Welcome to our month of Fashion Education. To start you off in the right direction, let's examine your choice of design university, or more importantly, the fashion schools of choice. Certain alma maters produce an exceptional level of talent, consistently. Let us see where you stand, and who stands out as your alumni and professors. (Note: we are only looking at schools that speak English. Paris has burned.)

 

11. University of Delaware Newark, DE

Campus Tour:  The smallest state also has a small design program that is focused on quality garment making from every angle. The program follows a garment through its entire lifecycle, from the creative design and tailoring, to a focus on sustainably producing goods on both small and large scale in a socially and environmentally minded manner. An entirely student run fashion magazine, UDress, and fashion shows exist outside of class, working to show and pull fashion out of this college driven town.

Programs: Apparel Design, Merchandising, Sustainability

Student Body: 16,500

Tuition:  $27,000

Star Alumni: Well, me. And a fierce force that is the backbone of the garment industry.

10. Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising Los Angeles, CA

[caption id="attachment_207432" align="aligncenter" width="392" caption="Monique Lhullier"][/caption]

Campus Tour:  FIDM focuses on the practical - vocational training and design. They have an extensive career database and have a high job placement record.

Programs: Fashion Design, Footwear Design, Costume Design, Jewelry Design, Textile Design, Merchandising (Fashion & Beauty Programs)

Student Body: 7,500

Tuition: $27,000-$36,000 depending on area of study.

Star Alumni: Monique Lhuillier, Pamela Skaist-Levy (Juicy Couture co-founder), Randolph Duke

9. Savannah College of Art of Design Savannah, GA

Campus Tour:  Down in Georgia in the artsy community that is Savannah, this multifaceted art school has a program ripe with creative outlets and industry interaction.

Programs: Fashion Design; Fashion Marketing & Management; Accessories Design

Student Body: All programs: 9,800. Fashion students: 540

Tuition: $31,510

Star Power: Andre Leon Talley is on the Board of Directors and a Lifetime Achievement Award is given in his name every year. That's basically getting a stamp of approval from Ms. Wintour herself.

8. Otis College of Art and Design Los Angeles, CA

[caption id="attachment_207434" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="Rick Owens"][/caption]

Campus Tour:  Sticking strict to the fashion schedule, these classes have you working in groups creating clothing for mentors, like the workplace would have you do. But judging by Rick Owen's early out, this might not be the best environment for the über innovative. Great, however, for career placement.

Programs:  Fashion Design

Student Body: Undergrads: 1,200 Fashion students: 180

Tuition: $32,900

Famous Grads: Rick Owens (didnt graduatedropped out), Cynthia Vincent

7. Shenkar College of Engineering and Design Ramat Gan, Israel

[caption id="attachment_207435" align="aligncenter" width="560" caption="Alber Elbaz, Lanvin"][/caption]

Campus Tour:  No need for Hebrew, nearly all classes are taught in English. In fact, they prefer a serious interest in fashion to sewing abilities. They've got a "Tabula Rusa" from which to mold you. Be prepared to take risks.

Programs: Fashion, Textile, and Jewelry Design

Student Body: Total: 2,300 Fashion: 217

Tuition: 11,000 ILS ($3,000)

Misc: International students are accepted as 2nd or 3rd year students. You have to have a year of fashion school completed. Most classes taught in English, so not necessary to know Hebrew.

Famous Grads: Alber Elbaz, Kobi Halperin (Creative Director of Elie Tahari), Nili Lotan

6. Academy of Art San Francisco, CA

Campus Tour:  With campuses around the country, this only university to show at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in NY.

Programs: Fashion Design, Knitwear Design, Textile Design, Fashion Journalism and Fashion Merchandising & Marketing

Student Body: School: 17,000. Fashion students: 2,600

Tuition: $20,343

Notable Alum: Chris Cortez, winner of Tommy Hilfiger's show The Cut (depending on your definition of notable.)

5. Kent State University Kent, OH

[caption id="attachment_207553" align="aligncenter" width="255" caption="Ellen Tracy"][/caption]

Campus Tour: Get an educated seeped in historical fashion with a strong focus on today's massive industry.

Programs: Fashion Design; Fashion Merchandising

Student Body: Undergrads: 18,000. Fashion students: 200/year graduate from the school.

Tuition: Ohio resident: $9,030; Non-Ohio resident: $16,900

Star Alums: Ellen Tracy, Linda Allard

4. London College of Fashion

Campus Tour: Set in the heart of London, the approach of the students and faculty involves challenging ethical agendas.

Programs:  Fashion Design, Fashion Journalism, Marketing, Beauty, Buying and Merchandising

Student Body: 2,547 first-year students

Tuition: ?12,700 ($18,500)

Star Alum: Jimmy Choo

 

3. Fashion Institute of Technology New York, NY

Campus Tour:  Bang for your buck if you're in-state, FIT offers more fashion-wise majors than you can dream up. Plus the museum is always worth the trip even if you don't attend.

Programs: Design, Business, Marketing, Merchandising, Illustration, Styling, Photography, etc.

Student Body: 10,000

Tuition: $2,584/semester (NYC/NYC residents); $6,775/semester for out-of-state residents

Star Alumni: Reem Acra, Francisco Costa, Nina Garcia, Carolina Herrera, Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, Nanette Lepore, Ralph Rucci

2. Parsons New School for Design New York, NY

Campus Tour: Having beat FIT at the Fusion Fashion Show this year, Parsons reigns as the greatest fashion school this side of the Atlantic. With professors up to Tim Gunn standards and beyond, the New School is the school.

Programs: Fashion Design, Fashion Studies, Fashion Marketing

Student Body Undergrads: 4,100; Graduate: 500; fashion design: 1,400

Tuition: $36,800

Star Alumni: Donna Karan, Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford, Narciso Rodriguez, Alexander Wang, Anna Sui, Jason Wu, Jenna Lyons (J.Crew), Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez (Proenza Schouler), Behnaz Serafpour, Doo Ri Chung, Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock (Vena Cava), Flora Gill and Alexa Adams (Ohne Titel), Prabal Gurung, Steven Meisel, Thakoon Panichgul, Carmen Marc Valvo

1. Central Saint Martins London, England

[caption id="attachment_207413" align="aligncenter" width="560" caption="Alexander McQueen"][/caption]

Campus Tour: CSM cultures the elite with a philosophy of risk taking and the highest standards of creativity. They've just relocated to a new campus at King's Cross, so the technology can keep up with the ever evolving student body, ready to nurture the design phenoms of the future.

Programs: Fashion, Textile, and Jewelry Design

Student Body: 1,200 fashion students

Tuition: £9,500-12,700 ($14,900-$20,000)

Star Alumni: Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, John Galliano, Phoebe Philo, Hussein Chalayan, Christopher Kane, Zac Posen, Hamish Bowles, Paul Smith, Giles Deacon, Luella Bartley, Jenny Packham, Jonathan Saunders, Marios Schwab, Alice Temperley, Riccardo Tisci, Matthew Williamson