This groundbreaking program provides serious fashion students with an expansive exploration of contemporary fashion within the context of community, sustainability, technology, and the industry. Students benefit from rigorous artistic and professional training as they create and exhibit their body of work.
Deep investigation
Our students engage in dedicated design studios, topical seminars, self-directed research, technical labs, design history, and theory courses. The interdisciplinary approach we provide allows students to take courses not only in fashion, but across the school, supporting a diverse range of practices and approaches to making.
Thesis exhibition
The culmination of the program, the MFA Thesis Exhibition, showcases a body of work that engages critical questions about the intersection and merging of fine art with fashion design. Presented in installation format, work can stand alone or influence the development of a fashion collection as it explores the body in motion, on show, in suspension, in conversation, and immersed in the world.
Creative connections
Working directly with SAIC’s internationally renowned faculty of fashion innovators, including visionary Nick Cave and designer Liat Smestad, students are exposed to professional practices from both art and design, engaging in studio visits, networking, and the development of individual student career trajectories through professional practice seminars. The Fashion Resource Center and school-wide Visiting Artists Program offer additional inspiration and global perspectives.
Alumni outcomes
Graduates of the program participate in the contemporary fashion and art worlds in myriad ways. Some go on to work in design studios or create their own lines, while others exhibit their work in gallery, installation, performance, or theatrical settings.
Kaiyuan Xu
Fashion Resource Center
Part of the School of the Art Institute’s network of Libraries + Special Collections, the Fashion Resource Center (FRC) maintains a unique hands-on study collection of historic, as well as late 20th and 21st century designer garments and accessories representing extreme innovations in design, construction, materials, and embellishment, allowing students the opportunity to explore some of the most progressive achievements in the world of dress and fashion.
Faculty
NICK CAVE
ABIGAIL GLAUM-LATHBURY
ANKE LOH
KATRIN SCHNABL
For complete faculty listing visit: saic.edu/fashion
Application Deadline: January 10
Peicen Jiang
Shivanshi Patel, photograph taken by Tony Favarula
Curriculum Requirements Three Year MFA
The three-year MFA program is designed to provide students with the technical foundations they need, from making patterns to learning essential construction techniques. With incoming students coming from a variety of experience and disciplinary backgrounds, this program offers an additional foundational year. This allows students to develop and refine their fashionrelated skill sets without having to start from scratch in an undergraduate program. As a fast-track option for those with an existing undergraduate degree, this unique program helps students transition into fashion design and related fields. Unlike any other degree—our groundbreaking MFA allows students to spend three intensive years honing their technical skills, developing distinct points of view, and benefiting from tailored advising. That makes this program an ideal choice for anyone looking to pivot their career and enter the world of fashion design.
First Year Fall
› FASH 5110 Design Principles (3)
› FASH 5122 Studio Techniques (3)
› FASH 6315 Seminar: Professional Practice (3)
› ARTHI 5002 Grad Survey of Modern and Contemporary Art (3)
First Year Spring
› FASH 5130 Advanced Design Principles (6)
› Elective 1, 3000 level and above (3)
› Elective 2, 3000 level and above (3)
Second Year Fall
› FASH 5310 Fashion Design Studio I (6)
› FASH 5313 Advanced Fabrication & Material (3)
› ART HISTORY: must be 4000, 5000 or 6000 level (3)
Second Year Spring
› FASH 5330 Fashion Design Studio II (6)
› ARTHI 5560 Critical Perspectives in Fashion, Body and Garment (3)
› Elective 1, 3000 level and above (3)
› Elective 2, 3000 level and above (3)
Third Year Fall
› FASH 6310 Fashion Design Studio III (6)
› Art History: must be 4000, 5000 or 6000 level (3) (ARTHI 5028 Form and Function in Fashion and Design History recommended)
› Elective 1, 3000 level and above (3)
› Elective 2, 3000 level and above (3)
Third Year Spring
› FASH 6330 Fashion Design Studio IV (6)
› FASH 6335 Seminar: Professional Practice II (3)
› Elective 1, 3000 level and above (3)
Curriculum Requirements Two Year MFA
The two-year MFA program is designed for students looking to build on their existing foundations and elevate their portfolios to new heights. This program encourages fashion students to push the boundaries of fashion design, work at a large scale, and think expansively about their practices. The MFA in Fashion, Body and Garment offers a transformational experience that embraces a pluralistic approach, allowing students to explore fashion as installation, performance, and beyond. With the freedom to experiment and innovate, students will take their work to the next level while redefining the possibilities of their craft.
First Year Fall
› FASH 5310 Fashion Design Studio I (6)
› FASH 5313 Advanced Fabrication & Material (3)
› FASH 5315 Seminar: Professional Practice (3)
› ARTHI 5002 Grad Survey of Modern and Contemporary Art (3)
First Year Spring
› FASH 5330 Fashion Design Studio II (6)
› ARTHI 5560 Critical Perspectives in Fashion, Body and Garment (3)
› Elective 1, 3000 level and above (3)
› Elective 2, 3000 level and above (3)
Second Year Fall
› FASH 6310 Fashion Design Studio III (6)
› ARTHI 5028 Form and Function in Fashion and Design History (recommended) (3)
› Elective 1, 3000 level and above (3)
› Elective 2, 3000 level and above (3)
Second Year Spring
› FASH 6330 Fashion Design Studio IV (6)
› FASH 6335 Seminar: Professional Practice II (3)
› Art History: must be 4000, 5000 or 6000 level (3)
› Elective, 3000 level and above (3)
Additional Requirements
Participation in Fall & Spring Graduate Critiques each year
Participation in Thesis Show
Total Credit Hours
Application Process
Submit:
› Online application
› Official college transcripts
› Statement of purpose
› Letters of recommendation
› ePortfolio
› Résumé
15
15
15
15
60
Han Wu Ro Jae Li
All MFA Fashion, Body & Garment photographs taken by James Prinz
