So you want to be a famous fashion designer? It seems like there’s a new up-and-comer or celebrity collaboration popping up every week, but making it big in the fashion industry is no easy feat. When choosing a non-traditional career path it always pays to get the best education and experience you can—for most this means opting for a more focused college. Business of Fashion created a global fashion school ranking at the end of 2015, showcasing the best schools in the industry by weighing global influence, learning experience and long-term value. Personally, we were more concerned with which undergraduate colleges could put you on the same playing field as the Alexander Wangs, Nicolas Ghesquieres and Hedi Slimanes of the world. These are the best schools to attend if you’re looking to be one of the biggest tickets during Fashion Week.
Central Saint Martins
Location: London, England
Notable Alumni: Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, John Galliano, Riccardo Tisci
This is almost a no brainer. Central Saint Martins is one of the most established schools in the industry and is known for their reputation above and beyond their educational system. They’re one of the most influential schools in fashion, with over half of the designers at London Fashion Week being comprised of their alumni. They have some of the most notable professors and guest instructors, a diverse student body with applicants from all over the world and a large range of courses that range from specialized fabrics to press relations. Of course selecting only the most talented designers may contribute to the school’s stellar reputation: their acceptance rate is only 6 percent, compare this to Harvard’s 5.2 percent and Yale’s 6.3 percent and you can imagine the talent required to even get in to Central Saint Martins.
Bunka Fashion College
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Notable Alumni: Kenzo Takada, Junya Watanabe, Yohji Yamamoto, Tsumori Chisato
If you are a student of the avant-garde then you’ll want to look into attending Bunka Fashion College, which is known for their more experimental and artistic designers. Located in the fashion district of Tokyo, Bunka is the most high-profile fashion school in the country and offers classes in four programs including creation, technology, marketing and distribution, and accessories and textiles. While their acceptance rate is higher than some of the other schools on the list, they have a low mix of international students as all of the classes are taught in Japanese and students must have 100 percent of their tuition and living expenses available to them as student visas do not allow for employment. Those who do manage to complete the program find employment immediately as the school reports an astonishing 100 percent placement rate within six months of graduation.
Kingston University
Location: London, England
Notable Alumni: Glenda Bailey, Caryn Franklin, Jasper Morrison, John Richmond
While Kingston University may not have the famous names of some of their contemporaries, they have been slowly climbing the ranks over the last few years, gaining influence within the fashion industry. It’s only a matter of time until they produce the next Christopher Bailey or J.W. Anderson. Because the school is up-and-coming on the fashion scene they have a lower rate of fashion students to other courses, which means more one-on-one time with teachers. The university’s resources, including their library and access to study materials are above par, and they pride themselves on quickly integrating the latest technology and IT. The curriculum includes fashion design, marketing and business.
Parsons The New School of Fashion
Location: New York, USA
Notable Alumni: Tom Ford, Alexander Wang, Marc Jacobs, Donna Karan
Like other well-known fashion institutions, students looking to attend Parsons will have their work cut out for them: undergraduate acceptance rates hover at 29 percent, while postgraduates are closer to a competitive 14 percent. Currently the school’s curriculum includes design, business and marketing, but they recently allowed students to begin cross-study, minoring in other programs and courses. The students at Parsons are often finalists and winners in international fashion competitions, and are known to sell entire final projects to major retailers like Barneys New York and Saks Fifth Avenue upon graduation. Although the name itself carries weight, students have reported a lack of support when it comes to career services and placement after graduation. Students can take courses at the school’s NYC location or the international expansion Paris campus.
Fashion Institute of Technology
Location: New York, USA
Notable Alumni: Michael Kors, Calvin Klein, Reem Acra, Nina Garcia
When it comes to popular fashion schools, FIT has a higher acceptance rate than most at 44 percent, so if you weren’t able to make it into Central Saint Martins’ cutthroat program there are still great options available. The entire school is dedicated to the fashion industry, so there are no shortage of courses, specialties and classes to choose from. Undergraduates can major in anything from production management, to museum professions to textile development. Their curriculum relies heavily on team exercises, real-world experience and tight-knit industry partnerships, but the program is not easy: most graduates must complete an internship in addition to their full-time course load. Those who do graduate have a whopping 90 percent placement rate.
Polimoda
Location: Florence, Italy
Notable Alumni: Lara de Baenst, Erïk Bjerkesjö, Edgardo Osorio
In Italy, no fashion institute can compare with Polimoda. The university is led by President Ferruccio Ferragamo, son and President of Salvatore Ferragamo, who prides himself on the “Made in Italy” motto. Because of the school’s location, they work closely with the nearby leather and textile industries, but also participate in international educational collaborations with Cental Saint Martins and FIT. The school is also known for its extraordinarily low student to teacher ratio, with one teacher employed for every six students, so each undergrad is given individualized attention. As you’ll see most of their graduates are not household names, but they are the big power players behind names like Aquazzura, Chloé, Jil Sander and Gucci.
University of Westminster
Location: London, England
Notable Alumni: Christopher Bailey, Stuart Vevers, Vivienne Westwood, Katie Hillier
For students looking for real world experience, the University of Westminster may be your best bet—that is if you’re accepted. With a 9 percent acceptance rate it’s one of the most competitive schools to attend, coming in second only to Central Saint Martins. But those who do attend this college have an extremely rich and experience-driven academic career to look forward to. Second year students here are required to complete two-month internships with designers that show at London Fashion Week to see what it’s like to work at a major house. A second internship in their final year is offered but not required, however almost all students opt to undergo another season. Each classroom has its own dedicated studio space for students to work in, which was one of the highest rated perks of attending the university. Placement rates are a little lower here than other institutions at 83 percent, but the ones who do place are given positions at major labels across Europe.
London College of Fashion
Location: London, England
Notable Alumni: Jonathan Anderson, Xiao Li, Jimmy Choo, William Tempest
If you’re looking for generalized fashion design, you can attend any one of these colleges. For those who have something highly specialized in mind, London College of Fashion offers a whopping 27 undergraduate degrees, four masters courses and is one of the top programs for sustainable fashion. LCF is still growing and has plans to relocate to a brand new facility in the former Olympic Park in East London by 2020. No doubt their programs and student body, which currently sits right around 4,400, will be growing in the coming years. With so many students in so many specialties, it’s almost impossible to feel like you’re getting individual attention which is likely why feedback on preparedness and employment after graduation was rated lower than other schools on the list.
