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
Cicardian 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

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.

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.

24 March 2026

Antesch Live Printing Event, a night in Turin of streetwear, music and creativity created by two IED alumni

Antesch, a brand founded by IED Torino Fashion Design alumni Eugenio Cauteruccio and Andrea Torresan, is organising a Live Printing Night together with Dart Production, bringing together live customisation, streetwear, food and music.

23 March 2026

MBFW honours designers Juan Vidal, a lecturer at IED Barcelona, and Jaime Álvarez (MANS), IED Madrid Alumni

Juan Vidal has been awarded the National Designer Award, whilst Jaime Álvarez has received the NARS Icon Award

Models walking down a dark, smoky fashion runway

20 March 2026

Three alumni brands to present their collections at 080 Barcelona Fashion

Eñaut, Guillermo Justicia (IED Barcelona) and REPARTO (IED Madrid) will showcase their collections on the most international fashion runway in Spain which, from 14 to 17 April, will bring creative and designer fashion to its new location at Port Vell, Marina Vela, for the first time.

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.