5 Best Fashion Schools in Germany

The fashion industry has been one of the most thriving businesses. The demand for designers increases because of new trends and waves of clothing styles and accessories that can be worn and partnered with the clothes; It is the demand that increases the number of aspiring designers.

A career in fashion design is an exciting, wonderful, and glamorous job. You can release your creativity and passion for designing every piece you make. And in Germany, you can get the chance to become a fashion designer because there are top fashion schools in Germany for you to study.

Germany is known for its rich heritage of outstanding architecture of castles, cathedrals and monuments, beautiful landscapes, mountains and forests, and delicacies to enjoy.

The country has so much to offer, even the best education. If you have a passion and love for fashion, there are top schools in Germany for fashion merchandising that will make your dream to be a designer come true.

Little is known internationally that the majority of the fashion designers in Europe trained in Germany.

Its fashion schools traditionally placed more emphasis on “Freedom of Teaching,” which is a principle in Germany’s Basic Law that is applied and preserved not only in fashion schools but also in-depth into the nation’s education.

This enables aspiring and professional fashion designers to focus on artistic freedom, implement technical designs, and sometimes fashion marketability with many fashion schools in the country, various approaches, and methodologies of how this institution shapes its students to become fashion designers.

This article lists Germany’s best fashion schools that rank and compete with the world’s top fashion schools—location, designing courses, and as well as other interesting facts about these institutions.

The Best Fashion Schools in Germany

Unlike the UK, Japan, and Belgium, Germany has dozens of fashion schools but only has one prestigious fashion school. This makes the country different and unique from the other countries.

The five best institutes teach fashion design alongside many fashion schools in Germany. These fashion schools are the Fashion Design Institute, Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design, Kunsthochschule Weissensee, Pforzheim University for Design, and AMD Academy of Fashion and Design.

Fashion Design Institute in Düsseldorf

The Fashion Design Institute is one of Germany’s best fashion design schools in English. The institute ranked 21 in the global ranking. It was also nominated 2014 among the best at CEO World and Forbes Magazine of USA, and the Business of Fashion (BOF).

Inna Thomas, a historian and a graduate of fashion design, founded the institute in 2008 with her husband. The two were advised and guided by fashion companies, both international and national such as Van Laack, Hugo Boss, Windsor, Strellson, Philipp Plein, Michalsky, and many others.

At first, only international fashion designer was trained in the institute, and in the following years, the programs in the Fashion Design Institute expanded. Courses and programs of BA Fashion Design, BA Fashion Journalism, BA Fashion Marketing or Management in Collaboration with the Industry, Diplom Internationaler Fashion Designer, and Diplom Internationaler Fashionjournalist were offered.

The reason behind the institute’s success and being ranked in the best fashion school is the astounding quality of extensive education and its lecturers. Other reasons are the quality of graduates they produce and the time their graduates find employment contracts.

Every time an institution produces excellent and competitive graduates, it shows how great and efficient its teachings are. The Fashion Design Institute did not rank number 21 in the global ranking for a reason, and it is by the principles and methods of teaching they apply for their fashion designers to learn.

Fashion designers like Katrin Lux of Roberto Cavalli in Milano, Lisa Mewes of Vogue Italian Milano, Mirijam Oberto Sonia Rykiel in Paris, and Anastasia Strugalova of Furreddo Fashion in Hanoi, were some of Fashion Design Institute alumni.

Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design in Halle

Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design is one of the best fashion schools in Germany. It is a non-profit public higher education institute and one of the largest universities of art and design in the urban setting in Germany’s small city of Halle.

The Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design also known as Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule or Burg Halle, was founded in 1915. The university has two academic structures, the Faculty of Design and Fine Arts.

They offer various courses and programs, such as bachelor’s and master’s degrees in several areas of study. Some of these in the Art department are painting/graphics, plastic arts, art science, theories of skills, and more. While in the designing or design department, courses such as Industrial Design, Interior Architecture, Fashion Design, and more were offered.

This 105 year old German university became one of the best due to its ultimate goal of training and shaping its students for industry. The institutes also want their students to develop their fashion design approach in an intellectually and creatively demanding career.

Aside from the quality education that Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design provides, the institutes also offer several academic and non-academic facilities for students. This includes libraries, sports and other educational facilities, exchange programs, and more.

It is an old institution with experience and methods of influential teachings that will benefit the students in lessons and apply the institute’s teachings to create and model designs on each of their projects and future competency in fashion design.

Kunsthochschule Weißensee in Berlin

Kunsthochschule Weissensee, also known as Weißensee Academy of Art Berlin or Berlin-Weissensee Art Academy, is another best fashion school in the capital of Germany. It is a non-profit public art school in Berlin that ranked 87 among the best fashion schools in the world. The academy is considered one of the fashion design schools in Germany in English for it caters to international students.

The Weißensee Academy of Art was established in 1946. It is during the difficult time and stormy phase of rebuilding Germany. It offers many opportunities and dreams for its students to learn and even participate in intercultural exchanges. No wonder it is known to a top fashion institution in Germany.

There are a variety of courses that the institution offers to its aspiring students. They offer Bachelor of Fashion Design, Bachelor of Textile and Surface Design, Bachelor of Textile and Surface Design, Master of Arts Fashion Design, Master of Arts in Textile and Surface Design, and Master of Arts in Visual Communication.

This 74-year-old German institution has become one of the best for implementing a selective admission policy based on the entrance examinations. Its admission rate ranges from 0 to 10%, making Kunsthochschule Weissensee the most selective institution and provides the best graduates.

It is another prestigious old institution with expertise and broad knowledge in different aspects of education and its courses. 

This institution’s ideas and teachings have a wide range of opportunities to do practical but efficient outcomes and students project-oriented career attitudes in designing, from expertise from the faculty, talent of its students, and Kunsthochschule Weissensee legacy of producing competitive fashion designers.

Hochschule Pforzheim in Pforzheim

Hochschule Pforzheim is also known as Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences and is one of the top fashion schools in Germany. It is located in Pforzheim, Baden-Wurttemberg. The Hochschule Pforzheim was established. It is a non-profit public institution that was established in 1877.

An institution that is open for all aspiring undergraduates to pursue bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Programs of applied science to Hochschule Pforzheim schools for design, engineering, and business.

Hochschule Pforzheim embodies the principle of training creative fashion designers to create their signature into their creations. Their teachings let students combine their individuality, technicality, problem awareness, and innovative concepts into their designs as they graduate.

Pforzheim Schools of Design used different and holistic approaches in designing. The specific course subjects tackle the importance of implementing principles of designing, concepts, materials, techniques, and acquiring tools.

The institution provides quality education with professional and skilled professors that drive students to surpass their limits and use their potential to produce exquisite designs—a reason why Hochschule Pforzheim is one of the best fashion design institutions in the country.

See Related: Best Authentic German Gifts

AMD Academy of Fashion and Design, Hamburg

The AMD Academy of Fashion and Design, also known as AMD Akademie Mode and Design, is one of Germany’s top fashion design schools. The institute ranked 89 in the global ranking of fashion design institutions.

AMD Academy of Fashion and Design was established in 2014 and has branch campuses in Berlin, Düsseldorf, München, and Wiesbaden. Studying fashion design in this prestigious institution opens fashion design, management, and communication doors for aspiring designers.

Various fashion and art-related courses and programs were offered at this Institution. This includes Bachelor of Fashion Design, Bachelor of Fashion and Design Management, Bachelor of Arts in Creative Industries, Bachelor of Brand and Communication Design, Master of Arts in Fashion and Product Management, and Management in Creative Industries.

The teachings and principles that the institution applies to its students are why it has become a well-known fashion design institution. AMD Academy of Fashion and Design uses a holistic teaching approach that drives its students to do justice in fashion designing, resource-saving processes, globalization, and competition.

The significant reason why AMD Academy of Fashion and Design became a top institution in Germany for fashion designing. There are also methods for shaping the students to be ready and competent in the industry.

AMD Academy of Fashion and Design aims for students to have a unique and personal design style. Besides the quality education that AMD Academy of Fashion and Design gives, they also provide lovely academic and non-academic facilities and services for students to use in their studies and leisure.

Fashion designers like Ayzit Bostan, Marcel Ostertag, Susanne Bommer, Judith Paulman, and Painted Keil were some of the AMD Academy of Fashion and Design’s noteworthy alumni.

See Related: Things You Should Not Do in Germany

Conclusion on Best Fashion Schools in Germany

Passion and creativity for fashion express the eagerness of aspiring designers to learn and study in fashion schools. This includes excelling in the fashion industry as they land a glamorous fashion career. And the top schools in Germany for fashion merchandising and designing allow every aspirant to become a fashion designer.

Germany has much to offer, especially the opportunity to acquire specialist knowledge and gain a foothold in the fashion industry. With many fashion schools and the best schools to study, an aspirant can live the dream.

The country is open for tourists to explore and witness its beauty and to let national and internationals become the fashion designer they’ve been dreaming of.

Related Resources

• Germany Tourism Information
• Delicious German Food to Try
• Germany vs Belgium Flag