Official opening of IFM's new campus by Minister Bruno Le Maire

Institut Français de la Mode’s new campus was inaugurated yesterday, Wednesday, November 24th, in the presence of Bruno Le Maire, Minister of the Economy, Finance and Recovery, and major leaders and players in the fashion and luxury sector.

IFM is the result of a forward-looking reflection on forward-looking education in fashion entrusted to Pierre Bergé in the 1970s by the Minister of Industry of that time. Created in 1986 with the help of DEFI and the Paris Chamber of Commerce, it initially focused on fashion management and on executive education. Its growth led to the creation of fashion design programs and its move (2008), with the support of the City of Paris, to the “Cité de la Mode et du Design”.

In parallel with the development of the IFM, the Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture, created in 1927, continued to hold and teach the keys to the technical knowledge inherent to Haute Couture and ready-to-wear fashion brands, thus offering unparalleled added value.

The Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, and his executive committee, encouraged a rapprochement with the aim of creating one of the top fashion schools in the world.

The two schools merged in 2019, supported in this venture by the Ministry of the Economy, the Strategic Committee of the Fashion and Luxury sector and some of the Major fashion and luxury groups, Chanel, Hermès, Kering, LVMH, Richemont, and Lanvin.

Institut Français de la Mode now offers a unique combination of academic programs in the fields of management, design and savoir-faire, welcoming 1000 students. Its faculty produces academic research in leading scientific reviews, and three research and teaching chairs have been created.

Thanks to the 31 partners who make up its Foundation, the school promotes social diversity through need-based scholarships for its students (€1 million distributed this year).

Committed to a dynamic that meets the demands of a rapidly growing industry and addressing major issues such as sustainability, innovation and diversity, IFM has recently expanded its offer.

In addition to a large offer of individual training courses for professionals or customized courses for companies, IFM provides, with the active contribution of the DEFI and Bpifrance, specific support for entrepreneurs and young creative brands.

Bruno Le Maire declared:
"Clothes are a projection and an assertion of oneself. It is a representation of the relationship that we might have with reality. It is a landscape of body and heart. French fashion is the most beautiful landscape we can offer to the world. French fashion is one of the most renowned and creative in the world. Thus we have a powerful French luxury industry that is vital to our economy. But we are missing an essential link: an institution of excellence, to train our students for the professions of tomorrow. Institut Français de la Mode represents this missing and decisive link for all of us. Opening this new campus proves that Institut Français de la Mode is becoming a school with a global dimension."

"There is no more precious good than education and training, which are not goods like any other. They are small seeds that we sow together every day, so that tomorrow they will bear the fruits of knowledge, culture and talent that our industry and our country need so much. Let's continue to plant them together: the harvest will be beautiful", concludes Xavier Romatet, Dean of IFM.