Study Fashion & Textile Design in Europe

This two-year master's degree prepares students to manage communication, marketing, and consumer behavior within the fashion industry, with a strong emphasis on how sustainability is reshaping the fashion landscape and consumer purchasing behavior. It examines fashion as a complex, multidisciplinary phenomenon, encompassing the fashion cycle and fashion system, branding, consumer behavior, and consumption, while considering the sector's broader economic, social, and environmental impacts.

The program begins with a foundational first year in textile management, following a problem-based learning approach in which students independently search for, analyze, and present current research on the themes covered in each course. Coursework in this first year covers business and management within the textile and fashion industry, sustainability-oriented business models, the theoretical foundations of supply chain management and fashion studies, research methodology and the philosophy of science in textile management, and business strategy and strategic management. The first year concludes with a field study course, giving students the opportunity to complete an internship, lay the groundwork for their own business venture, or work as a research assistant within one of the program's research groups; students who choose to conclude their studies at this point can earn a one-year master's degree with a major in textile management.

The second year deepens this foundation with a focus on fashion management and marketing, centering on the structure, dynamics, and processes of change within the fashion system. Coursework addresses digital marketing communication in textile and fashion, fashion consumer behavior, trend analysis in fashion markets and systems, and cultural perspectives on consumption and branding in fashion markets, alongside continued attention to ethics and sustainability as themes running throughout the program. The program concludes with an independent research project resulting in a master's thesis, in which students demonstrate a critical approach and strong grounding in social science research methodology.

Students benefit from a learning environment that brings together design, technology, and management, with strong ties to industry collaboration, internships, and degree projects, particularly given the concentration of textile companies in the surrounding region. Graduates go on to advanced roles such as sustainability manager, corporate social responsibility manager, fashion editor, marketing and promotion specialist, buyer, social media specialist, sales manager, content creator, business developer, managing director, design coordinator, or visual merchandiser, while others establish their own businesses or continue on to doctoral study.

Applicants must hold a bachelor's degree comprising at least 180 credits in a field such as social sciences, business administration, fashion studies, industrial engineering and management, textile design, or fashion design. Applicants must also demonstrate English proficiency equivalent to English 6 (English level 2) in the Swedish upper secondary school system.

Because the program accepts applicants from academic backgrounds outside textiles and fashion, admission places particular weight on demonstrated analytical reasoning about sustainability issues in the field, rather than requiring a specific prior specialization. Alongside the formal application, applicants must submit a motivation letter, written in English and evaluated in two parts, along with a resume, which are read and scored anonymously by an admissions committee based on content and communicative quality. Applicants whose motivation letters are approved are then invited to a digital interview conducted in English, and the admissions committee's final recommendation for admission is based on the combined outcome of this process.

This bachelor's program connects the performing arts with contemporary visual arts, centering on dressing the body and the performative in response to the way theatre, performance, dance, opera, and film have increasingly merged into hybrid artistic forms combining multiple disciplines. Students learn to develop a clear design concept from personal inspiration or a text, using a variety of techniques to bring these ideas, concepts, and costumes to life, with an expectation that students engage seriously with social themes and the contemporary art world.

An extensive theoretical foundation supports students in developing a personal, critical perspective on the performing arts in all their forms, while a dedicated team of professionals active in various areas of contemporary performing arts provides supervision throughout. The program focuses on developing drawing skills, perception, visual communication, and the full range of profession-specific techniques needed to design and realize costumes, complemented by practical exercises in text analysis, dramaturgy, semiotics, character analysis, scenography, technical research, and collaborative work. The theoretical framework further includes research methodology, art history, art theory, techniques for analyzing theatre history, and the study of costume in film and costume history more broadly.

Through collaborative projects, internships, workshops, and practical exercises, students gain hands-on experience and a wide range of professional tools, preparing them to continue toward a master's degree centered on independent artistic research, in which a final graduation project is presented in a personal, professional manner within a multidisciplinary context spanning visual and performing arts. Graduates of the full program can go on to work as autonomous artists or as costume designers, seeking collaborations across the world of performing arts, live performance, film, and television.

Applicants need a secondary education diploma or equivalent qualification that provides access to higher education, with the specific accepted qualification depending on the applicant's country of education; applicants from the Netherlands need a VWO diploma or an HBO propaedeutic certificate, as a HAVO or MBO diploma does not provide access to the program, while applicants from other countries need a diploma recognized as providing access to university-level study in their home country. Applicants holding a Chinese diploma must additionally complete an APS screening in Beijing, both to verify their documents and to obtain a student visa.

Applicants must also demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the language of instruction at the B2 level. For Dutch, this can be shown by having completed at least one year of Dutch-language secondary education, having earned at least 60 credits in Dutch-language higher education, or holding a recognized B2-level language certificate; for English, this can be shown through certain qualifying diplomas from Dutch- or English-language secondary or higher education, or through an accepted language certificate such as IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT, Cambridge English, ITACE, or Pearson PTE Academic at the required minimum score.

Admission to the program is only possible after passing an artistic entrance exam, which begins with a digital pre-selection based on a submitted portfolio. Applicants who pass this pre-selection are invited to a multi-day artistic entrance exam, combining studio-based artistic assignments with a dedicated drawing assignment, which can be completed either in person or digitally, though in-person participation is recommended. The exam assesses the applicant's creativity and imagination, interest in general culture and in art, design, and visual culture specifically, drawing skills, and ability to express ideas both visually and verbally.

This bachelor's program teaches the craft of fashion design from start to finish, treating craft and concept as equally important as students learn to design at a high, internationally recognized level. Students begin by drawing by hand and gradually develop their own individual working method as they progress, engaging with every part of the creative process, from concept development and pattern drawing to textiles, techniques, collection building, and theoretical research.

Throughout the program, students work toward discovering their own artistic signature, both in how they think and how they make, supported by close contact with lecturers who are active professionals in the fashion field. The program connects students to the professional world through collaborations, national and international presentations, and an internship with a designer or company of their choosing in the third year. Students have full creative freedom to explore what drives them as designers and what they want to create, working in a closely knit environment with a dedicated fashion workshop available alongside traditional studio and drawing table work.

The program culminates in a graduation show, by which point students are prepared to take their first steps into a professional career, whether as an independent designer, within the wider fashion industry, or in related creative fields.

After applying through the national registration system, applicants are invited to a two-day admission process. On the first day, applicants take part in an interview with an admission committee covering their motivation and general interest, alongside an assessment of a take-home assignment completed in advance and a portfolio consisting mainly of sketches, process work, and designs that reveal how the applicant thinks and creates.

Applicants who pass this stage are invited back the following day to complete an on-site design assignment within a set timeframe. Based on the combined results of the interview and both assessed components, the admission committee advises on the applicant's suitability, and a final decision on admission is then made. Throughout the process, applicants are assessed on three core competencies: creative ability, including visual expression, a sense of color, shape, materials, and composition, and originality; communication skills, including the ability to clearly convey interests and inspiration and engage others; and critical reflection, including curiosity, experimentation, and a genuine interest in art and culture.

This bachelor's program explores jewellery and other wearable accessories as expressions of the universal, timeless human need for ornament, treating these accessories as objects that convey status, style, and culture while serving as witnesses to broader social, cultural, and technological developments. The program prepares students for a versatile profession rooted in a rich tradition of craftsmanship while staying attuned to contemporary developments in the field, balancing artistic studio practice with theoretical study and drawing.

Students receive guidance from a team of experienced, professional artists and designers as they develop their own personal artistic practice in accessory design, with considerable attention devoted to the technical skills and practical knowledge the profession requires, including working with metals, gemstones, and other materials, understanding jewellery history, and using 3D computer drawing tools. The program encourages curiosity and imagination alongside the development of research skills, concept development, and self-reflection, supported by study visits, workshops, projects, lectures, and supervision from international guest lecturers, while research methodology, art history, and art theory provide the necessary theoretical grounding.

Graduates of the full program, including subsequent master's-level study, are prepared to work as independent designers of jewellery and wearable accessories, or to pursue collaborations within the world of jewellery design or goldsmithing.

Applicants need a secondary education diploma or equivalent qualification that provides access to higher education, with the specific accepted qualification depending on the applicant's country of education; applicants from the Netherlands need a VWO diploma or an HBO propaedeutic certificate, as a HAVO or MBO diploma does not provide access to the program, while applicants from other countries need a diploma recognized as providing access to university-level study in their home country. Applicants holding a Chinese diploma must additionally complete an APS screening in Beijing, both to verify their documents and to obtain a student visa.

Applicants must also demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the language of instruction at the B2 level. For Dutch, this can be shown by having completed at least one year of Dutch-language secondary education, having earned at least 60 credits in Dutch-language higher education, or holding a recognized B2-level language certificate; for English, this can be shown through certain qualifying diplomas from Dutch- or English-language secondary or higher education, or through an accepted language certificate such as IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT, Cambridge English, ITACE, or Pearson PTE Academic at the required minimum score.

Admission to the program is only possible after passing an artistic entrance exam, which begins with a digital pre-selection based on a submitted portfolio. Applicants who pass this pre-selection are invited to a multi-day artistic entrance exam, combining studio-based artistic assignments with a dedicated drawing assignment, which can be completed either in person or digitally, though in-person participation is recommended. The exam assesses the applicant's creativity and imagination, interest in general culture and in art, design, and visual culture specifically, drawing skills, and ability to express ideas both visually and verbally.