Fashion cannot be told in just one way. It is image, but also culture, language, technology and society. Communicating fashion today means understanding what is changing and transforming it into new forms of storytelling.
The Master in Fashion Communication & Art Direction, under the supervision of Sara Sozzani Maino, Antonio Mancinelli and Paolo Ferrarini, is designed to train professionals capable of developing fashion communication through contemporary languages, different media and emerging technologies.
The programme starts with culture. Anthropology, sociology and fashion history provide the tools to understand the social and cultural phenomena shaping the fashion system. This cultural dimension is combined with a technological perspective, exploring how Artificial Intelligence, new platforms and emerging technologies are transforming communication languages, behaviours and strategies. The aim is not simply to learn how to use new tools, but to develop a critical understanding of their impact on visual culture, brands and relationships with audiences.
Then comes making. Fashion Communication and Art Direction meet in a process that starts with a vision and gives it form. Fashion Communication develops strategies, content and narratives; Art Direction translates that vision into a coherent visual system, capable of giving an identity a recognisable language and building an entire visual world.
Styling, Fashion Film, photography, graphic communication, journalism, storytelling and Art Direction therefore become tools for transforming research and vision into images, content, experiences and projects.
During the Master, you will learn how to interpret a brand’s identity, build omnichannel strategies and narratives, develop content for different media and design coherent visual systems. You will also learn how to curate fashion exhibitions and presentations and use the latest technologies to develop effective communication projects and strategies.
Through lectures, workshops, seminars, projects, exchanges with professionals and companies, and career-focused activities, you will build your own methodology and progressively define your creative language. You will learn to move from research to strategy, from strategy to narrative and from narrative to a visual system capable of making that narrative recognisable.
The aim is to develop professionals who can move between culture and design, creativity and strategy, communication and image, analogue and digital, ready to work within a constantly evolving fashion system.
The Master prepares students to work within the fashion industry, creative companies, agencies, media, editorial organisations and emerging communication ecosystems.
The programme can also provide the tools required to work as a consultant or develop an independent entrepreneurial project within omnichannel communication and the creative industries.
Potential career paths include:
The skills developed can also lead to further roles across digital communication, branding, content, publishing, image and events, including: Digital Communication Specialist, Brand Communication Specialist, Fashion Communication Specialist, Content Creator, Social Media Manager, Fashion Journalist, Fashion Stylist, Fashion Curator, Image Consultant, Visual Communication Designer, Event Manager.
Do you have a background in Fashion Communication, Communication, Fine Arts, Architecture, DAMS, Design or related disciplines and want to turn it into a more conscious and contemporary professional practice?
The Master is designed for graduates, final-year students and holders of a Bachelor of Arts who wish to explore fashion communication and its new languages in greater depth.
Candidates from different academic backgrounds may also be considered, as well as professionals with proven experience in the field and applicants holding relevant specialist qualifications or non-university or non-academic qualifications, subject to assessment of their suitability by the Course Council. In these cases, students will receive a certificate of participation only.
Discover what you’ll be studying.
Bachelor Degree meeting the entry requirements of the course, or another qualification obtained abroad and recognised as suitable by Accademia Costume & Moda, in accordance with current legislation and international agreements;
Minimum B2 level of language proficiency.
The Orientation Office can help you find out about entry requirements, deadlines, scholarships and the admissions process.
Deferred payments: the tuition fee can be paid in 2, 5 or 8 instalments without a loan, or in a greater number of instalments with an interest-free loan.
Discover our scholarships →Ask the ACM AI assistant anything you want to know about tuition fees, admissions, career paths and scholarships. It will reply in real time.
The Master in Fashion Communication & Art Direction is a Level I Academic Master’s programme dedicated to contemporary fashion communication. It combines culture, creativity, Art Direction, storytelling, technology and design to develop new ways of communicating fashion brands, institutions and projects.
The Master is designed for graduates, final-year students, holders of a Bachelor of Arts and professionals who wish to deepen their cultural, creative and professional education in fashion communication. Relevant backgrounds include Communication, Fashion Studies, Fine Arts, Architecture, DAMS and other creative and design disciplines.
Not necessarily. Candidates from different academic backgrounds may also be admitted, provided their profile is considered coherent with the programme following assessment by the Course Council. Professionals with experience in the field and candidates holding relevant specialist qualifications or non-university or non-academic qualifications may also be considered.
The Master is based in Milan, at the Accademia Costume & Moda campus dedicated to Communication and Design Management for the Fashion System. The facilities also include spaces dedicated to styling, photo shoots, visual production and experimentation.
The Master lasts one year and comprises a total of 1,500 hours of training and 60 CFA – Academic Credits, including theoretical and practical classes, workshops, individual study, project-based activities, an internship and the Final Project.
The programme includes Cultural Anthropology, History of Fashion, Sociology of Cultural Processes, Visual Communication Design Methodology, Photography, Computer Graphics, Elements of Journalism and Fashion Communication, and Professional Development. These subjects are complemented by seminars, extracurricular projects, professional experiences and project-based activities.
Fashion Communication focuses on building the strategies, content and narratives through which brands and institutions engage with their audiences. Art Direction, meanwhile, translates a vision and concept into a coherent visual system, coordinating images, photography, film, editorial content, digital languages and other elements of communication. Throughout the Master, these two dimensions constantly interact.
It is a fundamental component. Anthropology, sociology and fashion history provide the tools to understand the cultural and social phenomena influencing the fashion system. Research therefore becomes the starting point for developing more informed concepts, images, narratives and communication strategies.
Yes. Visual Communication Design Methodology includes research and design activities dedicated to Fashion Film and Styling, alongside Social Media Strategy, Fashion Curating and fashion journalism.
Yes. The programme includes Elements of Journalism and Fashion Communication, dedicated to fashion journalism and writing techniques for the production of editorial and communication content.
Yes. Curating is one of the design areas explored throughout the programme. Students can engage with the development of curatorial projects, exhibitions and fashion presentations as tools for communication and storytelling.
Technology is an integral part of the Master. The programme explores how digital innovation, new platforms and emerging technologies are transforming strategies, languages, business models and audience behaviour.
Yes. The programme considers AI as part of the evolution of contemporary communication, alongside the Internet of Things, big data and blockchain. The aim is not only to understand the tools themselves, but also their impact on business models, purchasing behaviours and communication strategies.
Industry Projects are project-based activities developed around briefs and in collaboration with companies and professionals from the industry. They allow students to apply research, concepts, experimentation and technical skills to concrete outputs while engaging with challenges and working methods that reflect the professional environment.
Yes. The programme includes direct engagement with professionals and companies through projects, seminars, masterclasses, case studies and other activities. This connection with industry allows students to test their ideas against real briefs, deadlines and objectives.
Yes. The programme includes internship, placement or work experience opportunities with or in collaboration with companies in the sector. These are complemented by seminars, conferences, extracurricular projects and professional activities that help students build experience and expand their network.
By the end of the Master, you will have developed skills in cultural and visual research, communication, Art Direction, storytelling, photography, Fashion Film, Fashion Journalism, styling, curating, graphic design and digital strategy. The aim is to learn how to design integrated communication systems that are coherent with a brand’s identity, audience and project objectives.
Projects can take the form of Fashion Films, editorial projects, digital strategies, curatorial projects, visual systems and integrated communication projects. Each project starts with research and a concept and progresses towards a concrete outcome developed in relation to the brief and communication context.
The Final Project is the individual project with which you complete the programme. Starting from a brief, you develop research, concept, experimentation and design through to the production of a complete professional outcome. It is an opportunity to bring together everything you have learned and transform it into a project that communicates your methodology and creative language.
The Master prepares students for roles across communication, Art Direction, content, publishing, events and the creative industries. Potential career paths include Art Director, Creative Director, Communication Manager, Digital Manager, Fashion Editor, Fashion Stylist, Fashion Journalist, Fashion Curator, Content Creator, Social Media Manager, Digital Communication Specialist, Brand Communication Specialist, Fashion Film Producer, Image Consultant and Event Manager. The programme can also provide a foundation for developing consultancy work or entrepreneurial projects in the field of omnichannel communication.
