AMD and Polimoda offer first joint summer school

The German AMD Akademie Mode & Design and the Italian fashion institute Polimoda offer for the first time a joint, four-week-long summer school called “Fashion Future”. Its aim, as the two fashion institutions announced in a press release yesterday, is to “develop perspectives of the future fashion panorama”.

The first part of the summer school will take place from 19th to 30th August at AMD Berlin and the second part from 2nd to 13th September at Polimoda in Florence. At both locations, various workshops, excursions and lectures will be offered, in which international speakers will cover various topics, for example theoretical and practical aspects of sustainability, trend research and innovative materials.

“The joint summer school establishes the partnership-based cooperation of two renowned institutions in Europe. In the global development of the fashion industry, it is important to think holistically - we would like to give this to the participants,” commented Claudia Ebert-Hesse, dean of the faculty of design at Hochschule Fresenius, in the press release.

The curriculum includes an analysis of contemporary fashion and trend forecasts for the development of a megatrend, the future of textiles, bioengineering, sustainable circular economy in fashion and textiles, innovative and sustainable materials such as bioplastic and fish leather, startup strategies, sociology of imagination, textile sciences, craft and retail.

The program also includes extracurricular activities such as visits to the Gucci Garden, the Ferragamo Museum, or excursions to start-up and leather companies. The overall objective of the course is to impart knowledge in the field of new technologies, craft techniques, trends in fashion and textiles, and start-up concepts in terms of sustainability. Based on a trend analysis, the practical part of the course will culminate in the development of a product made of leather or alternative fibers as an enrichment to the portfolio.

“Thanks to the collaboration between Polimoda and AMD for this summer course, students will be prepared to face the future evolution of fashion with an approach that combines both theory and practice, while experiencing the unique atmosphere of two of the most beautiful cities in Europe,” added Polimoda director Danilo Venturi.

“Fashion Future” does not deal with the question of whether, but how and why the future is questioned: How changes are interpreted that change the fashion concept worldwide, how designers interpret social changes and how ethical design and business concepts become designed.

Apart from insights into the fashion industry, participants will also receive personal support and career counseling. The summer school is open to all interested parties from the fashion industry but they will need to show proof of proficiency in English. The course fee is 3,900 euros.

Photo: AMD website