Fashion Design
Taking new perspectives on the fashion world of tomorrow
Milan
On campus
ENG
First Level Academic Diploma in Fashion Design - Specialization in Fashion Design
Language
English
Start date
October 2025
Frequency
Full time
Fruition
On campus
Duration
3 Years
Credits
180
Course Coordination
Umberto Sannino
Let your creative flair unfold into fashion collections that combine tradition with innovation. Here's what you can do with our English-language Fashion Design degree programme at IED Milano
Turn your creativity into creations of garments and accessories that can tell original stories. Take inspiration from visual arts, design, digital media, marketing, new technologies, art direction, and product management, turning everything into new collections based on environmentally and economically sustainable lifestyles.
The three-year English-language Fashion Design Undergraduate Programme at IED Milano 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.
Issued Degree:
Diploma Accademico di Primo Livello (DAPL), corresponding to a Bachelor of Arts Degree (BA) – EQF6 Level (European Qualification Framework).
Credits:
The course awards 180 CFA (Academic Formative Credits), corresponding to 180 ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System).
Information to decide
Taking you through every step in the process of developing a fashion collection, from concept development to production
With the English-language degree programme in Fashion Design at IED Milano, 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. You will also learn about the need to promote products through the most innovative and impactful marketing strategies. You will also be learning more about pattern making and tailoring techniques as you experiment with the technology of textile materials and leather, understanding how they are processed. You will become familiar with drawing and fashion illustration techniques, trying your hand when designing clothes and accessories.
Every year this programme provides different workshops that focus on specific areas or activities within the fashion design profession. Over the past few years, we have explored such areas as fabric design and hand knitting, vintage pattern making, moulage, sketchbook, millinery and metalwork as well as complementary aspects of the profession, including trend analysis and a writing workshop.
If you feel you are fascinated by the world of fashion, if designing 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 English-language degree programme in Fashion Design at IED Milano, you will soon come into contact with the cultural and traditional background of Italian design. With its 50 years of history, IED has been fully involved in this process, with the city of Milan as the ideal setting for its development. This is mainly explained by the vibrant cultural and social life of this area, with so many sources of inspiration for designing garments and accessories.
This three-year programme is based on a method where theory is combined with a lab-based approach, in such a way that you can gradually develop your own project design know-how and approach. Over the three years, you will be involved in projects of increasing complexity and challenge. You will design your first collections of womenswear, menswear, kidswear, accessories and knitwear. On your last year, as you work on your dissertation project, you will also learn how to combine tailoring and innovations through the making of prototypes.
Over the three years, you will have the opportunity to cover all the different activities and applications involved in the fashion design profession. These include technical and artistic drawing, digital graphics, pattern making and tailoring, knitwear and textile research, all of which will give you a thorough insight into the relevant subjects of your training. You will also have the opportunity to exchange views with both your classmates and faculty members. All your lecturers are selected among experienced professionals in the industry and will support you along the way to help you identify your own personal style.
Continuous interaction with fashion houses, firms and agencies will provide you with the opportunity to approach the industry and prepare the groundwork to build a career as a Fashion Designer, Textile Designer, Product Manager, Knitwear Designer and Trend Researcher.
The main software you will need during your course is provided by IED!
On this page you will find all the features you need for your computer.
Syllabus
first year
The first year is the time when you approach the subjects that will help you build basic theory background and methods. You will learn how to best focus your creative approach and work proficiently on all your projects.
STYLE AND HISTORY OF ART AND COSTUME
DESIGN METHODS
TECHNICAL DRAWING
HISTORY OF FASHION 1
PATTERN MAKING AND TAILORING 1
GRAPHIC DESIGN 1
TEXTILES CULTURE 1
FASHION DESIGN 1
FIGURATIVE ANATOMY
ART SEMIOTICS
second year
Over the second year, you will go deeper into both practical and theory subjects, working on projects of increasing complexity.
HISTORY OF FASHION 2
HISTORY OF APPLIED ARTS
DESIGN METHODS
DRAWING TECHNIQUES AND TECHNOLOGIES
PATTERN MAKING AND TAILORING 2
GRAPHIC DESIGN 2
TEXTILES CULTURE 2
FASHION DESIGN 2
ART SEMIOTICS 2
HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY
BUSINESS THINKING AND MANAGEMENT 1
third year
The last year will focus on consolidating knowledge and skills previously acquired. You will show everybody how far you have come as you work on your final dissertation project, where all your skills and independent thinking will also stand out clearly.
PATTERN MAKING AND TAILORING 3
FASHION DESIGN 3
DESIGN METHODS FOR VISUAL COMMUNICATION
PHENOMENOLOGY OF CONTEMPORARY ARTS
BUSINESS THINKING AND MANAGEMENT 2
THEORY AND ANALYSIS OF FILM AND AUDIOVISUAL PRESENTATIONS
FASHION DESIGN 4
Faculty
Umberto Sannino
Fashion Designer
Course Coordinator
Angelo Montanini
Fashion Illustrator
Emma Holborow
Style Consultant
Alessandro Perriello
Freelance Menswear and Womenswear Designer
Gianni Cinti
Head Designer & Consultant
Irene Cinus
Lecturer
Maria Delli
Product Manager freelance
Inside the labs
+3
TAILORING AND PATTERN-MAKING WORKSHOP
+4
KNITTING LABS
+3
TEXTILE LAB
+3
WARDROBE
+4
ACCESSORIES LABS
+3
FASHION PHOTO STUDIO
+2
FASHION COMPUTER LABORATORIES
+3
FASHION LIBRARY
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