000 international students every year. The school offers a BA (Hons) in Fashion Marketing and Communication in its Milan and Barcelona locations. Both courses are validated by the University of Westminster and are taught in English; however, Milan also has a 3-year Fashion Marketing undergraduate course in Italian. Students can participate in an interchange programme within the two cities’ campuses during the three-year course and have the option of focusing on Communication or Marketing as a major.

Istituto Marangoni emphasises a multicultural and multidisciplinary approach to education, promoting cultural exchange with schools located in fashion capitals around the world including Milan, Paris, London, Shanghai, Mumbai and Shenzhen. The cross-school programme allows students complete their course of studies at different locations, gaining experience from different cultures. Istituto Marangoni’s programmes in fashion business teach skills relevant to real-world situations such as how to manage a budget, how to design a business plan for a start-up, how to implement a marketing plan for a fashion brand, or how to define a range plan for a fashion retailer. With fashion business as the core subject, students specialise in a chosen area of interest (buying or communication and new media), responding to individual talent, creative flair and passion. Students and alumni show high levels of satisfaction with available resources, in particular the library, workrooms and campus.

With campuses in Ohio, New York City’s garment district, and Florence, Kent State University’s Fashion Business & Management programme focuses on industry experience and study exchanges to destinations like Paris, Hong Kong and London as a key point of its programme. Students in the Fashion Merchandising programme are able to take advantage of June F. Mohler Fashion Library, which houses 4,000 fashion-related print and media titles, a museum with eight exhibition spaces, and nearly 40,000 pieces in the design-focused collections. Students work in small cohorts, benefit from one-to-one interview practice sessions with industry professionals and must complete at least one internship at the likes of Chanel, Macy’s and Kohl’s, as well as a mandatory study-away programmes at partner universities across the globe. The programme’s Fashion School Store sells pieces by students and alumni, and is managed by merchandising students.

New York City’s LIM College partners with around 800 organisations in fashion-related industries to provide real-world experience for students across all fashion disciplines. Students are required to complete a minimum of three internships during the course of their degree. Students regularly intern at companies including Louis Vuitton, Global Brands Group, Levi’s, among others. The programme splits into four pathways: Fashion Merchandising, International Business, Management and Marketing. All students are required to complete core business courses, such as accounting, finance, management and marketing, and liberal arts courses, taught through case studies, lectures and group projects. The overall focus revolves around culture and globalisation, given New York’s demographic makeup. Students and alumni report high levels of satisfaction with the programme’s quality of teaching, available resources, and internship support.

Fashion business management meets technology, media and communication studies through collaborative cross-discipline work at the London College of Fashion. The 110-year-old institution has longstanding partnerships with the likes of the British Fashion Council and Kering, and produces a host of initiatives such as hackathons, design competitions, digital coffee series, and career events. The college supports the local community of emerging designers through philanthropic efforts including the “Fashion Cluster” project. Students have access to the Fashion Space Gallery, the LCF library with 80,000 books, and a fashion archive with collections dating back to 1887. The college reports that 25 percent of graduates aim to start a business, and guidance from the Centre for Fashion Enterprise, the Fashion Innovation Agency and the Student Enterprise team has helped 493 students to date.

Please note this assessment was completed without this school's active participation

Located on the banks of the Hudson River just under 100 kilometres from New York City, Marist College offers a classic liberal arts education along with fashion curriculums designed to keep pace with the changing needs of the industry. Students in the Fashion Merchandising BS programme may select one or more concentrations including Business, Fashion Product Development or Fashion Promotion. In Spring 2019, Marist College opened a new modern facility for design and merchandising, which includes a student-run fashion retail laboratory and store. Student and alumni feedback noted high overall satisfaction with available resources, particularly campus and buildings, tools and technology. Current and former students also showed high overall satisfaction with the quality of teaching, with all eight indicators near the top of BoF’s Best Fashion Schools in the World.

Florence’s Polimoda offers BA courses in Fashion Business, Fashion Marketing Management, Fashion Design Management and Product Management, as well as MA and seasonal courses under the umbrella terms of Business and Management. These courses involve extensive training in key skills including marketing, business administration, retail management, branding, merchandising and buying. The BA course also involves company visits and field trips to locations such as local tanneries, Milan Fashion Week and Pitti Uomo. Polimoda students benefit from strong connections to local and global businesses, teachers and mentorship programmes stemming directly from the industry, as well as organising events through which it aims to manifest its voice and influence. An impressive 95 percent of students and alumni surveyed by BoF reported high levels of satisfaction with the school’s international diversity and that their overall educational objectives were met.

Within Savannah College of Art and Design’s Business and Marketing BFA courses, the fashion department offers a Fashion Marketing and Management BFA, taught in its Atlanta, Savannah and Hong Kong locations. Business programmes are also held in Lacoste, France. Each Marketing and Management student works closely with professors to build a career-oriented portfolio that includes work such as business plans and branding campaigns. The school also offers an unconventional Business of Beauty and Fragrance BFA course. SCAD’s School of Fashion is only 10 years old, but the school’s Spring 2018 graduate survey found 99 percent of its former students were employed, enrolled in higher education, or both. Students and alumni noted high satisfaction with available resources and 96 percent of current and former students reported high levels of satisfaction with the school’s international diversity.

Thomas Jefferson University’s fashion business & management programme provides a practical approach to understanding the supply chain of fashion from concept to consumer, with an emphasis on global business development through industry partnerships and projects. Classes are taught by industry level experts, with lectures from leaders at Target, Burlington and Five Below. The programme stresses employment, and includes industry projects and partnerships with companies including Abercrombie & Fitch, Urban Outfitters, Target, Xcel Brands and Li & Fung. The Fashion Business & Management programme offers three core areas of specialisation: buying and merchandising, global brand strategy and global value chain and innovation. Students of the programme have gone on to work at brands like Amazon, QVC, Li & Fung and Macy’s. Students and alumni show high overall satisfaction with the level of teaching and available resources at the school.

The University for Creative Arts (UCA) operates four campuses throughout England and is the second largest provider of creative arts education in Europe. UCA’s BA (Hons) Fashion Management and Marketing programme is located in the recently launched Business School for Creative Industries, the first venture of its kind in the UK focused on business and entrepreneurship. UCA’s business school offers undergraduate and postgraduate level classes, including event promotion and management, international jewellery management, luxury brand management and international buying and merchandising. The programme stresses creative thinking in a commercial context, and works to equip students with transferrable skills for a variety of careers. Alumni have gone on to work at companies like Burberry, Ralph Lauren and Harrods. Students and alumni showed high overall satisfaction with all available resources and teaching indicators.