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

13 May 2026

TALKAK transforms the Koopera storefront into a space for memory and sustainable fashion

From May 11 to June 16, a selection of designs from the TALKAK collection, developed by students from the Official Degree in Fashion Design at IED Kunsthal Bilbao, will be displayed in the window of Koopera Store in Bilbao’s Old Town.

11 May 2026

Design tells its story at the Turin International Book Fair with EDICOLA IED

From 14 to 18 May, a newsstand of creativity presents the first two issues of Notes on Plural Intelligences alongside a selection of the best Italian and international magazines, accompanied by a programme of talks and workshops exploring themes of design, publishing and contemporary communication

07 May 2026

IED.60 Public Program - May: between Plural Intelligences and the culture of design

The programme of IED events open to both the internal and external communities continues in may; it was launched to mark the 60th anniversary as a collective reflection on the role of design.

06 May 2026

IED at the “Lápiz de Acero” Award in Colombia

IED joins Lápiz de Acero 2026 in Bogotá, supporting emerging talent and the future of design.

04 May 2026

IED Barcelona finalist in The Circularity Masterclass by Zalando

Nicole Ray Kochergin is one of the 12 students selected from more than 100 international submissions competing to win the circular design challenge organised by one of Europe’s largest online fashion platforms.

27 April 2026

TALKAK: fashion, historical memory and upcycling at Fashion Revolution Week Euskadi

IED Kunsthal Bilbao has presented the upcycling collection TALKAK within the framework of Fashion Revolution Week Euskadi, reaffirming its commitment to a more sustainable, critical, and contextually engaged approach to fashion.

23 April 2026

IED opens Stéphane Rolland’s spectacular show at Barcelona Bridal Night in front of an audience of over one thousand people

The designs were developed over several months by alumni from the Barcelona campus under the mentorship of the French couturier, who expressed his admiration for the results.

20 April 2026

Established brands, emerging talent and IED experts at 080 Barcelona Fashion

Designers Eñaut and Guillermo Justicia (IED Barcelona), together with REPARTO (IED Madrid), showcased their work on a renewed runway featuring parallel activities such as the European Designer Fashion Summit, with Julia Weems, Fashion School Director at IED Barcelona, among its moderators.

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.

Don't miss it

IED Madrid acoge una exposición sobre el Erasmus + con la Universidad Anáhuac Puebla
Exhibitions and Festival

25 May 2026 - 29 May 2026

Madrid

IED Madrid hosts an exhibition on the Erasmus+ exchange with Universidad Anáhuac Puebla

The exhibition showcases the work developed between faculty members from both institutions around textile design, cultural exchange, and contemporary Mexican craftsmanship.

Lecture and Panel discussion

26 May 2026 - 26 May 2026

Florence

Andrea Batilla: reading Fashion today

A talk with Andrea Batilla, expert in communication and marketing strategies and brand storytelling, offering a critical reading of fashion shows and the ongoing transformations within the contemporary fashion system.