First Level Academic Diploma in Fashion Design - IED Firenze

Language

Italian, English

Start date

October 2026
January 2027

Frequency

Full time

Fruition

On campus

Duration

3 Years

Credits

180 CFA/ECTS

Course Coordination

Vivetta Ponti

Course also available in:

Cagliari
Milan
Rome
Turin

The Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Design at IED Firenze combines artisanal expertise with advanced technologies, fostering a dialogue between tailoring skills and digital tools - from garment construction to 3D design. 

The course offers an immersive learning experience within contemporary fashion processes, with a particular focus on production systems, sustainability, and innovation. Situated in an area known for a well-structured and internationally recognized fashion supply chain, the program turns the local production environment into a real-world laboratory, providing comprehensive future-oriented training grounded in a solid design culture.

Course structure and contents:

The IED programme spans three years, during which design is integrated with cultural knowledge, dialogue with professionals, technical skill development, and the use of innovative tools.

Year One: Establishes a solid and transversal foundation, integrating technical, cultural, and design tools for an informed first approach to fashion design. Courses combine theoretical subjects such as fashion history and art semiotics with practical disciplines including pattern-making, graphic design, and textile culture, translating creative intuition into structured projects. Students begin to develop a personal design language, producing initial prototypes in denim and natural fibres. Sustainability is emphasised through upcycling practices and textile manipulation. At the end of the year, students may choose a specialisation in clothing or accessories, while maintaining an integrated approach to the total look.

Year Two: Dedicated to experimentation and the definition of individual style. Projects move closer to professional contexts through capsule collections inspired by international brands, with teaching guiding the entire creative process – from research to concept, through to product communication. Workshops, competitions, and interdisciplinary activities enrich the pathway, allowing students to personalise their training. Theoretical studies expand to include photography history, marketing, and communication. Design skills deepen according to the chosen specialisation: clothing or accessories and footwear. Students work on specific prototypes such as knitwear pieces and genderless looks, or, in the accessories minor, leather goods and footwear components.

Year Three: Focused on developing a personal collection that reflects the student’s stylistic identity, designed within a simulated professional context where new materials, tailoring techniques, and visual languages are explored. Theoretical subjects such as phenomenology of contemporary arts and film analysis broaden critical and cultural perspectives. The thesis project, developed with faculty support, includes a professional portfolio, complete outfits, physical prototypes, and visual materials for concept presentation.

Final outputs may range from ready-to-wear collections to experimental fashion product projects, from accessory and footwear lines developed in collaboration with local companies to sustainable capsules created with innovative fabrics and digital printing techniques.

Faculty

Course Coordinator

Vivetta Ponti

Luca Parenti

Art Director    

Guido Riccitelli

Fashion Professor

Simona Ciacchi

Creative Designer    

Domenico Strecapede

Antonella Pilichi

Fashion Designer    

Emanuele Poli

Designer

Leonardo Galeassi

Livia Ridondelli

Fashion Designer

Virginia Fani

University Lecturer    

Marco Innocenti

Art Director

Giovanni Iozzi

Professor

Rita Quinto

Designer

Susanna Spoto

Professor

Stefania Pelliccia

Illustrator    

Elisabetta Digiugno

Art Historian

Rodolfo Bargelli

Professor

Eva Di Franco

Fashion Designer    

Laura Corvino

Fashion Designer

Jl Young Hur

Accessory Designer    

Walter Bolognino

Graphic Designer and Art Director

Pier Fioraso

Art-Creative Director

Renato Stasi

Designer

Serena Signorini

Chiara Mosti

Fashion Professor

Giuseppe Moretti

Professor

Sara Piccolo Paci

Professor and Author

Projects

Fashion Design and Styling

Florence

Final projects / thesis projects
MNEME

Fashion Design and Styling

Florence

Final projects / thesis projects
Anomalia

Fashion Design and Styling

Florence

CIEMMECI Group

Fashion Design and Styling

Florence

Amorfo

Fashion Design and Styling

Florence

Maeba International

News

Art and design exhibition featuring two central rocks sewn with printed fabrics

23 October 2026

“Valor Ancestral: Latam Creative Talent 2026” makes a stop at IED Barcelona

Following its presentation at IED Madrid and ahead of its move to IED Kunsthal Bilbao, the latest edition of the international exhibition, an initiative promoted by IED since 2022, was on display to coincide with the Barcelona campus’s activities as part of Barcelona Design Week.

Carousel of models on the catwalk of a fashion show

23 October 2026

Acceptance Letter, the label founded by IED Barcelona lecturer Jeakyong Sim, wins the 080 Barcelona Fashion / Rec.0 competition

The label has been recognised as the best emerging local fashion proposal in the 15th edition of the initiative, which has previously awarded IED alumni such as Guillermo Justicia and Elna Solans.

22 October 2026

One student and four alumni from IED Kunsthal Bilbao, alongside two alumni from IED Madrid, awarded scholarships to study at Central Saint Martins

The selected designers have taken part in an intensive two-week programme in London, linked to the Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum's Transmissions project.

Female model posing on a rock wearing a white wool wide-sleeved sweater

22 October 2026

IED Barcelona alumna Andrea Trescolí showcases two looks that put sustainability into practice in fashion at Rec.0

From 4 to 7 November, she will showcase her creations entered in a competition for emerging designers who use materials and processes aimed at reducing waste, as part of the festival’s Fashion Design Schools Exhibition at the Igualada Leather Museum (Barcelona).

06 October 2026

150 students begin the 2026–2027 Academic Year on IED Barcelona’s Master’s, Postgraduate and Foundation Courses

The Welcome Event for Master’s and Postgraduate students took place on 1 and 2 October, featuring a new edition of the “Designing for the Many” workshop and the opening lecture. Foundation students received their welcome on 5 October.

06 October 2026

Public Program IED.60, October 2026

This month, IED’s Public Program continues to take design beyond the classroom, creating opportunities for dialogue with audiences, cultural institutions, businesses and professional communities.

02 October 2026

AQU Catalunya grants favourable accreditation to IED Barcelona’s Bachelor of Arts in Design

Once again, IED Barcelona has received a favourable report from the Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency (AQU Catalunya), certifying the quality of the Bachelor of Arts in Design (Título de Grado en Enseñanzas Artísticas Superiores de Diseño) delivered by the centre.

02 October 2026

IED Lands in Mexico with Federico Antelo

From 10 to 22 October, the IED Madrid Fashion Director brings talks and workshops to Mexico's top design events.

Fashion sketch with four male silhouettes

02 October 2026

IED Barcelona Alumni Albert Porta named finalist in Sangue Novo

ModaLisboa’s platform and competition for emerging young designers has selected him to present his collection “Branco” on 9 October at Pátio da Galé in Lisbon.

Don't miss it

Two reusable bottles, one green and one yellow respectively.
Exhibitions and Festival

06 October 2026 - 01 September 2027

Barcelona

“The Beetle Bottle” and “Mis queridos Ascos” at “Matter Matters. Designing with the World”

The projects created by IED Barcelona alumni Abdelaziz Moustafa (Product Design) and Violeta Mata (Fashion Design) have been selected to be part of this exhibition at the Museu del Disseny-DHub.

Exhibitions and Festival

08 October 2026 - 31 October 2026

Turin

IED Torino x Torino Design City

From October 8 to 31, 2026, IED Torino will take part with three student projects exploring ecological and environmental transition, as part of a programme of exhibitions, talks and workshops focused on design and innovation.