IED announces expansion plans for Florence premises

The Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) announced its expansion plans in Italy during a press conference at trade fair Pitti Uomo in Florence, Italy. More specifically, the board of the IED Group detailed its plans for the Florence premises, which will include the use of the city’s Palazzo Pucci.

Palazzo Pucci is the private residence of the Pucci family and the place where Marquis Emilio Pucci established the Pucci headquarters with the first workshops and tailor shops for his brand.

In March 2023, IED Florence will inaugurate new classroom spaces and design laboratories at Palazzo Pucci.

The inclusion of the Palazzo Pucci spaces in its Florence premises, fits within the overall plan of the IED group to promote Florence as a cultural heritage city and this way to foster international student exchanges among its European campuses, the accompanying IED press release reads.

Francesco Gori, CEO of the IED Group commented on the company’s plans in a statement: “Our main focus is on Italian students in order to provide them with the tools they will need to pursue a successful future.”

”However, at the same time, we strive to increase the number of international students, who have been four times as numerous in Florence in recent years,” he continued. IED wants to intercept the growing number of students coming to study in Europe from Asia and the Americas.”

Danilo Venturi, Director of IED Firenze, added: “The architectural beauty of Palazzo Pucci is undeniable, but this palace in the heart of Florence is also a historical and cult location for Italian and international fashion.

Studying fashion design in the very place where Emilio Pucci created his garments will be very exciting for our students. Fashion, like education, needs to rediscover its experiential component and once again thrill”, he concluded.

New fashion master courses with guidance from industry professionals

In addition to its expansion plans in Florence, IED recently said it will be launching new fashion master courses for which international industry professionals will take up the role of mentor. The goal is to cover different fashion sectors through a variety of mentorships.

The mentors include Danielle Kwateng, executive editor of Teen Vogue in New York and founder of The Volta River, Elizabeth Bowring, director of fashion shows at Worth Global Style Network-WGSN in London, Theo Grassl, and executive board member of the Fashion Council and lecturer at the University of Berlin and the University of Munich.

Moreover, IED students will have the opportunity to receive guidance from entrepreneur, stylist, influencer and actress Margherita Maccapani Missoni and Andrea Selvi, international business development & buying manager at Yoox Net-A-Porter Group.