The Higher Education Review

You don’t have to be a fashion designer or fashion geek to know about Milan and its place in the global fashion landscape. For decades, Milan has been a hub for designers, models and for people who are related to the fashion industry. Taking the rich culture and tradition of Milan into heart, Milano Fashion Institute (MFI) was established in 2007 by three of the most reputed higher education institutions in Milan including Bocconi University, Cattolica University and Politecnico of Milan. MFI which is the first Italian Inter-University Institute was established to create a multi-disciplinary training centre for excellence at an International level. Drawing inspiration from the fashion heritage of Italy, Milano Fashion Institute is aiming to create fashion professionals who are able to create revolutionary innovations in the global fashion realm. By combining the experience and vision of its three parent universities, MFI has been widely successful in creating an inclusive learning environment that has the ability to churn out inspired individuals.

Best of Both Worlds
The primary motive behind the establishment of MFI was to enhance old beliefs and traditions which were kind of fading away with the rapid penetration of technology in the fashion industry. By giving importance to the growing changes in the global fashion domain, MFI has been striving to create professionals that will be skilled enough to have a positive impact on the world fashion industry. For achieving this, MFI has developed various courses that are focused to provide wholesome education to the students and at the same time leverage their placement and career growth opportunities. The institute offers a diverse mix of Masters programs for their students including Masters in

Lifestyle Management, Product Sustainability Management, Brand and Product Management, Brand and Business Management, and Brand and Communication Management. All these courses have the right mix of theoretical classroom training combined with participation in real-life projects which allows students to be well-versed in both the theoretical and practical aspect of fashion design and education. Apart from this, all the courses offered by Milano Fashion Institute are internationally recognized making it more appealing for aspiring students from all corners of the globe and as of now, MFI has students coming from 29 different countries.

"By combining the experience and vision of its three parent universities, Milano Fashion Institute has been widely successful in creating an inclusive learning environment that has the ability to churn out inspired individuals"

MFI boasts one of the highest students to faculty ratio which showcases the effort made by the institution to guide their students towards achieving success in this highly dynamic industry. “There are several roles inside MFI because there is a system of people that are working for supporting the students. From one side you have teachers who are the ones sharing their knowledge and know-how, then you have also directors who are crucial. They are the ones responsible for doing the orientation for all of our students, and they are also in charge to advise the students on their future career opportunities. Then we have a very important academic coordinator who's taking care of the daily monitoring and orientation related to the placement teams and their activities in order to enhance our students’ job opportunities. All of our faculty is strongly linked with the industry and we have the right mix of faculty including University professors, successful managers coming from fashion and luxury businesses and also consultants that will be able to put together their knowledge and experience for guiding and improving our

students”, avers, Nicola Guerini, DirettoreGenerale, Milano Fashion Institute.

Practical Exposure is the Key
Fashion design and education demands for high level of practical expertise, and acknowledging this fact MFI has always been an advocate for providing practical education and industry exposure to the students. Milano Fashion Institute helps their students to find internship opportunities and the educational institute has tie-ups with some of the most exclusive and well-established fashion brands such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Valentino to name a few. All this has helped Milano Fashion Institute to develop into a well-recognized name in the global fashion education strata. The success of their students in their respective careers has helped the institute to attract more recruiters and as of now, MFIs placement percentage stands at an impressive 95 percent. Understanding the importance of offering students the opportunity to have higher education regardless of their financial situations, Milano Fashion Institute also has a strong scholarship program that covers 50 percent of the entire tuition fees.

Striving to become the epitome of top-notch fashion education, Milano Fashion Institute is planning to consistently improve their quality of teaching as well as their industry collaborations. “We want to provide a life-changing experience for our students. We strive to give them a unique platform where they are perfectly poised to achieve success in their respective careers. So, for us, it is important to impart knowledge to our students but at the same time help them to start their careers in the best possible way”, signs off Nicola.

Nicola Guerini, DirettoreGenerale
Nicola graduated from Bocconi University in 2007 and since then he had been working as a professor in various educational institutions. He has also gained valuable industry experience working both as a consultant and a management employee for various organizations.