Imagine learning fashion from the icons shaping the industry. At Polimoda, this isn’t a dream—it’s the standard. Helmed by Ferruccio Ferragamo, Chairman, Salvatore Ferragamo, all courses are mentored by industry experts. For example, Fashion Trend Forecasting Mentor Philip Fimmano is Director at Trend Union and Edelkoort Inc. while The Master in International Fashion Business is taught in collaboration with the United Nations Conscious Fashion and Lifestyle Network. This combination of expert mentorship, industry ties, and academic excellence makes courses at Polimoda sought-after.
Polimoda is a beacon of excellence in fashion education because of its unique leadership structure—President Ferruccio Ferragamo also serves as Chairman of heritage luxury brand Salvatore Ferragamo. His dual role bridges the worlds of high fashion and education, ensuring that the institutes strategic vision is rooted in industry relevance and heritage. This offers fashion students unparalleled insight into the inner workings of a luxury house, granting them access to the same level of rigour, innovation, and aesthetic that define Ferragamo’s legacy.
Equally defining is the faculty, comprised of recognised creative directors who lead specialised courses with authority. These figures—many of whom have shaped fashion history at maisons—bring current industry dynamics into the classroom, transforming theory into applied knowledge. At Polimoda, students don’t just learn fashion—they live it, immersed in a dynamic, real-world environment that reflects the future of the industry. It is this synergy between academic rigour and direct industry engagement that makes Polimoda one of the most sought-after fashion institutes in the world. Let’s take a closer look at the specialised fashion courses mentored by industry experts.
Polimoda: Top Specialised Fashion Courses
Masters Programs
Master in Costume Design employs a research-driven methodology to provide students with a holistic understanding of costume design’s interconnected elements. Students develop skills in historical research, character analysis, technical design, and storytelling through visual interpretation. They cultivate the ability to transform narrative insights into compelling visual representations that authentically capture character and era. The course focuses on historical context, research methodologies, technical skills, and narrative interpretation. The goal is to create graduates with an independent vision, capable of crafting costumes that are more than garments; they are storytelling tools that communicate character and cultural narratives. Mentor Massimo Cantini Parrini trained under Oscar-winning costume designer Piero Tosi and has 28 awards to his credit, including Academy Award and BAFTA nominations.
Master in Luxury Retail And Business Management in partnership with Gucci aims to teach students about the luxury fashion industry and its key players, products and services. The program shapes leaders who build an authentic relationship between a brand and client. Lessons are organised with teachers from the industry as well as guest lectures and workshops with fashion professionals who will be invited to talk, inspire and empower students. This unique, hands-on learning experience includes field trips, a midterm and a mandatory final project. This course is completed with an internship at a fashion brand or retailer.
Master in Sustainable Fashion is designed to shape Sustainability Managers, Circular Economy Managers and Fashion Diversity Managers. The program is composed of three areas: Brand Management and Fashion Sustainability, encompassing fashion sociology, sustainable fashion business models, sustainable design, corporate social responsibility and fashion leadership; Sustainable Production, including new materials, production technologies, value chain management, suppliers and innovative textiles; and Global Economy, focusing on trends, transparent corporate communications, digital transformation, future consumer behavior, diversity and inclusion management, global market ethics, sustainable businesses and start-ups.
This intensive specialisation program is run by resident teachers from the industry with direct involvement of international professionals. International guest lectures and two field trips to production sites are part of the program. Two projects, Midterm Project and Final Project, can become part of the portfolio students present when applying for internship and jobs. Mentor Matteo Ward, CEO and co-founder of WRÅD, has worked for Abercrombie and Fitch as Sr. Manager and co-chair of the A&F Stores Diversity and Inclusion Council. He is VP of Fashion Revolution Italia and co-authored and hosted JUNK, a docuseries on fast-fashion.
Undertaking the Master in Creative Direction is how a student becomes a Creative Director. The program is based on three main areas: design, trend and cultural research resulting in a fully visualised concept; brand, market analysis resulting in brand identity strategy; and communications: the creation of written, visual and motion content. This intensive specialisation program gives students access to internship opportunities. It is run by teachers and guests from the industry who are dedicated to reviewing one-to-one student progress. The final project is a concept book that will be featured in a design installation in front of a jury.
A full-tuition scholarship, in partnership with the TSH Talent Foundation, is available. The program’s Creative Director Felipe Oliveira Baptista is a celebrated fashion designer whose career includes influential positions such as Artistic Director at Kenzo and Creative Director at Lacoste. Felipe’s influence extends in art with exhibitions like Unfolding at Untitled19 Gallery in Paris. He is recipient of several accolades, including being named Comendador by the President of Portugal and winning the LVMH Fashion Award twice.
The Master in Fashion Trend Forecasting is an innovative program for a student who is constantly moving, researching and finding the golden thread between politics, economics, technology, art, music, and, of course, fashion. The program explores four areas: Research, the analysis of data and phenomena; Link, the personal associations, inspirations and moods; Concept, the formulation of trends, counter-trends and sub-trends and Release, the application to product development, strategic marketing and communication purposes with presentation materials. This intensive specialisation program is mentored by trend forecasting expert Philip Fimmano, Director at Trend Union and Edelkoort Inc., and co-founder of Talking Textiles.
Undergraduate Programs
Fashion Business is a statement program, balancing cultural and practical skills to shape students as a Businessperson. Graduates have the skills to start and run fashion business units, retail chains, e-commerce businesses, single brands and agencies, using both conventional and unconventional promotion tools inside and outside the box. Classes are held by teachers from the industry with hands-on and original materials. Fashion Business students have access to monthly guest lectures from experts and visionaries, an immense library and computer labs. Field trips to companies, fashion shows and trade fairs in Italy and Europe as well as applied projects with companies are organised throughout the program.
Mentor Paolo Cigognini is Senior Vice President of Global Communications and Media at Tom Ford, where he is in charge of ensuring that the brand’s communications and image are consistent and unified across all sectors. Prior to joining Tom Ford, Cigognini was Chief Marketing Officer at Alexander McQueen (2017 – 2023), Chief Marketing Officer and E-Commerce Director at Dolce & Gabbana (2014 – 2016) and, before that, Worldwide Communications Director at Bottega Veneta (2010 – 2014) and Communications Director (UK, France, Middle East) at Bulgari (2004 – 2010).
Atelier Design in partnership with Pattern Group bridges the gap between atelier designers and fashion designers, offering a fresh perspective on the intricate world of pattern making and garment construction. Atelier Design incorporates elements such as pattern making, sketching, draping, tailoring, theoretical study of fabrics and their relation to the body. It is a technical immersion into the world of structuring and making garments according to the body and design. The course covers the spectrum from technical skills (pattern making, draping) to creative skills (illustration), as well as theoretical knowledge (fashion history) and practical industry skills (production techniques, project coordination).
Digital Strategy for Fashion in partnership with The Dematerialised focuses on luxury fashion and its key platforms in digitisation, fine-tuning the experience between physical and digital fashion and researching fashion brands that are taking first steps into the metaverse and Web3. The program shapes Digital Marketing Managers’ ability to coordinate digital marketing areas: from social networks to native advertising, from SEO to Web Analytics and Content and from CRM to E-commerce. Today, fashion brands focus on authentic and behavioural data-driven storytelling, aiming towards long-term growth and transparency in their purpose-driven business strategy. Graduates must have an ethics-driven approach to Data Governance to encourage knowledge of protection laws and the appropriate use of collected granular data and information.
Fashion Design Management is a new program devised to train design graduates who double as entrepreneurs. Courses are run by teachers from the industry with hands-on materials. Students also have access to guest lectures taught by visionaries, an immense library, computer and design laboratories. During the three-year program, intensive review sessions with industry auditors are organised for the students. The course is completed with an internship in a fashion company. Based on the student’s personal abilities and acquired skills, the course qualifies graduates for jobs as Creative Directors, Fashion Designers, Collection Managers, Design Managers, Trend Forecasters, Merchandisers, Product Managers, as well as for a career heading up new industry-driven fashion brands with an entrepreneurial attitude.
Online Courses
Consumer Behavior provides an in-depth exploration of how consumers’ emotions, attitudes and preferences influence their purchasing decisions, ranging from the initial decision to buy, how they use it and whether they continue to purchase or dispose of the item in the future. The objective is to equip students with a robust research methodology to comprehend purchasing and anticipate behaviour. Esteemed industry professionals, possessing extensive experience, serve as the chief lecturers for this course. Delivered remotely, the course structure comprises three-hour online lessons, spanning across five days.
Fashion Editorial Styling is an introductory program that immerses students in the intricacies of image creation and creative direction, specifically tailored for fashion magazines and digital platforms. This course provides students with an in-depth understanding of the cultural context of imagery by examining contemporary aesthetic languages and media prevalent in today’s fashion industry. It delves into the critical facets of editorial fashion styling, exploring the interpretation of fashion trends, their influence on visual language and iconography, the art of storytelling, and the modern contexts of fashion across communication channels. Esteemed industry professionals serve as the chief lecturers for this remote course.
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.
