Study Textile and Material Design in Europe

This 7-semester program provides a comprehensive foundation in textile science, fashion technology, and design. Students study core subjects like fiber science, spinning, weaving, sewing, CAD, and garment construction. They also explore areas such as textronics, eco-design, nanotechnology in textiles, and smart textiles. The final year includes a diploma thesis, industry internship, and practical prototype development for both fashion and technical textiles.

Applicants must have completed secondary school with mathematics and English (advanced level with at least 60%, or 30% at bilingual level). A second foreign language and one of the following subjects are also required: physics, chemistry, or a vocational diploma in relevant fields such as textile technician, fashion industry technician, or styling technician.

This master’s program offers in-depth training in textile design, fiber physics, special fibers, clothing construction, and production technologies. Students develop expertise in smart and technical textiles, computer-aided design, and sustainable practices. The curriculum includes hands-on lab work, modeling, and management courses, with elective options in nanotechnology, biodegradable fibers, and textile biomaterials. The final semester focuses on a diploma thesis, industry practice, and preparation for careers in textile innovation, design, and manufacturing.

To apply for English-taught programs, applicants must hold a Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, or an equivalent degree. They must demonstrate English proficiency at a minimum B2 level through accepted exams such as FCE, CAE, CPE, IELTS (6+), TOEFL (iBT 87+), TOEIC (700+), or equivalent certifications. Alternatively, proof that English was the medium of instruction at a previous institution is also accepted. These requirements ensure students are prepared to engage fully with academic content delivered in English.

This program in Fashion Studies offers two specialization tracks: Communication Strategies for Fashion Design and Strategic Management for the Fashion System. The communication track focuses on fashion media, visual culture, and fashion photography, with optional courses in ethics, fashion curation, and immersive technologies. The management track emphasizes data science, global marketing, corporate finance, and cultural industries, with a practical approach to the fashion business environment. Both tracks include internships, interdisciplinary electives, and flexible final examination paths that may integrate internships or study abroad opportunities.

Admission requires a degree in fields such as cultural heritage, visual arts, humanities, business, communication, economics, sociology, design, architecture, or computer science. Candidates must have earned at least 50 credits across at least two of five disciplinary areas, including literary studies, arts, performing arts and design, communication and social sciences, and economics. English language proficiency at B2 level is mandatory, and non-native Italian speakers must demonstrate or acquire adequate Italian language skills during the program. Students yet to graduate may apply if they complete their degree by the end of the calendar year. EU students typically pay around €1,200/year based on family income. Non-EU students usually pay a fixed fee of about €1,400/year. Check with the university for your exact fee.

This master's program combines creative design, sustainability, and technology in the context of fashion and textile industries. Core subjects include smart product development, strategic marketing, design management, and product life cycle analysis. Students can choose from field-specific electives such as textile innovation, functional garment development, and branding strategy. The program also covers logistics, smart materials, and 2D/3D clothing design. It includes practical placements and concludes with a master's thesis, preparing students for advanced roles in design and product development.

To enter this master's program, candidates need a professional bachelor's degree in textile production technologies, material production, engineering, or natural sciences. Depending on the background, admission may also require an entrance exam, work experience in related fields, or completed coursework in textile and clothing production. For the design specialization, applicants must go through a portfolio review. For the clothing and textile technologies track, education and professional qualifications are evaluated to ensure a suitable match.

This bachelor's program explores the entire design process behind fashion, from initial idea through to finished product, treating fashion design as a way of reflecting and shaping how people live, act, and behave. Students learn to design the functions and expressions of clothing and body-related objects, working across perspectives ranging from social and cultural diversity and freedom of expression to the development of garments that support specific human activities, such as sports, outdoor pursuits, or work.

The program develops students' artistic, technical, theoretical, and reflective capacities in parallel, training them to demonstrate skill as designers, artistic proficiency, and the ability to critically reflect on both their own work and that of others within the wider field of design. Teaching is organized around three recurring course strands, Basic Design, Design Methodology, and Design Aesthetics, alongside a progressively developing sequence of design projects that build toward the concluding degree project.

In the first year, students build a foundation in textile and fiber materials and their properties, the textile value chain, and sustainable production practices, alongside design work exploring the relationship between body and structure, illustration and visualization methods for design development, the historical development of clothing and fashion, and processes such as dyeing, textile printing, and finishing. A project introducing digital design tools and a further project in knitwear technique and expression round out the year.

The second year turns to the interaction between the body, clothing, and nature through activewear and outdoor-focused design work, alongside pattern and graphic design, portfolio and visual presentation skills, an elective course chosen in consultation with the program coordinator, and a course applying sustainable materials and textile manipulation techniques. Students also complete a specialization project and study broader design aesthetics and sustainability in textiles and fashion.

In the third year, students undertake a substantial design project carried out either as a commission for an external company or organization or as applied design work placed within one, deepening their understanding of design practice in relation to sustainability, artistic considerations, and economic factors. They also study design research methodology and exhibition and display techniques, before choosing an area of technical specialization, such as knitting, printing and preparation technology, 3D construction, or digital tools, for further in-depth study leading into the degree project, an independent, interpretive design investigation presented together with a reflective account of its methods and outcomes. Students may also have the opportunity to spend an exchange semester at another institution during the program.

Sustainability is woven throughout the curriculum, from the earliest study of textile materials and production to a dedicated course on sustainability in textiles and fashion and its integration into later design and research work. The program prepares students to work independently and collaboratively, including with external companies, institutions, and organizations, and is designed to lead either into a professional design career at a high artistic level or into further study at the master's level in design.

Beyond general admission requirements, applicants must demonstrate artistic design ability, including the capacity to work, experiment, illustrate, and realize textile and other elements expressively in order to communicate ideas clearly, along with technical ability in textile techniques such as weaving, printing, sewing, embroidery, knitting, or other textile construction methods, and a degree of critical theoretical knowledge of the field of textiles and design. Applicants must also verify English proficiency at a level corresponding to English 6 (English level 2) in the Swedish upper secondary school system.

Eligibility and selection are assessed on artistic grounds through an application portfolio, an assessment day, and interviews. The portfolio is first evaluated for artistic interpretive ability, technical skill in textile techniques, and critical-theoretical understanding of textiles and design, with particular attention to the ability to develop ideas from visual and material research into finished, technically skilled work. Candidates who pass this stage are invited to an assessment day, where their artistic and technical abilities are tested directly and their qualifications and experience are discussed in interviews; final admission is based on a ranking of applicants according to their demonstrated abilities across the portfolio, assessment tasks, and interviews, with relevant experience in fashion, design, or art potentially considered as a tiebreaker among otherwise equally matched candidates.

This Bachelor of Fine Arts program focuses on design development, textile materials, and the exploration of both traditional and contemporary textile techniques. Students engage with current research in materials and fibers, using this knowledge to experiment with how textiles can be designed and applied across a range of projects, with sustainability integrated as a core value throughout every stage of the design process.

The program develops students' artistic, technical, theoretical, and reflective capacities in parallel, aiming to train them to demonstrate skill and ability as textile designers, artistic proficiency, and the capacity to critically reflect on both their own work and that of others within the wider field of design. Critical reflection is built into coursework connecting historical design analysis and design theory to a range of applications, from individual projects to collaborations with companies and organizations, developing students' ability to identify and solve design problems and to evaluate and critique both their own work and that of others.

Teaching is organized around recurring strands in design methodology, design aesthetics, and design projects, following a structured progression toward the concluding degree project. In the first year, students build core knowledge of textile design processes through coursework in form, color, materials, and expression, alongside foundational techniques in weaving, knitting, and textile printing; students choose their own progression through these techniques, developing advanced skill in one or two areas of their choosing through dedicated design projects. The first year also introduces the textile value chain, textile materials, and processes of dyeing, finishing, and manufacturing, along with a historical perspective on textile production and an early introduction to sustainable development in textiles and fashion.

The second year deepens these design methodologies with a focus on textiles as a material for both expression and function, as well as for communication, including an advanced design project developed in a chosen technique and a course applying experimental and collaborative design methods, design strategy, and sustainable design practice. This year also includes a dedicated course on sustainability in textiles and fashion, along with coursework in critical self-reflection on design work and in planning and communicating textile exhibitions. Students may also have the opportunity to spend an exchange semester at another institution, or take an elective course, to deepen or broaden their knowledge in an area relevant to their chosen focus.

In the third year, students undertake a substantial design project carried out either as a commission for an external company or organization or as an internship placed within one, deepening their understanding of design practice in relation to sustainability, artistic considerations, and economic factors. They also study design research methods, using this work to define a relevant area of focus and formulate the basis for their degree project, and develop exploratory design work based on their own design concept, from initial idea through to design proposals. The program concludes with a degree project in which students apply their artistic, theoretical, and practical knowledge through an independent design investigation, documenting, justifying, and critically reflecting on their own design process.

Throughout the program, students access dedicated studios, workshops, laboratories, and libraries, and work alongside peers and teachers from diverse cultural backgrounds, as well as students from related programs in fashion design, textile management, and textile engineering. Graduates go on to work across fields such as fashion and clothing, interior design, product design, and the automotive industry, as independent designers, or continue their studies at the master's level.

Beyond general admission requirements, applicants must demonstrate artistic and creative ability to work, experiment, illustrate, and realize textiles and other elements expressively in order to clearly communicate an intended idea, along with technical skill in textile techniques such as weaving, printing, sewing, embroidery, knitting, or other textile construction methods, and some critical-theoretical knowledge of the textile and design field. Applicants must also verify English proficiency at a level corresponding to English 6 (English level 2) in the Swedish upper secondary school system.

Eligibility and selection are assessed on artistic grounds through an application portfolio, including a specific application assignment, an assessment day, and an interview. The portfolio is first evaluated for demonstrated artistic and technical ability and critical-theoretical knowledge, with particular emphasis on the applicant's ability to develop ideas from visual research into finished work of artistic quality.

Candidates who pass this stage are invited to an assessment day, where their artistic and technical skills are tested directly and their qualifications and other merits are discussed in an interview. Final admission is based on a ranking of applicants according to their demonstrated abilities across the portfolio, assessment tasks, and interview, with relevant experience in fashion, design, or art potentially considered as a tiebreaker among otherwise equally matched candidates.