Trendsetters: Fashion school in Dubai

Dubai : As Dubai steadily cements its place in the international haute couture arena, it was only a matter of time before an institute here took the effort of grooming young fashion professionals to a whole new level.

French fashion university Esmod Dubai has just launched the region's first master's degree in fashion marketing and business in response to rising demand for quality fashion professionals.

As part of the new course, European fashion gurus are coming to town to teach Dubai youngsters business survival skills for the fierce market behind the glamorous face of high vogue.

"Students will learn about branding and celebrity advertising. Besides international best practices, you also need to know the local tastes. In Europe, make-up is light; here it's heavy," said Tamara Hostal, Director of the university, which is the only academic institution in the Middle East fully dedicated to fashion.

Entrepreneurship

"They need to keep up with industry trends as well - manufacturing is moving to the Far East. How do you source materials, import and export them, or maintain commercial relationships?" added Hostal.

In addition to fashion lessons by European experts, university professors here will also teach in the 14-month degree course.

Between 10 and 20 graduates are expected to sign up for the Dh80,000 course, which is also open to anyone with two years of work experience in any professional field, said Hostal.

The course will teach budding entrepreneurs how to start a fashion company and market the brands using real-life examples from the industry. They will also learn the history and psychology of the haute couture world.

"You can have a good product, but it won't work if the distribution isn't there. The H&M fashion house, for example, was able to give shoppers here a range of high fashion brands at cheaper prices - how did they do that but still make money?" said Hostal

The degree will be handed over after students finish an internship at a fashion firm and present a thesis to a jury at the end of the term.

Besides degree-level certificates for full-time students, the university also offers public workshops. The make-up and abaya [Arab women's dress] sessions are very popular, Hostal added.