Overview
How does a future fashion critic develop a strong, independent opinion on contemporary fashion? You need knowledge and cultural insight, you need to develop your own voice. Be confident in your expression and thinking, use the right language to conceptualize your ideas.Â
Fashion gives opportunities to a new generation of thinkers, critics and writers with their unique, original concepts and impactful style of communicating. You will learn to debate, to question, to understand social transformations and to drive change. You will become the new opinion leaders and writers the fashion system deserves.Â
From emerging brands to niche designers, innovative digital presentations are carving new paths in the metaverse. Fashion is hungry for bold writers who are eager to analyze and narrate the future.
But fashion doesn’t stop at the runway, physical or digital store and media. Galleries and museums are spaces where we can appreciate and learn about garments and designers. The fashion curator stands between the space, the item and the public. Developing knowledge and your critical and visual skills, you will learn how to create powerful visual narratives.Â
Millions of fashion stories still haven’t been told and you must write yours.
Course
The Master in Fashion Writing and Curation aims to shape independent thinkers with an in-depth understanding of contemporary fashion culture who aren’t afraid of questioning the current fashion system and driving change. Students learn about the importance of language and writing in order to support local and global talent into a new vision of the fashion system.
You will be guided by Tim Blanks, the master of all fashion writers, to learn how to discuss, write and interview. A new generation of fashion storytellers can explore creative writing with different speeds and media as well as curate ideas and opinions. Curation will be part of each learning module and conversation.
Lessons are organized with teachers from the industry as well as guest lectures and workshops with professionals from the fashion system. Students are offered a unique and hands-on learning experience, including field trips and a mandatory final project.
The course includes a total of 700 hours of instructional activities and grants 80 Polimoda credits. The acquisition of credits is contingent upon passing individual subjects.
You will have full access to the Polimoda Library, which houses the most significant collection of publications on the international fashion industry in Italy. This space serves as a primary source of information and inspiration for students, alumni, researchers and professionals. Our knowledgeable librarians are always available to provide you with quality resources and help with in-depth research questions about all academic subjects.
Mentorship
Mentors share tools, guidance, motivation and resources with students throughout their program. They play an important role in the professional lives of young students.
Tim Blanks
Editor-at-large for The Business of Fashion
Tim Blanks is editor-at-large for The Business of Fashion. He has been covering fashion around the world since 1985, originally as host of influential Canadian television show Fashion File. He worked as editor-at-large for Style.com, reviewing and filming collections – womenswear, menswear and haute couture – in the world’s fashion capitals. Blanks has written for a number of international magazines and newspapers, including Another, LOVE, Interview, The New York Times, Fantastic Man and System. He is the author of The World of Anna Sui and Versace Catwalk. He has also contributed to monographs on, among others, Alexander McQueen, Dolce & Gabbana, Walter Van Beirendonck, Bottega Veneta and Dries Van Noten.
In 2013, Tim Blanks was honored by the Council of Fashion Designers of America with its Media Award, the industry’s top award for fashion journalism.
Curriculum
The curriculum of the Master in Fashion Writing and Curation includes a range of subjects that will help students develop their skills and knowledge in the field. Some of the key topics covered include:
- Culture: knowledge and experience
- Dream: the future and visionary designers
- Speed: the digital, entertainment and the metaverse
- Opinion: politics and power
- Rebels: activism and a new language
- Poetry: conceptual thinking and slogans for the future
Requirements
In order to be eligible for this course, you will need to be selected after the admission process.
During the application you are required to upload a portfolio including:
- A manifest, about your first fashion memory, was it a photograph, a video, a sound or a fashion show (400 words required)
- A collection of your previous works (writing samples or visual narratives).
Basic requirements are:
- Curriculum Vitae (CV) with motivation letter
- English language proficiency
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent.
Careers
Based on individual character and acquired skills, you can become the next:
Fashion Critic
A Fashion Critic writes opinionated content about fashion for magazines, newspapers, books, museums and exhibitions catalogs, streaming channels and digital platforms. Work includes attending and reporting at fashion shows and exhibitions, creating new languages and networking with industry professionals.
Fashion Editor
A Fashion Editor supervises the process of creating, developing, and presenting content for fashion magazines, newspapers, streaming channels, brands or digital platforms. Work includes supervising other content creators, writing, pitching and editing long and short-form stories or articles. Formulating and styling fashion photoshoots, choosing photos for publication, conducting in-depth research and proposing trending topics for publication. Collaborating with industry professionals including photographers, designers and public relations professionals.
Fashion Journalist
A Fashion Journalist creates content about the latest fashion trends for newspapers, streaming channels, brands or digital platforms. Work includes attending and reporting at fashion shows, photoshoots and events. Conducting interviews, collaborating with photographers for creating images to accompany written pieces. Networking with industry professionals to stay up to date on the latest styles and trends.
Furthermore, you can become a Fashion Curator, Fashion Researcher and Fashion Theorist.
