First Level Academic Diploma in Fashion Design - IED Milano

Language

Italian, English

Start date

October 2026
January 2027

Frequency

Full time

Fruition

On campus

Duration

3 Years

Credits

180 CFA/ECTS

Course Coordination

Umberto Sannino

Course also available in:

Cagliari
Florence
Rome
Turin


The Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Design at IED Milano offers a comprehensive education in contemporary fashion, with a focus on design, sustainability, and digital skills. From creative research to the production of complete collections, the programme is structured around six core areas – design, research, art, visual culture, craftsmanship, sustainability, and digital competences – reflecting the complexity of the fashion system, where aesthetics and environmental impact are symbiotic elements of design.

Within specialised workshops textiles, tailoring, knitwear, fabric, embroidery, and a consultable archive of historical garments – theory comes to life through professional tools and cutting-edge technologies. In the second year, students may choose to specialise in Shoes & Accessories Design, for those wishing to deepen their knowledge of footwear, bags, and fashion accessories.

Located in the beating heart of international fashion, the Milan campus offers students the chance to experience events, exhibitions, and fashion weeks as an integral part of their training, always in close contact with industry-active lecturers.

Course structure and contents:

The 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: Students acquire the technical, methodological, and cultural foundations of design, creating their first clothing collection while learning pattern-making, tailoring, technical drawing, IT skills, and material technologies. In parallel, the study of fashion, costume, and art history builds a solid visual culture.

Year Two: Skills are consolidated through complex projects aimed at defining a personal style. Students develop menswear, womenswear, and knitwear collections, with particular attention to research methods and project communication. Theoretical and practical disciplines – including pattern-making, graphic design, material technology, semiotics, and photography – are integrated into a coherent pathway. The Shoes & Accessories specialisation follows a similar approach, focusing on bags, footwear, small leather goods, and eyewear.

Year Three: Students mature professionally through advanced, practice-oriented projects in contexts simulating real industry dynamics. Specialist courses such as Fashion Design 3 & 4 and Pattern-Making 3 support the development of a distinctive thesis project, involving advanced tailoring techniques, iconographic research, and product development. The Shoes & Accessories pathway runs parallel, with a focus on eco-design, material regeneration, and advanced footwear and bag design. Both tracks are enriched by shared theoretical subjects that sharpen critical perspectives on the fashion system. The thesis project represents the culmination of the three-year journey, developed with the support of lecturers and industry designers, and demonstrates stylistic originality and technical-production coherence.

Faculty

Course Coordinator

Umberto Sannino

Fashion Designer

Irene Cinus

Lecturer

Antonio Bandini

Fashion Consultant, Fashion Designer

Alessandro Perriello

Freelance Menswear and Womenswear Designer

Giulio Vescovi

Art director, Graphic designer

Grazia Alessandro

Fashion Designer

Angelo Montanini

Fashion Illustrator

Nadia Annino

Fashion Designer

Maria Delli

Product Manager freelance

Flora Rabitti

Fashion Designer and Creative Director Florania

Lupo Borgonovo

Artist and Lecturer

Serena Toffetti

Creative Art Director and Lecturer

Silvia Carabelli

Modeller

Sofia Cucchi

Fashion Designer and Consultant

Projects

Fashion Design and Styling

Milan

Final projects / thesis projects
MOMENTO

Fashion Design and Styling

Milan

Final projects / thesis projects
Edo Yankees

Fashion Design and Styling

Milan

Final projects / thesis projects
Icaro

Fashion Design and Styling

Milan

Final projects / thesis projects
Not scary

Fashion Design and Styling

Milan

Final projects / thesis projects
Circadian Rhythm

Fashion Design and Styling

Milan

Final projects / thesis projects
Round Around

Fashion Design and Styling

Milan

Final projects / thesis projects
Indossando la Pioggia

Fashion Design and Styling

Milan

Final projects / thesis projects
Je vois encore

Fashion Design and Styling

Milan

Didactic projects
UNQUALIFIED project “0”

News

13 July 2026

IED Barcelona Takes to the Runway at 080 x Cruïlla

Three recently graduated Fashion Design alumni showcased four looks each at the festival’s fashion runway, demonstrating how the new creative voices of the future dress.

IED Ranked Among the World's Best Fashion Schools in 2025

10 July 2026

IED Ranked Top 20 Fashion School Worldwide 2026

IED has once again been ranked among the world’s best fashion schools in 2026: 18th place in the CEOWORLD ranking

10 July 2026

Degree Show 2026 opens IED Kunsthal Bilbao to talent, design and the city

Once again, the Papelera Building opened its doors to the public, showcasing the work developed by students over four years of study and turning the school into a meeting point for design, culture, industry and institutions.

03 July 2026

Substructure: IED in Paris to unveil the framework beneath the garment

Behind the Look: Dover Street Market Paris Hosts IED Milano's Three-Day Fashion Exhibition

03 July 2026

July: Exhibitions, Installations and New Horizons for IED.60 Public Program

With the arrival of July, IED Graduation Days enter their busiest phase across IED’s Italian campuses, bringing with them a series of public events designed to showcase the ideas, projects and research developed by students.

01 July 2026

Three IED Designers Win at the 2026 Spanish Fashion Academy Awards

Alumni Ernesto Naranjo, together with faculty members Miguel Becer (ManéMané) and Juan Vidal, have been recognised at the third edition of the Academia de la Moda Española Awards for their outstanding creative work.

Shop window displaying two fashionable looks created with upcycling

01 July 2026

IED Barcelona’s sustainable fashion returns to Moda Re-

Once again, first-year students from the Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Design, pathway in Fashion Styling, have created a series of looks by applying upcycling techniques to garments donated by the Fundació Formació i Treball.

26 June 2026

Eight IED Designers Nominated for the 2026 Spanish Fashion Academy Awards Across Five Categories

Six designers trained at IED Madrid, together with an IED Barcelona lecturer and an alumnus, are among the nominees for the 2026 Spanish Fashion Academy Awards.

23 June 2026

Best Thesis Awards 2026 – IED Barcelona

Fashion that evokes nostalgia through layered fabrics; a reinterpretation of retail as a living biological interface; an exploration of how Korean Wave (Hallyu) cultural products generate value within the luxury fashion sector; and an interactive digital experience that makes a previously hidden financial language visible.

Don't miss it

22 July 2026 - 22 July 2026

Sibiu

The Perfect Stranger: a Fashion Challenge

What happens when a stranger becomes the starting point for a fashion project? Join IED at Feeric Fashion Week for a creative challenge that turns unexpected stories into original fashion outcomes.

28 July 2026 - 31 July 2026

Medellín

IED at Colombia Fashion Week 2026

The most important colombian event in the fashion sector will host more than 500 exhibitors and many themed spaces.