Fashion Design Colleges

The first step in developing a new design or altering an existing one is to determine the needs of the client, the ultimate function for which the design is intended, and its appeal to customers or users. When creating a design, designers often begin by researching the desired design characteristics, such as size, shape, weight, color, materials used, cost, ease of use, fit, and safety.

Fashion designers design clothing and accessories. Some high-fashion designers are self-employed and design for individual clients. Other high-fashion designers cater to specialty stores or high-fashion department stores. These designers create original garments, as well as clothing that follows established fashion trends. Most fashion designers, however, work for apparel manufacturers, creating designs of men's, women's, and children's fashions for the mass market.

List of Fashion Design Schools

American InterContinental University - Buckhead, GA

The AIU Fashion Marketing Program gives students a strong foundation for the fashion business, preparing them for leading management roles in fashion and related industries. Students learn advertising techniques, marketing strategies and retail management. In addition students of AIU may choose to pursue a degree program that combines Fashion Marketing and Design, coupling the advertising, marketing, and retail know-how of the marketer with the creativity of the designer. This program includes the development of a Fashion Portfolio.

American InterContinental University - London, UNITED KINGDOM

American InterContinental University in London offers students a range of fashion design concentrations in fashion houses, retail and textile producing. AIU London's Fashion program offers specializations in both Fashion Design and Fashion Marketing, however students interested in both sides of the business can combine the two for a Fashion Design & Marketing degree.

American InterContinental University - Los Angeles, CA

American InterContinental University at Los Angeles offers flexible, dynamic programs that adapt to current trends in business, technology, multimedia communication and artistic design. Whether you are interested in Fashion Design, Visual Communications, Digital Media, Photography, and Design, AIU has a program structured to provide you with high quality instruction, exposure to current technologies in the field and opportunities for professional contacts and experience. AIU offers both Associate and Bachelor's degrees in Fine Arts programs. Explore the challenging and rewarding opportunities available to you through one of AIU's Fine Arts Programs.

Bauder College - Atlanta, GA

Bauder College in Atlanta offers Associate Degree programs in both Fashion Design and Fashion Merchandising. The Fashion Design program helps students develop a strong foundation of design, illustration, computer and presentation skills through hands-on experience in pattern making, clothing construction, draping, specialty design, men's wear and children's wear. The Fashion Merchandising program is designed to create successful merchandisers who understand all aspects of the industry, including indentifying the wants of the consumer and planning/buying/selling merchandise to ensure profit and growth of the business.

International Academy of Design & Technology - Chicago, IL

The Computer Graphics program at International Academy of Design & Technology - Chicago combines fundamental design skills incorporating computer technology in fashion design, interior design, computer graphic design, interactive media, multimedia production and design, and e-commerce. Whatever your interests are, their mission is to prepare you for the future with diverse and comprehensive programs of study.

International Academy of Design and Technology - Detroit, MI

Turn your talent into a career with a highly respected design program at the International Academy of Design and Technology in Detroit. IADT Detroit offers a Fashion Design program where students will learn about developing and creating clothing, as well as the fundamentals of design and the sourcing and use of textiles. Students will be involved not only in a number of creative projects (including the creation of a professional portfolio), but also be exposed to the commerical side of the fashion world.

International Academy of Design & Technology - Tampa, FL

The International Academy's Program in Fashion Design is demanding, technical, and comprehensive. Students are given a solid foundation in fashion illustration, pattern drafting, design, draping, clothing construction, textiles, fashion history and production techniques. The International Academy of Design and Technology in Tampa can help train you for a career working in cutting edge industries.

International Academy of Design and Technology - Toronto, Ontario, CANADA

IADT in Toronto, prepares students for entry-level job opportunities in the fields of Design and Technology. The programs at the Toronto campus for design covers digital media design, interior design, computer assisted drafting and design, fashion design, costume design, advertising design, and fashion merchandising. There, they encourge the focus on the development of marketable skills in a vocationally oriented academic environment with work experience as a supplement to technical education. IADT also develops skills in oral and written communication, and familiarize each graduate with interview procedures, resume preparation, employment applications, and career planning.

Katharine Gibbs School - New York City, NY

Katharine Gibbs School at New York City offers an Associates Degree program in Fashion Design and Merchandising -- giving students the background they need in both the creative and business sides of the fashion industry. Topics covered include: fabric printing and print design, sketching for the designer and illustrator, industry-standard pattern drafting, showroom and retail sales. Students will also develop their own fashion portfolios during the course of their program.

Wood Tob�-Coburn School - New York City, NY

Wood Tobé-Coburn School's campus in New York City is right in the heart of a bustling fashion industry. Students learn to work to be Fashion Designers, sketch concepts, develop patterns, and choose the fabrics to make their original ideas come to life. If you're looking for an exciting career with the companies who create the fashion that is sold all over the world, then Fashion Design may be the place for you.