If you’ve been on the lookout for a quality, prestigious fashion schools that teach the likes of fashion business, textiles, fashion-accessory design or anywhere in between, then you’ll know that deciding where to go and who to believe about where’s best is a minefield. So, we’ve picked our favourite three, based on nothing more than reputation and what we’ve gleaned from comments about them from ex-students around the web. All food for thought if nothing else!
School of the Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago, IL): Fashion Design
Tuition Costs = $18,000; no. fashion students = 120.
General info/ethos
The dept. of fashion design is internationally renowned due to its unique interdisciplinary program within a fine arts foundation. The undergrad fashion course prides itself on being very non-traditional, offering a 3-year curriculum within a 4-year degree program, and focuses heavily on teaching students to have an awareness of the social, political, and technological influences shaping contemporary art and design.
Famous alumni: Cynthia Rowley, Maria Pinto, Halston, and Matthew Ames.
PARSONS (New York, NY): Fashion Design, Fashion Marketing, Fashion Studies
Tuition Costs= $36,800; no. fashion students = 1,400.
General info/ethos
Famous alumni : Claire McCardell, Donna Karan, Doo Ri Chung (Doo Ri), Flora Gill and Alexa Adams (Ohne Titel), Marc Jacobs, Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock (Vena Cava), Steven Meisel, Thakoon Panichgul, Tom Ford.
Rhode Island School of Design (RISD – Providence, RI): Jewelry & metalsmithing, apparel design, textiles
Tuition Costs= $39,000; no. fashion students = 220.
General info/ethos
Located in Providence, Rhode Island, and commonly referred to as “RIZ-dee”, this institution was founded in 1877, and as such has stood the test of time to become one of the oldest and most renowned colleges of art and design here in the U.S.
RISD welcomes 2,300 students every year from all over the globe to pursue an academic career in its studio-based education programs, each of which offer rigorous BA and MA degree programs across 19 disciplines.
Famous alumni: Madeline Davy (formerly of Octopi), Nicole Miller, Philip Crangi, Robert Geller, Sarah Welsh, and Sari Gueron.
So – a really quick overview there, but hopefully it’s a bit more info to help you in your search for the best US fashion institution, and, more importantly, the right one for you and your career.
Fi is a guest writer for unique jewelry site Boticca – supporting independent designers
Here in the Philippines, I only know SoFa, School of Fashion and Arts and I think it’s really expensive to go to a fashion school.
Great list. Now it’s easy to compare different offers from fashion schools!
I like fashion and all beauty stuff, but I’m sure I wouldn’t be able to afford to go to school here. No matter what course you take, it seems like the price range for their tuition costs about the same. Except for the top schools though, mas mahal na din mga yun! heheh! This is a good reference though…thanks for sharing!
Wow, the tuition for the Chicago school is half the amount of the others. This is very helpful for those who want to get into fashion design.
wow if only I can afford it why not, but this post is useful to those who have plan to study more about fashion