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The best fashion design schools in the world?

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  • stephlinn
    Member
    • May 2012
    • 77

    #46
    Originally posted by thejarc View Post
    it is nearly impossible to get into the BA Fashion (especially Womenswear) when applying directly (crazy numbers, nearly 3000 applicants for around 150 places) it is relatively easy when you did the foundation there. And it is easier for international students because they are required to have 50% international students
    Woah I had no idea, this is actually so helpful. Thank you so much. Did you do an interview to get in, or did you just send your portfolio?

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    • thejarc
      Member
      • Jan 2011
      • 55

      #47
      Originally posted by stephlinn View Post
      Woah I had no idea, this is actually so helpful. Thank you so much. Did you do an interview to get in, or did you just send your portfolio?
      I am an EU student, so I just sent them my portfolio on a cd along with the application.

      I dont really know about international students but I know someone from New York who was interviewed by someone in the US. Just look it up on the website, most of the information is there.

      Comment


      • #48
        for Antwerp you apply online, from Artesis website. Then you go for the drawing test in the beginning of July, where you spend a day doing still life drawing exercises in color and black and white mediums. you also prepare a portfolio that you leave together with the entrance exam. Sometime during the two days of drawing you're called to another room for an interview with two of the teachers from the academy. It's about 5 minutes long. They ask what you've done, and why you want to enter the school, and what your expectations are. At noon on the second day you're asked to finish your table, with all the work you've done, plus portfolio and a sign with a picture of you and your name. At 18 you come back, and they announce who was accepted and leave out the ones who didn't pass. After that there's a list on the wall with the points you got, on a scale from 0 to 20. 10 is passing. If you pass you sign up for a mandatory language course in basic flemish (2 weeks long) and if you don't pass you have a second chance in september. I'd say about a tenth are accepted to the school, but every year only about half of the students pass or proceed to the next year. I am just finishing my first year, but I must say this school ended up not being for me. The teachers have a very limited dialogue with the students in the first year. They see it as an extended screening process. We make three garment studies in the first year, the rest is just drawing, so drawing skills is required. On top of the design projects, sewing and theoretical subjects you have drawing every week, and nude drawing. It's a very old school classic program which requires intense time management from the first day. If you slip behind it's difficult to catch up. The first semester is calm, but the second semester the pace truly picks up, and most students don't sleep properly until the summer.
        Also, it's an advantage if you like working in the vein or Mr Beirendonck's aesthetic. If you don't follow their general style you have to be ready to fight for your ideas from beginning to end. This is not an education for people with a clear point of view. They want to shape you and curate your talent. This has been my biggest issue, and is the main reason for me not finishing the first year. If you already know what you ultimately want to do/say, this is not the school for you. They like personalities, but not when they start discussions. More often than not the teachers will simply say "I like this. I don't like this." The style philosophical dialogue between teacher and student is their biggest weakness.

        You also have to figure out any technical aspects on your own, when it comes to sewing.
        This year has so far been one of the most exciting and intense learning experiences for me, in spite of the nightmarish workload and the problematic guidance.
        I would still recommend this school to anyone who is up for a real challenge. Coming out of it you build a healthy confidence and discipline that will get you through life.
        Don't do it only for the prestige, as people in this field surely knows about the school, but in the end it's not about having a diploma, but having a good portfolio, clear point of view and solid experience.

        If anyone has more questions, feel free to contact me and i'll get more in depth about my experiences.

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        • eat me
          Senior Member
          • May 2009
          • 648

          #49
          where are you off to then, Heirloom?

          Comment

          • curiouscharles
            Senior Member
            • Jan 2008
            • 999

            #50
            Originally posted by Stijn View Post
            Does anyone have information about ''Costume design''? It's of course very different from fashion design but I'm really interested in it. I know you have a department in Antwerp and I'm thinking about going there but is it any good?
            are you wanting to do costume design for theatre, or film?

            if the former, i'd recommend looking into theatre schools specifically catered to design, and not "design" or "fashion design" schools per se.

            -

            Comment


            • #51
              Originally posted by eat me View Post
              where are you off to then, Heirloom?
              It's a WIP. We'll see.

              Comment

              • eat me
                Senior Member
                • May 2009
                • 648

                #52
                I see. Just make sure it's worth it, because what you describe "Also, it's an advantage if you like working in the vein or Mr Beirendonck's aesthetic. If you don't follow their general style you have to be ready to fight for your ideas from beginning to end." is true of any well known school I've heard of (and the one I've been to, to a lesser extent).

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                • #53
                  Of course, I always knew teachers are people with a biased opinion of their own, but I expected a more distanced attitude to their personal taste. I wished fashion school would encourage me to scrutinize and dissect my motives and ways of reasoning behind my designs, rather than just saying "this cut looks too feminine". too feminine for what?
                  I only ask for constructive critisism.

                  Comment

                  • liamjiang
                    Junior Member
                    • Sep 2011
                    • 4

                    #54
                    I personally went to School of the Art Institute of Chicago for fashion and just graduated recently. The department is continually growing, but most of us are going overseas for work and internship. Most of my classmates are New York bound while a couple of us are going to Haider Ackermann, Meadham Kirchhoff, and I'm going to Vienna for Wendy & Jim. The school's reputation is making progress but I enjoyed it because the student teacher ratio is about 15:1 where my previous instructor who taught at CSM told me he would teach hundreds at a time. I'm not going to be biased and say it was the best because of department politics but I'm going to assume that exists at every school, favoritism if you will. I'll say that school is what you make out of it, people are going to see who you've interned for before you start working and if you don't have any experience prior to graduation they will scratch you off the list (for the most part). We weren't known for our technical skills as F.I.T. is for example are more honed in on that field, but rather our creative direction and education is a bit more concrete. For those looking into costume design I would recommend SAIC if you're not seeking to be an artist or designer since the program pushes your potential and by the time you're a senior you sort of compromise all the ideas and make something sophisticated. If you're interested you can PM me so I can fill you in on what to expect and all that, but I wouldn't cross the school off the list just because it's not as well publicized as Parsons New School. We recently just hired someone who had worked for Issey Miyake's mens division for a decade and she is one hell of a construction instructor (who by the way gave me a contact to Junya Watanabe, but because I don't speak Japanese, yet, I thought I shouldn't go). If you ask me I would place this school in Tier 2, it is one of the top fashion programs in the country and we have some notable alumni who probably aren't so appealing to the SZ community but they have contributed to the industry in one way or another. In any fashion program, just don't be lazy like some of my classmates. It's such a competitive field with so much talent around you and I'm sure the people here who are interested are quite serious. Overall, it was a great experience and I'm sorry if I did sound biased but I just thought SAIC deserved to be in the list somewhere. We have great lectures as well, Iris Van Herpen was our most recent guest speaker. Best of luck to everyone who's applying to schools!

                    Comment

                    • liamjiang
                      Junior Member
                      • Sep 2011
                      • 4

                      #55
                      ^heirloom

                      I went through that as well :[, I bugged them 'til they put aside their personal opinions and looked at my garments as it is.
                      Last edited by liamjiang; 05-27-2012, 12:59 PM.

                      Comment

                      • BBSCCP
                        Senior Member
                        • Feb 2010
                        • 352

                        #56
                        sorry to be a bit off-topic, but can anybody explain me "the fame" of beirendonck? I know he´s one of the antwerp six, but when looking at his collection it´s in the same league as dsquared to me... can´t understand how to like his aesthetics, especially when you are a student at the university...

                        Comment

                        • snafu
                          Senior Member
                          • Apr 2008
                          • 2135

                          #57
                          CSM , will get you a job...

                          Chris New the menswear tutor has a little black book of contacts more impressive than anyone else i know. Pretty much in every field from sportswear, denim, workwear, luxury, classic houses, savil row to commercial mass market to even big names talked about on here...

                          Lanvin, Vuitton, Raf, Rick, Henrik, Damir, Cabourn, Aitor, Stone Island, Levi's, Paul Smith the list is endless ...
                          Even students who have been taught by him have gone to work at Poell, he gets his students into the design field they want.

                          If they want to start up their own label he is very supportive, and many of them are stocked in the big shops to the small ones on here... This Tutor knows his shit.

                          Guest Tutors are like the list above.

                          They get about 2500 applicants for 25 places each year,
                          But if you work hard its a great way to start a career and is the top school to get into the industry.

                          They have a parsons exchange program but personally iv seen the Parson students really struggle at csm ... they pretty much produce the same commercial collection each time and over consider branding ie sunglasses accessories while the ideas are pretty weak.
                          But their sewing skills are far higher than the average CSM student... but your doing a design degree right not a seamstress degree. In your final year you probably wont even sew many garments you will pay someone else to sew them professionally.

                          In womenswear ...

                          Friends of mine who are graduating this year are going to work for all the big names.

                          The graduation show is tomorrow and people sign their contracts within half an hour after the show... one is going to Chanel and another with Vuitton, starting salary's are good.

                          ___

                          You will be paying £3,000 a year if your from the UK
                          Im not sure how much for EU,
                          But just under £10,000 for international

                          3-4 year course plus foundation degree/portfolio... + materials +living in London , its not cheap.

                          If you really want to do well in your degree it is pretty much impossible to work while such on a degre, You can expect to be in school from 8.30am - till 9-10pm five-six days a week in your final year.

                          Its very much a school where you have to push yourself to work hard and the tutors will recognise which students do this and they will focus helping them.
                          ___

                          Im biased but i have not heard the same sort of things from LCF, they are far far more commercial and personally i think aiming for a more mid - high end area in the market, not the 'Avant Garde' ;) area CSM aims for. Also the new building CSM is in really does compete with facilities LCF has.
                          I think Antwerp is the most selective school, i have no experience with students from there, but CSM certainly has success stories to back its name up
                          .

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                          • Aleks
                            Senior Member
                            • Feb 2009
                            • 475

                            #58
                            ^so excited to go

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                            • thejarc
                              Member
                              • Jan 2011
                              • 55

                              #59
                              Originally posted by snafu View Post
                              You will be paying £3,000 a year if your from the UK
                              Im not sure how much for EU,
                              But just under £10,000 for international
                              Fees went up this year. Its 9000 for UK/EU and 13300 a year for the rest.

                              Comment

                              • Stijn
                                Member
                                • Jun 2011
                                • 79

                                #60
                                Originally posted by curiouscharles View Post
                                are you wanting to do costume design for theatre, or film?

                                if the former, i'd recommend looking into theatre schools specifically catered to design, and not "design" or "fashion design" schools per se.
                                Thanks!

                                I had not even thought about that actually, I love (modern) dance and theatre, but designing for movies sounds also like a dream :)

                                I'm going to Antwerp this Summer for the admission for costume design at Artesis, but am still hesitating about my choices, cause I would love to do fashion as well.

                                But I have the feeling I'm a little young for the fashion department...

                                Maybe I just need a gap year so I can make a better choice..''sigh''

                                Comment

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