The cultural heartbeat of the South, Atlanta combines urban streetwear, luxury fashion, and sustainability into a thriving, billion-dollar industry. With rising demand for local designers, major events like Atlanta Fashion Week, and direct connections to the music and entertainment industries, fashion schools in Atlanta provide access to real-world opportunities, emerging trends, and a global audience.
Atlanta Fashion Week
Atlanta is the home to many esteemed institutions, including the Savannah College of Art and Design and the Art Institute of Atlanta, that offer comprehensive programs, preparing aspiring designers to excel in an evolving global market. Fashion schools in Atlanta play a critical role in shaping this ecosystem, providing students with technical skills, industry knowledge, and creative freedom.
Home to Atlanta Fashion Week and The Atlanta Streetwear Market, the region remains a key influence in the U.S. fashion industry, powered by its connection to hip-hop culture and entertainment.
Atlanta Fashion Week itself serves as a vital incubator for fashion talent and visual artists, nurturing the development of future brands. Bringing together international and U.S.-based brands, the platform goes beyond showcasing collections; it paves the way for brands to excel in the global market. Positioned at the intersection of fashion, art, music, and culture, it shapes the future of fashion and provides both established and emerging brands with the opportunity to scale, whether direct to consumer or through wholesale channels.
‘The revenue generated in the Apparel market in Georgia is projected to reach US$510.30m in 2024’, per Statistica. ‘This market is expected to grow annually by 4.29 percent. Among the segments within the Apparel market, the largest one is Women’s Apparel, which is estimated to have a market volume of US$273.70m in 2024.’
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Things to know before applying to Fashion Schools in Atlanta
What programs and specialisations are offered?
Research the specific fashion programs and concentrations each fashion school provides, such as fashion design, fashion marketing, textile design, or sustainable fashion. Understanding the curriculum will help determine if the program aligns with your career goals and interests.
Are there opportunities for hands-on experience and industry exposure?
Look into the school’s partnerships with fashion brands, internship opportunities, and events like Atlanta Fashion Week. Practical experiences, such as internships or fashion shows, are critical for building a portfolio and industry connections.
What is the reputation of the faculty and alumni?
Investigate the faculty’s professional experience in the fashion industry and whether notable alumni have emerged from the program. This can give you insight into how well the school prepares students for a career.
What facilities and resources does the school offer?
Check for access to modern design studios, sewing labs, textile workshops, and computer-aided design software. A school equipped with cutting-edge facilities can significantly enhance your learning experience.
What financial aid and scholarships are available?
Research tuition costs, scholarship opportunities, and financial aid to ensure the program is affordable. Some schools offer merit-based scholarships or work-study programs specifically for fashion students.
Top fashion schools in Atlanta
Savannah College of Art and Design
Savannah College of Art and Design
Savannah College of Art and Design is one of the most prestigious art and design institutions in the United States, with a significant presence in Atlanta. The institute’s fashion programs combine creativity with practical knowledge, and students gain hands-on experience through access to state-of-the-art facilities and collaborations with industry leaders like Marc Jacobs, Ralph Lauren, and Balmain.
Per Vogue – ‘Their programs encompass a variety of tracks, but the design program reigns as a marquee program. In fact, their annual student-run fashion show is one of the largest and most notable in the country. Dirk Standen (previously of Style.com) took the reigns of SCAD’s School of Fashion in 2022 and since then, major industry players like Anna Sui, LaQuan Smith, and Ludovic de Saint Sernin have partaken in collection critiques to help the seniors fine-tune their collections ahead of the show.’
Program Highlights: Savannah College of Art and Design’s MA in fashion includes courses in contemporary art, fashion materials and structures, drawing and illustration, computer-enhanced fashion design, and multimedia communication for fashion. MFA in luxury and brand management focuses on luxury disciplines including art criticism, strategic financial management, beauty, fragrance, travel, hospitality, and luxury tech. It’s all directed at fostering the next generation of executives, creators, and entrepreneurs empowered to shape the future of fashion.
Guided by faculty and industry partners, students develop creative vision, learn advanced skills including VR-assisted design, and discover how to translate brand DNA into desirable goods. Collaborations and working relationships with factories, manufacturers, and suppliers have prepared accessory design students for professional practices. For example, Erika Lynn McKelvery (B.F.A., accessory design, 2012) discovered a love for fish leather and launched an accessory line using the fishing industry byproduct. SCAD’s innovative programs also include the world’s first sneaker design minor.
Notable Alumni: Among Savannah College of Art and Design successful alumni, Kate Barton is award-winning founder and creative director of an eponymous brand, Julian Robaire is head of tailoring for Jean Paul Gaultier, Christopher John Rogers is celebrated for his bold collections worn by Michelle Obama and Lady Gaga, Noyes created luxury women’s clothing line Audra and Hsiang-Ting Yen launched HTY Jewellery.
Clark Atlanta University
Clark Atlanta University
Atlanta University, established in 1865 by the American Missionary Association, was the nation’s first institution to award graduate degrees to African-Americans. Building on its social justice history and heritage, Clark Atlanta University is a culturally diverse, research-intensive, liberal arts institution.
“Our 126-acre campus is located in the heart of Atlanta—the epicenter of the Civil Rights Movement and the modern center of emerging technologies and innovation,” says President George T. French, Jr., Ph.D. “It is the anchor and center of the Atlanta University Center—the nation’s oldest consortium of historically black institutions. You are sure to find a myriad of opportunities for excellence, engagement, and service in a community built on a promise of honor, dignity, respect, and integrity.”
Clark Atlanta University is a historically Black university with a dynamic fashion program as part of its Art and Design Department. The programs emphasise innovation, culture, and entrepreneurship, fostering creative talent with a strong sense of community. CAU’s curriculum balances design techniques, merchandising, and textile exploration with business-focused courses, preparing students for diverse careers in the fashion industry. The school is also home to showcases and student-led fashion shows.
Program Highlights: The Fashion Design Concentration focuses on training students to develop apparel for various markets in keeping with creative, technical, and economic factors of the fashion world and emphasizes on the creative aspects of designing and developing merchandise for manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers. The program prepares students for entering the apparel industry as apparel designers, costume designers for theatre, assistant fashion stylists, fashion coordinators, production managers, product developers, computer-aided design specialists, merchandisers, buyers, fabric buyers, showroom sales representatives and entrepreneurs.
Graduates with a Bachelor of Art in Fashion with Fashion Design Concentration will be able to identify and apply design elements and trends from key eras of fashion history in clothing, construction, pattern-making, draping techniques and computer imaging and also apply aesthetic principles and elements of design to the development, selection, evaluation of apparel, and other textile products. They will also hone the skill sett o design, develop, and construct fashion illustrations, patterns, computer-aided designs, garment prototypes, apparel, and other related fashion products using fashion tools, techniques, and processes and also analyze problems and formulate solutions for fashion design, textile, styling, apparel production, and marketing.
The minor in Fashion Merchandising provides students with the opportunity to explore concepts and professional practices in fashion retail. This program requires eighteen credit hours of coursework in Fashion Design including aspects of merchandising, promotions, and retail management.
Notable Alumni: The university’s focus on empowerment and cultural identity inspires fashion students to launch independent labels or initiatives. Graduates frequently go on to contribute to the growing Atlanta fashion industry, particularly within urban and streetwear markets.
American Intercontinental University
Image: Facebook page of American Intercontinental University
American Intercontinental University offers degree programs within the backdrop of one of the South’s most exciting and energetic business cities. Whether students are looking to pursue an undergraduate or graduate-level degree, American Intercontinental University provides facilities designed to support student learning and local instructors. The campus is located north of downtown, off US-19 and the Sandy Springs MARTA station, with easy access to the city’s bustling downtown area and all of the opportunities it entails.
Program Highlights: BFA Fashion Design provides specialised training in sketching, garment construction, pattern-making, draping, computer-aided design illustration, and portfolio development. Students learn how to design and market projects creatively and confidently; create original fashion designs by hand or with computer-aided design software; knowledge of contemporary fashion, and key theoretical issues relevant to fashion, and at the forefront of the discipline; analyze fashion trends, consumer needs, and preferences; and critically evaluate and articulate their own and others’ work in relation to contemporary fashion.
Notable Alumni: American Intercontinental University alumni often achieve success in design, retail, and creative entrepreneurship. Christian Siriano, winner of Project Runway Season 4, founded a fashion label acclaimed for inclusivity. April Johnston developed her own fashion brand, Mangled Courtesan, which features dark, edgy aesthetics. Ashley Nell Tipton, who won Project Runway Season 14, built her brand focused on plus-size fashion. Jerell Scott established his label acclaimed for unique, eclectic styles.
Georgia State University – School of Art and Design
Image: Facebook page of Georgia State University School of Art and Design
Georgia State University offers an accessible, affordable and transformative education through partnerships with the city’s cultural organisations. The School of Art and Design programs are NASAD accredited through Georgia State University, and feature an internationally active faculty with a rigorous curriculum that prepares students for careers in art, design, art history and art education.
Georgia State’s College of the Arts is a destination for students who want to unlock and enhance their creativity with a serious arts education in a vibrant downtown setting. The school fosters dynamic artistic production within an interdisciplinary environment and over fifty art and design students, faculty and alumni have worked in the permanent collection of the High Museum of Art.
Program Highlights: The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Textiles emphasises textile design, fashion illustration, and surface design. Georgia State University combines practical workshops, industry software training, and theoretical studies to foster design thinking, innovation, and sustainable practices. MFA in Textiles emphasises professional skills and fosters diversity, technical proficiency and professional presentation. The individual direction of each student is further developed through intensive time in the studio, group interaction across disciplines and critical reviews. In the final two semesters, the student completes a thesis exhibition, writes a thesis paper and is involved in assistantships in studio work or teaching undergraduate-level courses.
Notable Alumni: The Georgia State University School of Art and Design has a strong reputation for fostering creativity and innovation across fashion design, textiles, and related fields. Although the program is not as widely publicised as some specialized fashion schools, it has produced notable alumni. Mychael Knight is acclaimed for his contemporary, wearable designs. He also showcased collections at New York Fashion Week and gained significant media attention before his untimely passing in 2017. Melanie Carter carved a niche in sustainable fashion. She combines design innovation with environmental responsibility, focusing on upcycling and eco-friendly fashion solutions. Aisha Johnson has worked with fashion houses, contributing to the creation of innovative textile patterns in ready-to-wear collections. Brandon Sadler’s creative influence has been featured in streetwear collaborations, including work with Nike and other major brands.
The Art Institute of Atlanta
The Art Institute of Atlanta was a private for-profit art school in Atlanta, Georgia owned by the Education Principle Foundation. The school was part of the Art Institutes chain of art schools. It awarded associate and bachelor’s degrees, including Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Arts, and Bachelor of Science, and also diplomas. The school closed along with all Art Institute schools in September 2023.
Program Highlights: The Art Institute of Atlanta offered specialised programs in Fashion Design and Fashion Marketing, making it a key institution for aspiring fashion professionals in the city. The Fashion Design program trained students in conceptualising and creating garments, with courses covering sewing, pattern-making, and CAD software for fashion design. The Fashion Marketing and Management program, on the other hand, focused on branding, retail operations, and fashion trends, preparing students for careers as buyers, marketers, or fashion entrepreneurs. Industry partnerships and practical internships were integral to both programs, providing real-world experience.
Notable Alumni: The Art Institute of Atlanta was recognised for programs in fashion design and marketing. Over the years, the institution produced notable alumni who gained recognition for their creativity, technical skills, and innovative approaches. Reco Chapple gained national attention through his participation in Bravo’s “The Fashion Show”. Reco later founded House of Chapple, a fashion brand that dressed celebrities like Toni Braxton, NeNe Leakes, and Kandi Burruss. Ashley “Pink” Davis carved a niche in custom streetwear. She is celebrated for her unique designs and collaborations with artists and performers. Keenan Thompson focuses on menswear and avant-garde fashion. Crystal Harris leveraged her education to work in brand management. She is known for promoting sustainable and inclusive fashion.
Jasmeen Dugal is Associate Editor at FashionABC, contributing her insights on fashion, technology, and sustainability. She brings with herself more than two decades of editorial experience, working for national newspapers and luxury magazines in India.
Jasmeen Dugal has worked with exchange4media as a senior writer contributing articles on the country’s advertising and marketing movements, and then with Condenast India as Net Editor where she helmed Vogue India’s official website in terms of design, layout and daily content. Besides this, she is also an entrepreneur running her own luxury portal, Explosivefashion, which highlights the latest in luxury fashion and hospitality.
