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

17 April 2026

Vote for IED Madrid projects among the ten finalists in Accor Design Awards 2026

For the second year running, four IED Madrid students have reached the grand final, placing their projects among the best in the world

16 April 2026

X-plorer, by alumni Aaron Gonzalo selected for the ADI-FAD Delta Medals 2026

The jury has selected only 15 projects out of the 104 submitted, forming the Delta Medals 2026 Selection, including X-plorer, Aaron Gonzalo’s Final Degree Project.

15 April 2026

More than 9,800 students took part in the AQU Catalunya and Catalan universities' mass survey on recent graduate satisfaction

Responses will be used to identify areas for improvement in the higher education studies currently offered in the Catalan university system and in higher artistic education centres.

14 April 2026

200 people take part in the “Urban Picnic” initiative, which connects design, sustainability and community

An initiative by IED Barcelona within the programme of Barcelona 2026 World Capital of Architecture, and as part of the European project Feed Your Future and the activities marking the 60th anniversary of IED · Plural Intelligences.

Dos premios para el documental The Designer is Dead de Gonzalo Hergueta, Alumni IED Madrid

13 April 2026

Two awards for the documentary The Designer is Dead by Gonzalo Hergueta, IED Madrid Alumni

The film has won the Best Documentary Award in the Official Selection at Moritz Feed Doc 2026 and the Audience Award at the Atlàntida Mallorca Film Fest 2025

31 March 2026

IED Firenze and Kingston University present "Together, We are Fashion!"

IED Firenze, in collaboration with Kingston University, presents an international educational project exploring themes of second hand, fashion archives, the influence of art, and brand identity construction within a contemporary context.

25 March 2026

IED ranked among the world's top 100 academic institutions in the QS World University Rankings® by Subject 2026

Europe's largest Art and Design school network secures 78th place worldwide in the Art & Design discipline, marking its 60th anniversary year.

25 March 2026

Inditex Talent Session at IED Barcelona

The Zara Talent programme brought together students from Fashion Design, Interior Design, Styling, Fashion Marketing and Communication, and Footwear Design for a day of one-to-one meetings with the group’s human resources teams.

Jaime Álvarez, alumni del IED Madrid, gana el Premio Mercedes‑Benz a Mejor Colección con su firma Mans

25 March 2026

Jaime Álvarez, IED Madrid Alumni, wins Mercedes‑Benz Award for Best Collection with his brand Mans

Designer Jaime Álvarez, creator of the Mans label, receives the award at Mercedes‑Benz Fashion Week Madrid, reaffirming the talent of the IED alumni community.

Don't miss it

Exhibitions and Festival

22 April 2026 - 22 April 2026

Barcelona

Barcelona Bridal Fashion Week 2026

IED Barcelona alumni will open the runway show of Stéphane Rolland, guest designer of Barcelona Bridal Night, with their own designs.

Lecture and Panel discussion

06 May 2026 - 06 May 2026

Barcelona

IED MUSES Talks: Silvia Brandi

The fifth inspirational talk at IED Barcelona will address new materials, product design, sustainability, 3D printing, advanced architecture and international collaborative projects aimed at revitalising rural areas, led by the renowned Milanese architect.