Overview
What is Fashion Brand Management at Polimoda?
The Master in Fashion Brand Management at Polimoda is designed to cultivate professionals capable of shaping, preserving, and evolving the identity of fashion brands. This comprehensive program equips students with a blend of creative vision and strategic acumen, preparing them for leadership roles in the fashion industry and enabling them to lead fashion brands to success in a dynamic global market.
This intensive specialization program goes beyond traditional brand management approaches by integrating three interconnected pillars that form the foundation of contemporary brand leadership: developing visionary leadership that understands the interplay between individuals, society, and industry to make brands relevant and resonant in contemporary culture; strategic brand management that emphasizes real-world applications of strategic marketing and business model development; and mastering communication to craft and deliver compelling messages that connect with consumers on a sensory level, fostering brand loyalty and engagement.
Highlights
The program offers a dynamic blend of theoretical foundations and hands-on application, designed to mirror the fashion industry’s fast-paced environment. This integrative approach ensures students are not only intellectually grounded but also professionally prepared to navigate and innovate within the rapidly evolving global fashion landscape.
Core Competencies
- Visionary Brand Leadership & Strategic Thinking
- Consumer Insights & Market Analysis
- Fashion Marketing & Digital Strategy
- Brand Communications & Storytelling
- Retail Management & Omnichannel Marketing
- Fashion Finance & Business Model Development
- Supply Chain Management & Operations
- Entrepreneurship & Innovation
- Cultural Intelligence & Trend Analysis
- Crisis Management & Brand Resilience
Why at Polimoda
Industry-Relevant Curriculum
The program is structured around comprehensive modules that cover the full spectrum of brand management, from fashion foundations and consumer psychology to digital innovation and sustainable practices. This holistic approach ensures students gain expertise in both creative and managerial aspects of brand leadership.
Real-World Application
Students engage in industry projects with companies that mirror actual fashion, luxury, and lifestyle industry environments, providing hands-on experience with live business challenges that prepare them for immediate career impact.
International Perspective
Our diverse student body brings global perspectives to brand management challenges, creating a truly international learning environment that prepares graduates to work effectively across different cultural markets and consumer segments.
Cultural Contamination
Based in Florence, students develop cultural sensitivity and aesthetic awareness daily in one of the world’s most important cultural cities, gaining insights into how heritage, craftsmanship, and contemporary culture intersect in brand narratives. The program is unique in its understanding of how important external cultural contamination is for the establishment of a successful brand, equipping students with a unique vision that looks beyond the immediate fashion sphere.
Future-Oriented Vision
The curriculum maintains a forward-looking perspective, incorporating emerging trends, technologies, and consumer behaviors to ensure graduates are equipped to lead brands in an ever-evolving marketplace.
Learning method​
Our teaching methodology combines theoretical foundations with practical application through:
- Faculty and guest lectures with external industry professionals bringing real-world expertise
- Individual and group projects including critical self and peer appraisal to develop collaborative skills
- Independent study supported by Polimoda’s extensive library and research resources
- Industry projects with companies reflecting authentic fashion, luxury, and lifestyle environments
- Field trips to trade shows, fashion weeks, and companies (previous editions included Pitti Uomo, Milano Design Week, Milan Fashion Week)
- Cross-disciplinary collaboration with students from fashion design and art direction programs
- Personal portfolio development in preparation for employability and career progression
- Workshops and masterclasses led by industry leaders and cultural experts
Assessment Methods:
- Presentations of student work demonstrating strategic thinking and creative problem-solving
- Midterms and final exams testing theoretical knowledge and practical application
- Mandatory final project showcasing comprehensive brand management capabilities
Contact Hours: 700 contact hours per year
The course can conclude with an internship in the fashion, luxury, or lifestyle industry.
Mentorship
Mentors at Polimoda are important professional figures from the fashion industry who come into the school to share tools, guidance, motivation and resources with students throughout their program. They provide valuable and practical insights into how students can take what they learn in their course and apply it to the real world. Mentors are essential to fostering student empowerment via their challenging and stimulating lessons crafted uniquely for Polimoda students.
Stefano Filippelli
Global Vice President of Product for adidas Originals Apparel and Accessories
Stefano Filippelli is a seasoned Senior Executive in the sporting goods industry, with a noteworthy 20-year career, including 13 years at adidas. His professional journey has traversed various industry facets, from retail to go-to-market strategies and product creation. His extensive retail experience provided valuable insights into market trends and consumer preferences, forming a strong foundation for his roles in shaping effective go-to-market and merchandising strategies.
Currently serving as the Global Vice President of Product for adidas Originals Apparel and Accessories, Stefano combines his retail and go-to-market expertise with a holistic approach to product creation and brand development. His ability to seamlessly navigate these critical aspects underscores his versatility and influence in the sporting goods sector.
Stefano’s career has been guided by the mantra of “turning creativity into currency,” emphasizing the transformation of innovative concepts into consumer-centric products that drive revenue. This approach has cemented his reputation as a forward-thinking and practical industry leader.
Outside of his professional pursuits, Stefano is a dedicated researcher of subcultures, with a particular interest in electronic music. His passion for understanding diverse cultural movements adds a purpose-driven dimension to his leadership style.
Course Structure
The comprehensive curriculum is organized into five core modules that build progressively throughout the program:
- Contemporary Fashion
- Sociology of the Imaginary
- Fashion Aesthetics
- Brand Identity & DNA Strategies
- Customer Insights
- Fashion Management
- Business Models
- Fashion Marketing
- Fashion Marketing: Budgeting & Planning
- Retail Management
- Fashion Law
- Fashion Finance
- Entrepreneurial Finance & Strategy
- Buy-Back Programs
- Beauty & Lifestyle
- Fashion Merchandising
- Retail Merchandising
- Fashion Operations & Supply Chain
- Responsible Supply Chain
- E-Commerce & Omnichannel Marketing
- Fashion Communications
- Digital Strategic Planning
- Fashion Journalism
- Fashion Event Management
- Graphic Design
- Self-Empowerment for Career Orientation
Course content can be updated throughout the program. Our curriculum maintains a future-oriented perspective, ensuring all courses taught are current and applicable to the evolving fashion landscape.
Careers
This course offers leadership development, self-empowerment, and career orientation. Based on individual character and acquired skills, graduates can pursue diverse career paths including:
Leading the strategic development and management of fashion brands, overseeing brand identity, positioning, and growth strategies while ensuring consistency across all touchpoints and markets.
Developing and implementing comprehensive marketing strategies for fashion brands, analyzing market trends, consumer behavior, and competitive landscapes to drive brand awareness and sales growth.
Managing brand image, media relations, and strategic communications to maintain consistent brand messaging across all channels, including digital platforms, traditional media, and experiential marketing.
Overseeing the entire lifecycle of fashion products from concept through production and launch, collaborating with design, merchandising, and sales teams while ensuring products align with brand strategy and market demands.
Bridging the gap between design, production, and sales by analyzing market trends and consumer preferences to make strategic decisions about product assortment, quantities, and pricing strategies.
Selecting and purchasing fashion products for retail sale, analyzing market trends and consumer preferences, attending fashion shows, negotiating with suppliers, and balancing creativity with commercial viability.
Overseeing retail operations with strategic focus on brand experience, customer journey optimization, and sales performance while managing teams and implementing brand standards across physical and digital touchpoints.
Developing long-term brand strategies based on market research, consumer insights, and competitive analysis to guide brand positioning and growth initiatives.
Providing strategic guidance to fashion brands on creative direction, brand development, and project execution while managing timelines, budgets, and cross-functional teams.
Creating and managing fashion businesses, identifying market opportunities, developing unique brand identities, and handling all aspects from brand development and production to marketing and sales.
Graduates also find opportunities in managerial roles within broader creative industries, reflecting the program’s comprehensive approach to brand management education.
Career services
The Career and Company Relations Office
supports all students by creating connections with the working world. It promotes educational collaboration with fashion companies via field trips, workshops, and lectures. Customized career services include CV assistance, career days, individual interviews, and internship proposals to help students access the job market.
The course can conclude with an internship in the fashion, luxury, or lifestyle industry. Polimoda maintains strong relationships with the international fashion, luxury, and lifestyle community, providing numerous internship opportunities from diverse sources.
Facilities
Polimoda hosts a range of world class facilities such as state of the art computer labs equipped with an array of 3D modeling and graphic programs, study areas for communal and independent study, two lecture halls, academic services, large professional workshops, photo studios, and café.
Students have access to:
- Two campuses
- All necessary equipment for students to work on individual or group projects
- Access to computer and editing equipmentÂ
- Access to one of Europe’s largest Fashion Libraries for visual researchÂ
- Study areas and lecture halls
Over its two sites, Polimoda exceeds 15,000 square meters of fashion education spaces, capable of accommodating over 2,000 students. The two campuses at Manifattura Tabacchi and Villa Favard, located a short distance from each other, form a single base for fashion education.
Villa Campus
Villa Campus, housed in the historic Villa Favard, serves as Polimoda’s headquarters and heart of fashion business education. Home to programs in marketing, communication, merchandising, retail, product management, and sustainable fashion, this elegant setting combines educational excellence with essential student services. From student orientation to career development, corporate relations to academic support, Villa Campus nurtures both professional growth and creative dialogue in a historic setting that bridges fashion’s past and future.
Beyond academics, Villa Favard stands as Florence’s premier fashion culture destination. The campus hosts international industry leaders and cultural events, creating a dynamic space where fashion education meets real-world experience.
Manifattura Campus
Manifattura Campus redefines the standards of fashion education: modern and multifunctional spaces host classrooms and technologically advanced workshops designed to faithfully reflect the industry’s environment and equipment. Spanning over 10,000 square meters, the campus includes facilities that are ideal for art direction and business students: six photography studios of various sizes, theoretical classrooms, drawing spaces and computer labs with cutting-edge design and publishing software.
Library
The extensive library resources are available to all students to help them study around their subjects with publications on contemporary fashion, arts, business, sociology, and culture, providing a rich context for their studies.
Polimoda’s library is one of the largest fashion libraries in Europe. Located in Florence’s Villa Favard, Centro di Documentazione Matteo Lanzoni – Polimoda Library holds an extensive collection of fashion publications.
Since its establishment in 1986, the Polimoda Library has grown to become a hub of fashion knowledge. With over 29,000 volumes, including books on fashion history, design, textile technology, marketing, and economics, it caters to diverse interests. The library also features an array of fashion magazines, look-books, film resources and online materials. It is also a place for quiet, independent study.
Requirements
In order to be eligible for this course, you will need to be selected after the admission process.
Basic requirements are:
- Curriculum Vitae (CV) with motivation letter
- English language proficiency
- Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) or professional work experience in a related field
This course description and indication of fieldtrips is representative but not exhaustive of the full program. Course content can be updated throughout the program to maintain a future-oriented perspective, ensuring all courses taught are current and applicable to the evolving fashion landscape.
