Best Fashion Design Schools in Italy

Italy is one of the first countries coming to mind when it comes to fashion design. Italy, having a fashion capital like Milan, also has the best schools in the world in these fields. In these schools, besides undergraduate education and master’s education in fashion design, semester courses and summer courses are also organized. In this article, we will introduce you to the best fashion design schools in Italy in detail.

In addition, you can check our “Fashion Design Programs in Italy” article.

1-Domus Academy | Best Fashion Design Schools in Italy

Domus Academy, founded in Milan in 1982, is one of the first master’s and best fashion design schools in Italy. With 11 graduate programs, an international perspective and a unique “learning by design” approach, Domus Academy aim to shape the future of innovation and design. It is a school where students can explore the changing understanding of aesthetics, accelerate their careers and become professionally equipped according to tomorrow’s market demands. 97% of the school consists of international students. In the school, only a master’s education in fashion design is given, and the education period is 1 year.

In 1994, Domus Academy was awarded the Compasso d’Oro for the quality of its teaching programs and for being an essential factor in the development of Italian design. In 2009, it was ranked among the 60 best design schools in the world by Business Week for the third time in a row. From 2012 to 2015, Domus Academy has been ranked among the World’s Best 30 Graduate Design, Architecture, Interior Design and Fashion Schools in the Masterclass Frame Guide by Frame magazine. Domus Academy was selected as one of the best international fashion schools by Fashion of Business in 2016 and 2017.

Domus Academy has innovative educational methods and tools to provide students with an immersive and engaging experience. With courses, workshops, lectures and internships, each student is given the opportunity to customise the content of their master’s education to transform their career in the desired direction. A broad perspective is provided from the design process to the advanced business and marketing process. Each student is shown the best job opportunities through dedicated career coaching, including specialised courses in Personal Branding. Students have the opportunity to practice the skills they have acquired in Domus Academy by choosing the most appropriate career path from among very special professional experiences.

After graduation, students earn an Academic Master’s Degree accredited by the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR), in addition to the Domus Academy Master’s Diploma.

Due to its proximity to the professional design world, Domus Academy developed a vast network of connections and relationships with many prestigious companies and studios such as BVLGARI, Coca-Cola, Timberland, Versace, Vogue, Procter & Gamble, Salvatore Ferragamo, CISCO, KARTELL, Kickstarter, KRIZIA, MAGIS, Moncler, Natuzzi, Pininfarina, Pomellato, Stone Island, Technogym, YOOX.

How to Get Education at Domus Academy?

In order to study at Domus Academy, you need an undergraduate diploma related to the program you want to apply for and an IELTS language certificate at band 5.0.

Programs to Study at Domus Academy | Best Fashion Design Schools in Italy

• Interior and Living Design
• Product Design
• Urban Vision and Architectural Design
• Interaction Design 
• Service Design
• Visual Brand Design
• Information Design
• Fashion Design  
• Fashion Management
• Fashion Styling and Visual Merchandising
• Business Design
• Luxury Brand Management

Tuition Fees at Domus Academy

The annual tuition fee for master’s programs at Domus Academy is 28,600 Euros for the 2019-2020 academic year.

You can also check our “Education Fees in Italy” article.

2-NABA (Nuova Accademia Di Belle Arti)

NABA, one of the best fashion design schools in Italy, was founded in 1980 in Milan by artists like Ausonio Zappa and Guido Ballo, Gianni Colombo, Franco Grignani, Carlo Mo, Emilio Tadini, Tito Varisco and Luigi Veronesi. The purpose of its establishment was to question the academic tradition and to bring a different and international vision to contemporary art practices and art and creative professions systems.

NABA is Italy’s largest private academy that is legally recognised by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR). The school is considered one of the best art and design schools in the world. It has been included among 30 of the world’s leading master architecture, fashion and design schools by Frame. It has been ranked as one of Europe’s Top 100 Architecture and Design schools by Domus Magazine and has been ranked among the world’s best Fashion Design schools by BOF.

Every year, 4,000 students from all over Italy and more than 70 countries attend NABA. NABA has established a prestigious network of companies and has placed students and graduates in leading companies in the fields of art, design, fashion, graphics and media, such as Dolce & Gabbana, Whirlpool Europe, Saatchi & Saatchi, Nestlè, Porsche, Armando Testa, HP, Ikea Italia Retail, Fondazione Teatro La Scala, GABS, Henkel, Leo Burnett, Luxottica, Magnolia, MAX MARA, McCann Erickson Corporation, Missoni, Riva 1920, ROSATO, San Benedetto, SKIRA, TOSCA BLU, TUCANO, 3M, Arena, CASSINA, Dalani.

How to Get Education at NABA?

5.0 points in IELTS and 59 points in TOEFL are required in order to study at NABA. For students who want to study in Italian, a B1 level Italian language certificate is required. Besides, you must have a bachelor’s degree related to the field you want to study for a master’s. You can contact us with all the necessary documents and detailed information about the process.

Programs to Study at NABA

NABA provides undergraduate and master’s education in fashion. In addition, summer courses are also organised within the school.

Undergraduate Programs

• Graphic Design and Art Direction (Milano, Roma)
• Design (Milano)
• Fashion Design (Milano, Roma) 
• Media Design and Multimedia Arts (Milano, Roma)
• Creative Technologies (Milano)
• Set Design (Milano)
• Painting and Visual Arts (Milano, Roma)

You can read our article “Study Undergraduate in Italy“.

Master Programs | Best Fashion Design Schools in Italy

• Fashion and Textile Design (Milano)
• Interior Design (Milano)
• Product Design (Milano)
• Communication Design (Milano)
• Visual Arts and Curatorial Studies (Milano)

In addition, you can review our article on “Master in Fashion Design in Italy“.

1-Year Master Programs

• Photography and Visual Design (Milano)
• Contemporary Art Markets (Milan)
• Creative Advertising (Milano)

Summer Courses | Best Fashion Design Schools in Italy

• Product Design (Milano)
• Interior Design (Milano)
• Fashion Design (Milano)
• Fashion Image and Styling (Milano)
• Fashion Marketing and Communication (Milano)
• Hand Illustration (Milano)
• Visual Merchandising (Milano)
• Visual Design (Milano)
• Digital Illustration (Milano)
• Photography (Milano)
• Curation and Exhibition Design (Milano)
• Travel Photography: photographing Milan (Milano)
• Cultural Tour of the Best in Fashion in Milan (Milano)
• Italian Fashion Design: Rome and Milan, from Haute Couture to Prêt-à-porter (Milano)
• Cool Hunting Fashion in Milan (Milano)
• Contemporary Art Discovery in Milan (Milano)
• Sketching around Milan (Milano)
• Portrait Drawing and Painting (Roma)
• Packaging (Roma)
• Fashion Image and Styling (Roma)
• Creative Coding (Roma)
• Virtual Reality and 360° Video Production (Roma)
• Fashion Marketing and Communication (Roma)
• Interaction Design with Touch Board (Roma)
• Game Development (Roma)
• Costume Design (Roma)
• Board Game Design (Roma)
• YouTube Content Creation and Channel Management (Roma)
• Travel Photography: photographing Rome (Roma)
• Cultural Tour of the Best in Fashion in Rome (Roma)
• Italian Fashion Design: Rome and Milan, from Haute Couture to Prêt-à-porter – Rome (Roma)
• Cool Hunting Fashion in Rome (Roma)
• Classical Art Discovery in Rome (Roma)
• Sketching around Rome (Roma)

Tuition Fees at NABA | Best Fashion Design Schools in Italy

The annual tuition fee at NABA for the 2019-2020 academic year is 16,500 Euros for undergraduate and 2-year masters. The tuition fee for 1-year master’s program is 17.950 Euros. From short-term summer courses, 2-week courses are 1.795 Euros, 4-week courses are 2.995 Euros, and 6-week courses are 4.195 Euros.

3-Istituto Marangoni | Best Fashion Design Schools in Italy

One of the most important schools that come to mind when talking about the best fashion design schools in Italy is The Istituto Marangoni has been providing students with a quality education in fashion and design for over 80 years. With 4,000 students from more than 100 countries each year, the school offers an international learning environment and a wide variety of courses. To ensure that students receive the best possible education, the Istituto Marangoni continually updates its programs in line with the demands of the Italian and international markets.

The Istituto Marangoni campuses are located in the fashion capitals of the world such as Milan, Paris, London, Miami, Shanghai, Mumbai and Florence.

The school organises undergraduate and graduate education as well as advanced degree courses and short-term courses. Undergraduate programs are offered in fashion, design and arts. Fashion programs include courses in fashion design and fashion business; design programs include interior design and visual design courses; art programs include multimedia arts, art history and culture lessons.

Istituto Marangoni has graduated more than 45,000 names in fashion and design, including Domenico Dolce, Franco Moschino, Rahul Mishra, Paula Cademartori, Alessandro Sartori and Alessandra Facchinetti. In Istituto Marangoni, there is a community called I’m Alumni, the alumni community of the school. The community is a privileged network established to share common values and knowledge and provide students with industry connections. In addition, thanks to the innovative digital platform that is part of I’m Alumni, graduates of London, Milan, Paris, and Shanghai can participate in special events organized both locally and globally. At the same time, the community was active in social media, contributing to the alumni sharing their experiences, accessing exclusive content and creating new content.

How to Get Education at Istituto Marangoni?

In order to study at Istituto Marangoni, a B1 level English language certificate is required. In addition, there are requirements such as reference letters and portfolios in master programs. You can contact us to get detailed information about the applications to Istituto Marangoni.

Programs to Study at Istituto Marangoni

Undergraduate | Best Fashion Design Schools in Italy

• Fashion Design (Milano, Florence)
• Fashion Design & Accessories (Milano, Florence)
• Fashion Design and Marketing (Milano, Florence)
• Fashion Design & Menswear (Milano, Florence)
• Fashion Design & Womenswear (Milano)
• Fashion Styling & Creative Direction (Milano, Florence)
• Fashion Styling & Visual Merchandising (Milano)
• Fashion Business (Milano, Florence)
• Fashion Business Communication & New Media (Milano)
• Fashion Business & Buying (Milano)
• Interior Design (Milano, Florence)
• Interior Design & Lighting (Milano)
• Product Design (Milano)
• Product Design & Furniture (Milano)
• Visual Design (Milano)
• Multimedia Arts (Florence)
• Art History and Culture (Floransa)

Master | Best Fashion Design Schools in Italy

• Fashion Design Womenswear (Milano)
• Fashion Design Menswear (Milano, Florence)
• Fashion Styling, Photography & Film (Milano, Florence)
• Fashion Promotion, Communication & Media (Milano, Florence)
• Fashion & Luxury Brand Management (Milano, Florence)
• Fashion Design Collection & Marketing (Floransa)
• Fashion Buying & Merchandising (Milano)
• Fashion Product Management (Milano, Florence)
• Fashion Start-up (Milano)
• Fashion Digital Management (Milano)
• Sportswear Design (Milano)
• Contemporary Fashion Buying
• Luxury Accessories Design & Management (Milano, Florence)
• Interior Design (Milano)
• Surface & Textile Design (Milano)
• Product & Furniture Design (Milano)
• Fine Jewellery Design (Milano, Florence)
• Design Management In Partnership With Macromedia University (Milano)
• Car Design (Milano)
• Art Management (Floransa)
• Curatorial Management (Floransa)
• Contemporary Interior Design (Milano)

Short-Term Courses | Best Fashion Design Schools in Italy

• Fashion Design (Milano, Florence) 
• Fashion Image & Styling (Milano, Florence)
• Fashion Business (Milano, Florence) 
• Fashion Buying (Floransa) 
• Marketing For Luxury (Milano)
• Fashion Visual Merchandising (Milano)
• Fashion Followers: Social Media & Blogging (Milano)
• Trend Forecasting (Milano)
• Art in Fashion (Floransa)
• Interior Design (Milano)
• Product Design (Milano)

Tuition Fees at Istituto Marangoni

Annual tuition fees at Istituto Marangoni vary according to the chosen program and the length of the program. For the 2019-2020 academic year, undergraduate programs cost between 19,500 Euros and 26,300 Euros. Master programs cost between 32.000 – 33.000 Euros, 3-week courses are 4.100 Euros, and 2-week courses are 2.600 Euros.

For detailed information, you can check the “Cost of Living in Italy” article.

4-IED (Istituto Europeo Di Design) | Best Fashion Design Schools in Italy

IED (Istituto Europeo Di Design) is one of the best fashion design schools in Italy and Europe’s largest art and design schools, headquartered in Milan. The school also has campuses in Spain and Brazil. Education in English and Italian is provided at the campuses in Italy.

For over fifty years, IED has been teaching in design, fashion, visual communication and management disciplines. Today, IED has become an international network that organises undergraduate, master’s, short-term courses, beginner and advanced courses offering first-class academic diplomas in the field of fashion design and hosting students from many different countries of the world.

Where is the IED?

The IED (Istituto Europeo di Design) central campus is located in Milan. It also has campuses in Florence, Rome, Turin, Venice, Cagliari and Como in, Italy. Outside Italy, Madrid and Barcelona in Spain; In Brazil, it has campuses in Rio De Janeiro and São Paulo.

Where are IED Italy Campuses?

IED, a Milan-based school, has campuses in Rome, Florence, Turin, Venice, Cagliari and Como.

Period of Study at IED

Undergraduate education in IED takes 3 years, and master’s programs take 1 or 2 years. The duration of education for other programs varies between 15 weeks and 8 months.

Programs to Study in English at IED

IED offers undergraduate, graduate, semester courses and summer term course options.

Undergraduate at IED

• Photography (Milan)
• Fashion Design (Milano)
• Fashion Stylist (Milan)
• Jewellery Design (Milano)
• Graphic Design (Milan)
• Fashion Marketing and Communication (Milan)
• Product Design (Milano)
• Interior Design (Milano)
• Interior and Furniture Design (Florence)
• Fashion Stylist and Communication (Florence)
• Interior Design (Rome)
• Transportation Design (Turin)

Master at IED | Best Fashion Design Schools in Italy

• Design – Innovation, Strategy and Product (Milano)
• Interior Design (Milano)
• Fashion Communication and Styling (Milan)
• Fashion Design (Milano)
• Fashion Marketing (Milan)
• Brand Management and Communication (Milano)
• Graphic Design (Florence)
• Fashion Business (Florence)
• Brand Design and Management: Food, Wine, Tourism (Florence)
• Arts Management (Florence)
• Business for Arts and Culture (Venice)
• Curatorial Practice (Venice)
• Transportation Design (Turin)
• Jewellery Design (Rome)
• Arts Management (Rome)

Advanced Courses at IED | Best Fashion Design Schools in Italy

• Interior and Showroom Design (Milano)
• Glass Design (Venedik)
• Advanced Graphic Design (Floransa)

Semester Courses at IED

• Interior and Spatial Design (Milan-Fall Semester)
• Jewellery Design (Milan-Fall Semester)
• Italian Contemporary Design and Trends (Milan-Spring Semester)
• Fashion Marketing (Florence-Fall Semester)
• Interior Design (Florence-Fall Semester)
• Fashion Communication (Florence-Spring Semester)
• Fashion Styling (Florence-Spring Term)
• Furniture Design (Florence-Spring Term)
• Introduction to Design (Florence-Spring Semester)

 1-Year Courses at IED

• Interior Design (Milano)
• Fashion Marketing and Communication (Floransa)
• Italian Interior and Furniture Design (Floransa)

Summer Courses at IED

• Interior and Showroom Design (Milano)
• Fashion Marketing (Milan)
• Architectural Sketchbook (Rome)
• Car Design – An Introduction (Torino)
• Contemporary Art and Architecture (Venice)
• Design – Made in Italy (Florence)
• Fashion Events and PR (Florence)
• Fashion Design: Design Your Capsule Collection (Florence)
• Advanced Graphic Design (Florence)
• Graphic Design and Portfolio (Florence)

Admission Requirements at IED | Best Fashion Design Schools in Italy

IED, which is one of the best fashion design schools in Italy; to study at IED, 5.5 points in IELTS and 68 points in TOEFL is required. Students can receive acceptance without a language certificate, with the exam held by the school or through a commission consisting of school teachers. Also, you must have a bachelor’s degree related to the field you want to apply for a master’s education. A language certificate at the B1 / B2 level is required from students who wish to study in Italian.

You can also check our “Requirements to Study University in Italy” article.

Tuition Fees at IED | Best Fashion Design Schools in Italy

The annual tuition fee for undergraduate programs at IED is 17.000 Euros; for master’s programs 18.900 Euros, it is 8.900 Euros. Also, the fee is 2.600 Euros for 6-8 month programs and summer school.

IED Milan Campus | Best Fashion Design Schools in Italy

Classrooms and workshops are located in separate buildings in Milan, the main campus of the school. Joint projects are carried out with the world’s best design companies, and the products designed by students are offered for sale by these companies.

You can read our “Italy Education Consultancy” article.