Study Fashion & Textile Design in Europe

This bachelor's degree focuses on fashion business innovation, brand development, and entrepreneurship, preparing students for careers at the forefront of the global fashion and luxury industry. The program combines theoretical understanding with hands-on project management, enriched by masterclasses from industry professionals, real-world case studies, and projects developed in collaboration with established brands and digital agencies, giving students direct exposure to the fashion and luxury business ecosystem throughout their studies.

The first year introduces core areas of fashion business, including retail, buying and merchandising, omni-channel and visual merchandising, marketing and branding strategy, neuromarketing, trend forecasting, and digital communication tools, alongside foundational business studies covering sustainability, entrepreneurship, and an introduction to the range of roles within the fashion industry. Students also begin a personal development plan that they continue to build throughout the program, and study cultural history, fashion theory, and research methodology to support their business studies with critical and contextual understanding.

The second year deepens this foundation with more advanced coursework in fashion management, product management, fashion start-ups, business models, finance, and organizational structure, alongside advanced marketing topics such as content creation, social media, performance marketing, and new technologies. Students further develop a go-to-market project and business plan, and continue building their research and theoretical analysis skills. The year concludes with an internship of three to five months at an existing brand, for which students receive structured preparation and ongoing support.

In the third year, students take greater ownership of their direction of study, applying what they have learned to make independent decisions and solve real business problems, supported by lecturers acting as coaches. Coursework includes fashion innovation and management, design thinking, and a final major project, alongside applied research culminating in a contextual essay, and professional practice through live industry briefs with feedback from industry clients. Students complete the program with an original business plan, a branding guide, and a final project, presented through a graduation exhibition showcasing their fashion business expertise.

Graduates are prepared for a wide range of roles across the fashion and business sectors, including retail manager, e-commerce manager, marketing manager, performance marketing manager, public relations manager, social media manager, buyer, merchandiser, art director, brand manager, event manager, content creator, or founder of their own fashion start-up.

Applicants must hold an EEA passport, from one of the twenty-seven European Union member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, or Switzerland, or hold a Dutch residence permit, as the program is not able to sponsor study visas for students from outside the EEA. Applicants must also hold a secondary school qualification recognized as providing access to higher education, such as an International Baccalaureate Diploma with a minimum of 28 points, a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, the relevant national upper-secondary leaving qualification recognized in most European countries, a UK qualification such as a BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma or an equivalent combination of GCSEs and A-levels, or, for US applicants, a high school diploma with a GPA of at least 2.8 alongside qualifying SAT, ACT, or Advanced Placement scores, or one completed year of a bachelor's degree at a recognized American university with a GPA of at least 2.0.

A portfolio is not required for admission, though applicants who have one are welcome to submit it. All applicants are required to submit a letter of motivation along with their secondary school diploma or transcript, and to complete an assignment ahead of an admission interview, during which they present their assignment, and portfolio if applicable, to the program leader and a lecturer.

This one-year master's degree builds multidisciplinary management competencies at an advanced level, aimed at developing leaders equipped to address sustainability challenges in the textile and fashion industry. It introduces students who may have no prior background in textiles or fashion to the fundamentals of textile management, combining research insight with professional preparation and offering the chance to build an international network within an interdisciplinary, multicultural learning environment.

The program spans two terms of full-time study, following a problem-based learning approach in which students independently search for, analyze, and present current research on the themes covered in each course. The first term broadens and deepens students' existing bachelor's-level knowledge through coursework in business and management within the textile and fashion industry, sustainability-oriented business models, the theoretical foundations of supply chain management and fashion studies, and business strategy and strategic management, alongside a dedicated course in research methodology and the philosophy of science as applied to textile management. An introductory course in the program's textile laboratories, covering areas such as weaving, knitting, and sewing, also gives students practical insight into textile materials and production.

In the second term, students take two parallel courses forming the basis of two specializations within the field: fashion retail marketing, and the governance and sustainability of textile value chains through sustainable supply chain management in the apparel and textile industry. The term concludes with an independent research project resulting in a master's thesis, in which students demonstrate a critical approach and strong awareness of social science research methodology.

Because the program draws students from a wide range of academic backgrounds, including business administration, industrial engineering, fashion studies, and textile or fashion design, career outcomes vary depending on each student's prior education, but the program is designed to add specialized competencies in management and sustainability applicable across roles in the textile and fashion industry and trade.

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, engineering and technology, 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 master's degree brings together a wide range of craft disciplines under a shared, material-oriented philosophy, fostering an environment where makers develop individual studio practices while contributing to broader theoretical discussions in the craft field. Students position themselves within contemporary craft discourse through research-based, hands-on study, working to challenge traditional ways of thinking about making and to promote a caring, attentive relationship with materials and environment.

The two-year, 120-credit program is built around four main studios spread across four semesters, each focused on core principles, formats, processes, and methods of artistic research and their application to an evolving individual creative practice. Each semester, students work with a dedicated studio advisor and their own workspace, developing both technical skill and the ability to contextualize their work through relevant references and argumentation. Alongside individual studio work, students take part in collective experiences, including a multi-week fieldwork trip abroad in the first year and shorter field trips throughout the program, exploring vernacular contexts, gathering materials firsthand, and engaging with low-tech processes and tools; students also take part in group exhibitions and public interventions throughout their studies.

Craft theory coursework runs alongside the studio work, introducing students to contemporary concepts and debates in craft, design, and material research, such as material agency, new materialism, phenomenology, tactile knowledge, post-colonial perspectives, and environmental approaches, while training students to integrate theoretical thinking with practice through reading, writing, and proper research documentation. Students also gain direct professional experience, whether by assisting research projects or doctoral investigations, teaching alongside faculty or proposing an elective course, or completing an external studio-based internship, and can shape part of their studies through elective coursework in areas such as philosophy, cultural theory, academic writing, visual literacy, or other topics that vary from year to year.

The program concludes with a substantial independent creative project combining practice-led work with a written component, through which students demonstrate their ability to position, contextualize, and critically reflect on their artistic research and professional development; the first year concludes with a published volume of student writing, and the program as a whole culminates in a public exhibition, intervention, design solution, or other presentation as part of a formal thesis defense.

Applicants must hold a bachelor's degree and demonstrate English language proficiency at the B2 level. The application requires a copy of the applicant's bachelor's degree certificate and academic transcript, a passport or ID copy, a CV, and a digital portfolio containing up to ten projects with short descriptions.

Applicants must also submit a completed questionnaire addressing their creative practice, critical and reflective thinking, prior experience in design or craft, thesis research interests, and motivations for applying. The portfolio is assessed for clarity of presentation, the quality of previous work, and the applicant's ability to position their work within the field and carry out independent research; passing this stage is required to advance to an interview, conducted online, which evaluates the applicant's ability to present and argue for their ideas, their knowledge across disciplinary boundaries, and the overall fit between their goals and the program's study environment and methods. Final admission decisions are based on the combined results of the questionnaire, portfolio, and interview.

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.