The MA Fashion Studies at Parsons Paris is the first and only master’s program in this field in France, and one of a small handful worldwide. In this 42-credit program, students investigate fashion as a cultural phenomenon involving all practices connected to the production, dissemination, representation, and consumption of clothing. They develop a critical perspective on fashion, addressing issues of globalisation, labor, and sustainability; fashion curating, heritage, material culture, and construction of beauty ideals; identity, race, and gender; everyday consumption of clothing; and technological innovation and digital fashion futures.
The curriculum consists of seminar-based classes, lectures, and master classes led by fashion practitioners, as well as projects with Parisian fashion brands and European cultural institutions.
Fashion and Creative Industries
The fashion industry is a complex system that involves a variety of professions and practices. In the MA Fashion Studies, students critically explore the various systems and geographies of fashion and its actors. They investigate this unique landscape
using Paris as a privileged point of observation. Students study with influential fashion art directors, image-makers, photographers, critics, stylists, buyers, and entrepreneurs to learn about this creative industry and shape an original approach
to it.
Fashion Research, Theory, and Practice
The MA Fashion Studies aims to bridge the gap between academia and the fashion industry, pushing students to explore the interactions between theory and practice. Students engage in seminar-based classes with fashion scholars while also developing practical
skills in courses taught by industry professionals. They work on individual and collective projects such as exhibitions and publications. Students benefit from exclusive access to the most prominent fashion and textile collections and archives in
Paris and in Europe – from the Galleria Musée de la Mode de Paris and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs to the Fashion Museum of Antwerp.
Paris, Europe, and Cultural Heritage
The program puts particular emphasis on the contemporary issue of cultural heritage and the material culture of fashion. Students visit urban sites in Paris and Europe as well as both private and public archives in order to explore the memory of fashion
and and its use for the contemporary construction of national, regional, and city identities.
Future Opportunities
The aim of the MA Fashion Studies is to create polyvalent and critical researchers and professionals who are able to adapt to the heterogeneity of the fashion industry. The program is of particular interest to students pursuing careers in academia, fashion
communication, branding and publishing, and the field of fashion heritage. Possible career paths include roles in fashion PR and communication departments and agencies, fashion magazines, fashion consulting, museums and galleries, private archives,
auction houses, trend-forecasting agencies, fashion retailing, and also PhD degrees at top universities around the world.