While on our quest to find the most valuable schools in the Netherlands, we have come across a boutique academy, which focuses on those students who do not feel at home in regular ‘mass’ education. This intimate academy only has a limited number of seats making each one precious. The students’ who are enrolled here are highly motivated and eager to liberate and develop their creative spirit. Not only the school’s staff comprises exceptional educators who flourish in the informal and friendly atmosphere but also ardently embrace their time and space needed to nurture each students’ talent and creativity. We, at the Knowledge Review, see it as an honor to introduce to you,
Amsterdam Fashion Academy.
Founded in 2013, the Amsterdam Fashion Academy is a private international fashion university situated in the heart of Amsterdam & owned by Luiss University. The school claims to be more than just a school as it has consciously chosen to be a hub of small-scale, personal, student-centered learning in a supportive environment. The school ensures that each individual is seen as just that: an individual, with their own needs and talents that the academy can foster by providing support and assistance to help them hone their skills.
Bestowed for Excellence
The Amsterdam Fashion Academy is recognized as an official partner with the reputable Buckinghamshire New University in England. Therefore, it is the first school in the Netherlands to offer a University awarded British Bachelor’s (Honors) Degree programs, one of the most recognized degrees worldwide. All three fashion programs are validated by Bucks New University and aligned with the UK Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) standards. Thus, providing students with the opportunity to study and receive an internationally recognized degree at the private fashion academy in Amsterdam.
Offering Distinct Courses
Being an international school where most of the students come from overseas, the Amsterdam Fashion Academy offers its courses in the English Language. Also, the student-teacher ratio is 6:1 which underpins the academy’s small-scale and individualistic approach to education.
Its notable courses are:
BA (Hons) Fashion Design
The BA (Hons) Fashion Design program is designed to provide students with in-depth insight and experience of the creative processes, knowledge base and technical skills that are required to enter the fashion industry. The program involves both conceptual and trend-driven design work through experimentation with creative cutting techniques, traditional pattern cutting, textiles, research, illustration, business, and manufacturing skills. All of these skills later culminate in a final professional collection show and portfolio outcome exhibition.
BA (Hons) Fashion Business
This university-awarded bachelor’s degree Fashion Business is for students who aspire to work in the field of marketing, campaign building, branding, communication, trend and prediction, and fashion editorial styling. The programs intend to provide the students with a greater understanding and experience of the creative processes, knowledge-base, enterprise development, project management, communication, and advanced technical skills.
All the contents, methodologies and tools are taught from the specificity of the fashion industry. This approach facilitates training in decision-making and provides exposure in a real-life context for managing innovation and experimentation.
Foundation in Fashion Diploma
This intensive foundation year at the Amsterdam Fashion Academy gives students a solid start for any prospective study or career in fashion. It allows them to discover and improve their creative skills as well as provide them with an opportunity to explore different creative areas of the fashion industry.
The Fashion Foundation Year program is designed for students who want to develop a solid foundation in key subjects such as drawing, illustration, and design methods in fashion and textiles. The program is curated in such a way which exhibits a visual portfolio of fashion industry and the knowledge required to pursue a fashion-related degree. Successful completion of the program guarantees progression onto the Bachelor’s (Hons) degree programs.
Preparing for the World Beyond
Through participation in internships and industry set briefs, Amsterdam Fashion Academy’s students explore the real world of the Fashion design industry. Such initiatives help them to develop an understanding of market trends, ethical considerations and consumerism. All of these are supported by involvement in educational visits to trade fairs, fashion shows and internships for an insight into international aspects of associated industries.
With the aim of giving a broad and complete preparation to develop their professional careers in the fashion market, students are trained in different and complementary fields. Experts in these fields pass on their experience and fashion trends, the process of product design and production, branding, retail and visual merchandising. Understanding of Fashion Culture, complemented with Semiotics, Market Research, and trends create awareness to understand the target market.
All second-year students of both BA (Hons) Fashion Business and BA (Hons) Fashion Design, work on a Personal Development Plan (PDP): a self-analysis process that involves individual contact hours with a lecturer. This approach helps students to develop their leadership and management skills and helps them to identify the right career path. Since the school has built strong relationships with renowned companies in the fashion industry, students get the opportunity of internships with renowned and innovative designers and fashion houses. Some of the big names include but are not limited to: Viktor & Rolf, SuitSupply, Claes Iversen, Tommy Hilfiger, Karl Lagerfeld, Rebecca Laurey.
Business skills are taught from the perspective of the fashion business. Marketing, sales, finances, distribution, and supply chain are tackled from the fashion business relevancy, big company’s perspective and provide students with the tools to undertake their start-up projects as entrepreneurs.
Furthermore, Amsterdam Fashion Academy organizes annual career events. These events are attended by recruiters and HR managers from fashion brands, such as WE Fashion and Bestseller, to meet and interview alumni and third-year students. Besides showcasing their collections in London, Paris and Berlin fashion weeks, alumni have also been accepted in Master’s degree programs in Europe.
Due to the situation related with the Coronavirus pandemic, Amsterdam Fashion Academy set up in a record time a Virtual Learning Environment to provide students with a quality learning experience, which as far as is possible, replicates the teaching and learning that usually takes place on the physical campus. In the future, the use of digital technology will be blended to the traditional teaching to give the students an experience of working in a way that replicates industry practice, digital group meetings, online presentations of ideas and communication skills. This in turn benefits their digital literacy skills and they are engaging in an inclusive and innovative way of learning
A Bespoke Future
Since January 2020, the Amsterdam Fashion Academy is owned by Luiss Business School, a prominent name in the business schools across Italy and part of Luiss University. Hence, in its future initiatives, Amsterdam Fashion Academy, alongside Luiss Business School, aims to develop appealing educational offers in Amsterdam and Rome. Additionally, this joint venture will help to create a solid axis in fashion and luxury sectors between Milan, Rome and Amsterdam hubs. This step will keep the school at the forefront of fashion. Also, it will preserve Amsterdam Fashion Academy’s unique and prestigious position as a highly personalized, small and friendly academy bursting with ambitious ideas and creative excellence.
The Story of Myrthe van der Leden
Graduated from BA (Hons) Fashion Design in 2019, Myrthe shares her pleasant journey in Amsterdam Fashion Academy and how the school helped her to break into the fashion industry. Here is her story in her own words, “Since I was a very young girl, I knew I wanted to do something in the fashion world. When I graduated from high school, I moved to Amsterdam to pursue my dream to learn how to design and sew all those beautiful garments I imagined in my mind. During my education at the Amsterdam Fashion Academy, I discovered the style of design I wanted to stick with and looked forward to my Final Major Project to finally design 100% what I liked. For my collection and my dissertation I took inspiration from the dictatorship of North Korea: researching this country has proved very interesting and enriching. Furthermore, the visual inspiration for the collection derives from South Korean rapper G-Dragon, specifically from his music video Coup d’état. I used fabrics like fake leather and thick wool to resemble the feel of the dictatorship and to make a modern version of the ‘military chic’ look.
I have been selected to present my graduate collection at VFW Vancouver Fashion Week for the S/S 2020 Season. I will be the only Dutch young fashion designer who has been offered a sponsorship to attend the show. My graduate collection “The collection ‘Coup d’état’ is inspired by the North Korean Culture and is visually represented through a Western point of view.”
Visit www.amsterdamfashionacademy.com to know more.
