Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Design

Blending creative experimentation and technical innovation, craftsmanship and industrial tools, the Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Design is offered in either French or English. You will learn to use both cutting-edge techniques and artisanal craftsmanship in order to transform your ideas into 3D garments and accessories as you develop your signature style.

In the hub of Paris, with incomparable links to the world-renowned French fashion houses and their ateliers, the program offers an innovative pedagogical approach delivered by designers with studio experience and an industrially experienced technical team.

This three-year program will prepare you to "hit the ground running" when you graduate, whether your ambition is to work for a major luxury brand, start your own business or work as an independent designer.

Culture

Paris is a city of culture and the fashion capital of the world. We believe that fashion and culture are inextricably linked. Through our new program, you will have extensive access to contemporary art, dance, music and performance within the framework of privileged partnerships with major cultural institutions such as the Cinémathèque Française and numerous Parisian museums.

Diversity

The BA in Fashion Design welcomes students from all over the world. You may choose to follow the course either in French or in English.

Campus

Our Austerlitz campus is located at Les Docks - Cité de la Mode et du Design on the bank of the famous Seine river. Students have access to state-of-the-art workshops, a fully equipped Fab Lab, a knit workshop, a leather workshop, a photographic studio and a C.A.D laboratory.

Entirely dedicated to the fashion, design and creation sectors, our analog and digital Library has one of the most unique collections in Europe.

Accreditation

The BA in Fashion Design leads to a diploma "designer concepteur de mode" conferring the "grade de licence" (Bachelor's level) by the Ministry of Higher Education: Official Bulletin (BOESRI) n°10 of March 10, 2022, by order of February 14, 2022, for students entering the program after September 2022.

It is also registered at level 6 “Bachelor level” with the Répertoire National des Certifications Professionnelles (RNCP 36780). This entitles the non-EU students who have graduated from the program to obtain the Autorisation Provisoire de Séjour (Temporary Stay Authorization) allowing them to work in France for one year.

Curriculum

Year 1/ Exploring creativity and learning the fundamentals

Intended as a creative incubator, this year will allow you to lay the foundations of your creative signature, combining know-how and experimentation.

Main objectives:

• Approach different bodies: human body - garment body - textile body
• Master the material (understanding, managing and interpreting)
• Learn the fundamentals of patternmaking and assembly techniques while approaching the concepts of volume and proportions differently
• Practice drawing in all its forms and experiment with a wide variety of techniques
• Approaching and using artificial intelligence tools in the fashion industry
• Overview of software, approach to patterns and 3D research
• Developing an iconographic research strategy applied to design

The first year ends with a week of discovery at the end of which you will choose one option for Year 2 (knitwear, image, creative pattern making, footwear or bags)

Year 2 / Consolidating & Developing

This second year builds on the fundamental skills acquired in year 1 by allowing you to develop a more personal writing style and language.

Main objectives:

• Think in terms of silhouette and begin crafting a wardrobe
• Consolidate your technical skills (pattern making and assembly techniques)
• Develop your creative signature (research, culture, societal questions)
• Enhance your personal expression (fashion, arts, music, current events...)
• Address the concept of zero waste during an intensive workshop
• Learn to establish connections between various skills acquired
• Create images and stage your garments
• Approaching AI through augmented reality fashion and immersive storytelling

During this year you will start a specialisation in knitwear, image, pattern making, footwear or bags. A 2-month internship is compulsory in the second semester (between April and September).

Year 3 / Conceptualization and realization

In the third year, you will defend your creative signature through your know-how, stylistic choices, casting, a place and an "audience". Sustainability, innovation and identity will be at the centre of the creative process of your final project.

Main objectives:

• Develop the notion of silhouette through the collection project
  
• Translate and hone your technical skills for creative purposes
  
• Assert your creative signature
  
• Propose a discourse (visual and verbal) that links concept and collection (coherence between content and form)
• Understand fashion in its industrial and economic reality through industry-led projects
• Strengthen your area of specialization
• Integrate sustainable development notions into your creative process

This final graduation project (which takes the form of 6/8 fully accessorized silhouettes) must include either a sustainability, technological or ethical dimension. It will be presented to a professional jury and to the public.

The BA in Fashion Design typically leads to careers in:

• Menswear / Womenswear Design: Designer, Design director, Creative director, Artistic director
• Accessory Design: Leather goods Designer, Footwear Designer, Accessories Designer
• Creative Pattern Making: Creative Pattern Maker, Modelist/Pattern Maker
• Knitwear Design: Fashion Knitwear Designer, Knitwear Programmer, Knitwear Developer
• Image and PR careers

Career advice and coaching

The Career Services Department is here to support you in order to shape your personal career path, find internship and job opportunities and develop your network, during your studies at Institut Français de la Mode and after you leave school. As students, the Careers team acts as a bridge between students, alumni and companies, and offers you many events and individual support throughout the year:

• Company presentations
• Career presentations by Human Resources professionals, operational staff and alumni
• Intensive individual coaching (definition of your creative identity, assistance in CV writing and portfolio preparation, interview coaching, individual follow-ups)
• Active support in the search for internships
• Speed-recruitment sessions and personal interviews with specialized recruiters (Career Fairs, portfolio presentations…)
• Access to an extensive database of job and internship offers

Internships

A minimum two-month internship is compulsory at the end of the second year (April-September
period). Examples of companies which offer internships: Acne Studios, Balenciaga, Burk Akyol, Chanel, Celine, Chloé, Christian Dior, Coperni, Courrèges, Duran Lantink, Hermès, Jacquemus, Kenzo, Lanvin, Loewe, Louis Vuitton, Maison Margiela, Marine Serre, Pierre Hardy, Simone Rocha, Valentino, Standing Ground, Vetements...

As alumni, you will benefit from the strength of our network of companies and alumni, both in France and abroad. A personalized career follow-up is offered to you at all times during your professional career, and regular events are organized by our Alumni Association.

Tuition fees for academic year 2025/2026*:

EU students

1^st year: €14,900

Non-EU students

1^st year: €22,900

* For the following years, tuition fees may vary each year by up to 5%.

Lifetime contribution to the IFM Alumni Association: €470.

Non-refundable application fee: €60

Upon admission into the program, the selected candidates will need to pay a deposit to confirm their spot in the program (€4,000 for EU students and €6,000 for non EU students). These amounts may be adjusted for the recipients of an IFM Foundation need-based scholarship.

Scholarships

Thanks to the sponsorship of company members of Institut Français de la Mode's Foundation, need-based scholarships are available for EU citizens under 30 years of age on September 1 of the academic year and who do not benefit from an individual training leave.

To apply for a scholarship, please complete the scholarship application form downloadable from the application website or the Parcoursup platform and submit it with the application form. No applications will be accepted after you have submitted your application form. Scholarship applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Please consult the “frequently asked questions” section if you are completing a scholarship application.

The program is eligible for CROUS scholarships (check the CROUS website for specific application requirements). We encourage you to apply as soon as possible as the process may take some time: https://www.messervices.etudia...

We also recommend that you consult the Campus France website to learn of other potential scholarship opportunities.

To check your eligibility, please watch this video.

Applications for Year 2 or Year 3

A few places may be available for direct entry into year 2 or year 3. Please fill in this form if you would like to enter the second or third year of the program. We will contact you at the end of May 2025 to confirm whether places are available for the start of the 2025/2026 school year.

To learn more about the application process for Year 2, please click here.
To learn more about the application process for Year 3, please click here.

Applications for Year 1

Admissions requirements

The course is open to students who have graduated from high school (Baccalaureate or equivalent) and are passionate about fashion and design. A preparation in art, design or fashion or a Foundation course is a plus but is not mandatory. Exceptions are possible for candidates who do not hold a high school diploma.

You may apply only once a year, and only twice maximum.

Admissions process

The admissions process consists of two steps, firstly the submission of a detailed online application file and a digital portfolio (on Parcoursup or the IFM website depending on your profile) and secondly, for selected candidates, a day of tests and an interview, on campus or online.

There is a non-refundable €60 application fee.

Don't hesitate to read this application guide, which will help you step by step to complete your profile.

Language tests

The program is offered either in French or in English.

For the French track, candidates who have obtained or are preparing a French baccalaureate (in France or a French Lycée abroad), regardless of their nationality, do not need to provide any French proficiency certificate. Candidates who are not native French speakers or who have not studied for at least three years in a French language program in a French-speaking country must present a language proficiency test score. The only tests and minimum scores accepted are the following:

• DELF: B2
• TCF Tout Public (TCF TP): score minimum 400 with the options « Epreuve d’Expression Ecrite et d’Expression Orale » (EE + EO) – score minimum 10 – These two additional options are mandatory, TCF TP alone will not be accepted.

For the English track, all applicants are required to submit one of the following English language test score reports (no other tests will be accepted):

• TOEFL iBT: minimum score 80
• IELTS Academic or General: minimum score of 6 (One Skill Retake accepted)
• CAMBRIDGE: minimum score of 169
• PTE Pearson Academic: minimum score of 59

Test scores are mandatory and must be submitted before the application deadline. They must be no older than 2 years at the application deadline of the round you choose to apply for.

Applicants may be exempted to provide an English test score report if:

• They have lived for the last 3 years in a country where English is the FIRST official language
• They are preparing or hold an IB (International Baccalaureate), A-level, GSCE or OIB
• They are native English speakers

To check your situation and find out what documents you need to provide depending on the course you choose, please watch these videos:

• For the English track.
• For the French track.

International applications

If you are preparing or hold an international degree (A-Level, Abitur, International Baccalaureate...) and if you have not started undergraduate studies in France or in a French higher education institution abroad (including foundation courses), you should apply on the IFM website by clicking on "Apply". Other applicants should apply via Parcoursup. To find out whether you should apply on the Parcoursup platform or not, please refer to this guidance chart.

Required documents:

You will find below the list of documents to be collected, which should be scanned and uploaded in PDF format to your application profile:

• A recent and detailed curriculum vitae
• A passport photo
• A copy of your identity document
• Each diploma obtained. If you do not have a degree, please leave this section blank.
• Transcripts of your last two years of secondary school and any subsequent years (if you have undertaken undergraduate studies or a preparatory course). If you are a student in an art school or in a foundation course, this transcript is mandatory.
• Your portfolio
• Your imaginary museum
• Your English or French language test if applicable (see section above).
• Your scholarship application (if applicable)

Your application will not be considered if some of these documents are missing. Please note that transcripts and diplomas must be accompanied by an official translation into French or English. Only Italian and Spanish diplomas and transcripts may be submitted without translation.

Click here for more information on what is expected in terms of content for the portfolio and imaginary museum, and tips for compressing your files.

If your application is selected, you will be invited to take part in an online admission jury consisting of a 2D graphic assignment (drawing and collage), a 3D creative assignment and an interview with the faculty.

Applications for Year 1 via Parcoursup

Parcoursup applications will open on 15 January 2025 on the Parcoursup website.

Admission via the Parcoursup platform is compulsory for:

• students preparing for or holding a French diploma (CAP, BP, Baccalauréat, BTS, etc.)
• students in binational sections (Abibac, Bachibac, Esabac)
• students (French and international) who are studying in a French higher education institution (including foundation courses) or in a foreign institution but whose campus is in France.
  

To find out whether you should apply on the Parcoursup platform or not, please refer to this guidance chart and watch this video.

On Parcoursup you will be asked to attach a portfolio of personal artwork and an "imaginary museum". Click here for more information on what is expected in terms of content, and tips for compressing your files.

If your application is selected in Parcoursup, you will be invited to a day of tests and interviews on the IFM campus on 9 or 10 May 2025. Exemptions will be granted to students living abroad or unable to travel for medical reasons. Pre-selected candidates should contact the admissions department to find out about the details of these online tests.

If you wish to apply for a scholarship, you will find the download link on the Parcoursup platform, "Fiche formation", section "dispositif pour réussir" (under "description concours"). The file must be filled in and sent by e-mail with the supporting documents (one PDF document only) to the address indicated, at the latest on the date of validation of your wishes. No scholarship application can be processed after this date.