Language

English

Start date

January 2027

Frequency

Evening

Fruition

On campus

Duration

10 Months

Course Coordination

Micaela Clubourg

Learn to read fashion as a complex and constantly evolving system. You will integrate sustainability, technology, materials research and new narratives to develop projects with meaningful impact within the contemporary fashion industry.

The Master in Fashion Systems is an advanced programme designed to enable students to understand and transform the fashion industry from a systemic, technological and sustainable perspective.

Fashion is a major cultural and economic force; however, it is currently under increasing pressure due to its environmental footprint, linear production models and the social challenges present across its entire value chain. This programme responds to this context by developing professionals capable of analysing fashion systems, questioning established practices and integrating innovation in a critical and responsible way.

Over the course of 10 months, students become part of an academic environment closely connected to professional practice. The programme combines trend research, strategic analysis of the European fashion landscape, digital technologies applied to design, material development, and the communication of projects with strong conceptual rigour. Its cross-disciplinary approach frames fashion beyond the product, addressing it as an interconnected network of cultural, industrial, technological and communicative relationships.

By bringing together critical thinking, experimental practice and strategic vision, the programme prepares students to anticipate change, interpret complex contexts and develop proposals aligned with the contemporary challenges of the sector. Technology is understood as a set of tools — digital, material and conceptual — placed at the service of research, innovation and the transformation of fashion systems.

Information to decide

An advanced programme designed to broaden your professional profile and prepare you to work in the most innovative and emerging areas of the contemporary fashion system. 

The programme is structured into four progressive learning blocks that together build a comprehensive understanding of fashion systems. It begins with a macro-level analysis of the industry and its ongoing transformations, progresses to the use of digital and futures-focused tools, delves into materials research and production processes, and concludes with the strategic and cultural communication of projects. This structure supports the integration of critical analysis, experimentation and practical application. Throughout the programme, students work through applied research and project development, combining reflection, strategy and practice to understand — and propose — new ways of operating within the fashion sector.

This master’s programme is designed for graduates and professionals from fashion design, fashion management and business, communication, product design, architecture, textile engineering and related disciplines.

It is also suitable for professionals undergoing a career transition who wish to reorient their trajectory towards sustainable innovation, technology and emerging systems within the fashion industry. Admission is subject to CV review, and the programme is intended for candidates with a critical mindset, a strong interest in sector transformation and the ability to work across disciplines.

Because it offers an in-depth understanding of fashion as a cultural, industrial and technological system, and prepares you to engage with it from a critical, informed and responsible position.

The programme is based in Barcelona, within a creative and productive ecosystem connected to design, research and experimentation — a context that encourages strong links between strategic thinking, academic practice and contemporary professional contexts.

 

 

Syllabus

Module 1. Fashion Industry and Sustainability Fundamentals 

This module provides a comprehensive understanding of fashion systems and their historical and contemporary evolution. Students examine the cultural, industrial and economic dynamics of the sector, as well as its social and environmental challenges. The transition from linear models to circular systems is explored from a critical perspective, introducing key concepts such as impact, ethics, traceability and supply chains. 

Module 2. Optimisation of Processes through Technology in the Fashion Industry 

This module focuses on digital technologies as tools to research, anticipate and visualise future scenarios within the fashion sector. Students work with methodologies such as trend analysis, cultural intelligence and horizon scanning, understanding technology as a strategic resource for interpreting and transforming processes across fashion systems.

Module 3. New Aesthetics through Matter 

This module explores the material dimension of design through an experimental and technical approach. Students investigate biomaterials, advanced fibres and hybrid compositions, analysing performance, durability, finishes and the new aesthetics that emerge through experimentation. Materiality is approached as a bridge between research, prototyping and responsible production within contemporary industrial contexts.

Module 4. Communication and New Narratives 

This module addresses communication as a strategic dimension shaping discourse, identity and cultural perception within fashion. Students explore storytelling, art direction and visual narrative, using visual and digital languages to communicate projects with conceptual clarity and critical rigour. Futures and foresight methods — such as scenario building and speculative narratives — are applied, positioning the digital realm as both an analytical and strategic tool.

Faculty

Micaela Clubourg

Fashion designer specialising in fashion, technology and sustainability

Projects

Medium shot of the torso of a woman wearing a corset with built-in plants

Fashion Design and Styling

Barcelona

Final projects / thesis projects
Walking gardens

Fashion Design and Styling

Barcelona

Recover and Regrow
Close-up of a transparent jacket that stores water and features a drinking tube like a straw.

Fashion Design and Styling

Barcelona

Final projects / thesis projects
Puffair jacket

Fashion Design and Styling

Barcelona

A Modular Fashion Design System through Co-Creation

Fashion Design and Styling

Barcelona

You are what you waste

News

08 June 2026

IED among the Top Design Schools 2026 according to Calibre Careers: european Network, industry connections and educational excellence

The international careers observatory analyses the Institute’s educational model, combining global recognition with the historic pillars of hands-on, laboratory-based teaching.

05 June 2026

From IED Thesis to the Camera Moda Fashion Trust

"Francesco Matera wins over Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana with MATERIA, an evolution of his IED thesis.

29 May 2026

"Minimizing impact is no longer enough: design must regenerate and create value for the planet" Carlos San José Frutos, Industrial Designer

Carlos San José Frutos, a renowned expert in ecodesign and the circular economy, whose professional career includes leading sustainable projects and educating new generations of designers. He now brings an essential perspective on the role of design in industrial transformation as Coordinator of the Official Master’s Degree in Product Design and Ecodesign

29 May 2026

IED Kunsthal Bilbao and Orbea Imagine the Bicycle of the Future Together with the Next Generation of Designers

Students from the Bachelor of Arts in Product Design and Graphic Design at IED Kunsthal Bilbao collaborated with Orbea, a historic Basque company and an internationally recognised leader in the cycling industry, on a project imagining what bicycles might look like in 2040, coinciding with the company’s upcoming 200th anniversary.

28 May 2026

This is what Fashioners of the World 2026 will look like

On 15 June at 7 pm, IED Barcelona will present a selection of the best final collections by Fashion students from the Class of 2026 at the Palau Reial de Pedralbes. The event forms part of the IED.60 Public Program.

28 May 2026

IED Barcelona Undergraduate Graduation Ceremony 2026

It will take place on Thursday, 18 June at 4:45 pm at Paral·lel 62 theatre.

28 May 2026

IED Madrid and UNIQLO Promote a Circular Fashion Project Through Upcycling

Fashion Design students transformed garments with manufacturing defects into new creative proposals, exploring sustainability, craftsmanship and innovation as design tools.

Umbria26 llega a IED Madrid con la exposición GENIUS LOCI, l’Umbria veste il mondo

26 May 2026

Umbria26 arrives in IED Madrid with the exhibition GENIUS LOCI, l’Umbria veste il mondo

Brunello Cucinelli, Ellesse and Pino Lancetti star in an unprecedented exhibition celebrating Umbrian creative genius and the legacy of Made in Italy

21 May 2026

IED AHEAD - Design your tomorrow, today.

Enrol by 31 July 2026 and get an exclusive 20% discount on tuition fees for Undergraduate and Foundation Courses starting in September, October and November 2027.

Don't miss it

Exhibitions and Festival

28 April 2026 - 30 September 2026

Barcelona

“Caliu” in “Matter Matters. Designing with the World”

The project “Caliu”, by IED Barcelona alumnus Judith Aubà, has been selected to form part of this exhibition, which reflects on the major challenges facing design today and in the future at a critical time marked by the scarcity of raw materials.

Exhibitions and Festival

02 June 2026 - 18 June 2026

Madrid

Umbria26 arrives at IED Madrid with the exhibition GENIUS LOCI, l’Umbria veste il mondo and the round table and Leonardo Created Ellesse

Brunello Cucinelli, Ellesse and Pino Lancetti star in an unprecedented exhibition celebrating Umbrian creative genius and the legacy of Made in Italy

09 June 2026 - 09 June 2026

Milan

Kris Van Assche as special guest at IED Milano

The Belgian fashion designer and creative director shares his story in an exclusive dialogue with students

Exhibitions and Festival

12 June 2026 - 19 June 2026

Barcelona

“In-Between: Rethinking Objects in a Physical–Digital World” - Product Design Exhibition

La Casa de la Llum (Simón) will exhibit the winning thesis and the two finalists of the 3rd edition of the IED Alfaro Hofmann Collection Prize.

Exhibitions and Festival

15 June 2026 - 15 June 2026

Barcelona

Fashioners of the World 2026

The IED Barcelona Fashion School’s final fashion show will present the best creations from the Class of 2026 at the Palau Reial de Pedralbes. An event that forms part of the IED.60 Public Program.

Exhibitions and Festival

13 July 2026 - 13 July 2026

Madrid

IED Madrid Graduation Day 2026

The IED Madrid community comes together to celebrate the end of the 2025–2026 academic year and the achievements of its graduating students.