Istituto Italiano Design

What Istituto Italiano Design does

Istituto Italiano Design (IID) is a private Italian higher-education institution headquartered in Perugia that specializes in design education across three core verticals: Fashion Design, Interior Design, and Communication Design. Founded in the late 1990s and operating as a private limited company (srl), IID is the third private institution in Italy to receive MUR (Ministry of University and Research) accreditation, conferring official degree-granting authority and a regulated status that is difficult for competitors to replicate. The school holds ISO 9001:2015 quality certification and was ranked in the top 10 Italian universities by Times Higher Education in 2020. It reports a 92% graduate job placement rate and operates with 101–250 employees.

The institution runs a tuition-driven business model with multiple revenue streams: undergraduate degree programs, master's degree programs (including English-taught international masters), professional short courses, and corporate training for industry clients. Industry partnerships with luxury and fashion houses — including Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino, and Stella McCartney — anchor project-based learning, internship pipelines, and graduate employment. International footprint extends beyond the Perugia headquarters to a Shanghai (China) campus, supplemented by Erasmus+ student exchanges and showcase events in Vancouver, Paris, and London. No revenue figures, funding rounds, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed in available data.

Name

Istituto Italiano Design

Legal name

IID srl

Website

https://istitutoitalianodesign.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Istituto Italiano Design is a MUR-accredited private Italian design school in Perugia offering degree, master's, and corporate training programs in Fashion, Interior, and Communication Design, with a Shanghai campus and luxury-brand industry partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Design Higher Education

akta.pro primary industry

Design Colleges (Graphic, Industrial, UX/UI, Interior) (EDAHAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fashion & Apparel Design Colleges (EDAHAJAF)

Keywords

• Design education
• Fashion design courses
• Interior design programs
• Communication design degrees
• Higher education

Headquarters

HQ city

Perugia

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition fees from undergraduate programs: Revenue generated from tuition fees for three-year undergraduate courses (Triennali) in Fashion, Interiors, and Communication design disciplines
2. Professional courses: Revenue from professional development courses offered to students and working professionals
3. Corporate training: Revenue from enterprise training services for employees (Divisione Progetti, Formazione Dipendenti)
4. International master programs: Revenue from master courses delivered in English language for international students

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Istituto Italiano Design is a private university in Perugia, Italy that delivers three-year undergraduate degree programs (Diploma Accademico di I Livello) in Fashion Design, Interior Design, and Communication Design, accredited by MUR under the ISIA teaching framework. It complements these degree programs with English-language international master courses (e.g., Fashion Management), professional-level courses for working professionals, and corporate training services (Formazione Dipendenti and Divisione Progetti) for company employees. Practical project work with industry partners (Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino, Accenture, UniCredit and others) begins from the second year, with student work presented at fashion shows in Vancouver, Paris and London.

Product overview

Istituto Italiano Design is a private, laboratory-focused university in Perugia, Italy offering undergraduate programs (corsi triennali) in three main areas: Moda (Fashion), Interni (Interior Design), and Comunicazione (Communication). The institution also provides professional courses and international master's programs taught in English. The educational approach follows the ISIA (Istituto Superiore per le Industrie Artistiche) methodology, emphasizing practical project-based learning with partner companies starting from the second year. The institution is authorized by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR) to award three-year degrees (Diploma Accademico di I Livello) and ranks in the top 10 nationally according to Times Higher Education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Moda (Fashion) Three-Year Undergraduate Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 92% of graduates find employment within two months of thesis completion

Named customers20 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BurberrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLuxury fashion brand partnership for student projects and collaborations, providing real-world industry experience for design students
• Dolce & GabbanacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian luxury fashion house partnership for student projects and industry collaborations in design education
• ValentinocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLuxury fashion brand partnership for student project collaborations and industry exposure
• Stella McCartneycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSustainable fashion brand partnership for student collaborations and design projects
• IntimissimiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFashion brand partnership for student projects and industry collaborations
• CalzedoniaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFashion hosiery and underwear brand partnership for student design projects
• FalconeriminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFashion brand partnership for student collaborations and projects
• AccenturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional services and consulting firm partnership for student projects in digital innovation and design
• UniCreditminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBanking group partnership for student projects and potential financial support programs
• Erasmus+coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Union student exchange program enabling international mobility for IID students
• ISIA (Istituto Superiore per le Industrie Artistiche)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational methodology partnership providing the teaching framework and standards for IID's degree programs; third private institution authorized by MUR following ISIA standards

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Polimoda: Polimoda, based in Florence, is a MUR-accredited private fashion and design school offering undergraduate and master's programs with strong luxury industry ties. It is a closely comparable peer in the ISIA/MUR-accredited private design education category.
• Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze: Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze is one of Italy's historic public fine and design academies offering AFAM-accredited programs. It competes with IID in the Italian design higher-education market, particularly for students seeking accredited artistic training.
• Istituto Marangoni: Istituto Marangoni is a leading Italian private fashion and design school with campuses in Milan, Florence, Paris, London, and Dubai. It competes directly with IID for international students seeking fashion and design degrees taught in English.
• Accademia di Costume e di Moda: Accademia di Costume e di Moda is a private Italian fashion and costume design school in Rome offering undergraduate and master's programs. It targets a similar domestic and international student base and competes directly with IID's fashion design programs.
• Istituto Europeo di Design (IED): IED is one of Italy's largest private design schools, offering undergraduate and master's programs in fashion, design, and communication across multiple Italian and international campuses. It is the closest direct competitor to IID's Italian design college model.
• Domus Academy: Domus Academy in Milan offers postgraduate master's programs in design, fashion, and business with strong industry partnerships. It targets a similar international student base and competes for design-focused master's enrollment against IID's International division.
• Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti (NABA): NABA is a private Milan-based academy offering AFAM-accredited programs in design, fashion, and visual arts. It is a direct peer in the private Italian design higher-education category with comparable international student appeal.

Broad incumbents

• Politecnico di Milano: Politecnico di Milano is Italy's leading public technical university with top-ranked design and fashion programs. While much larger and public, it competes with IID for top design students and sets the benchmark against which IID's premium positioning is measured.
• Central Saint Martins (UAL): Central Saint Martins, part of University of the Arts London, is a globally prestigious public design and fashion school. It is an aspirational benchmark and indirect competitor for international students considering IID's English-language programs.
• Istituto Superiore per le Industrie Artistiche (ISIA): ISIA is the public network of Italian higher-education institutes for artistic industries whose academic framework IID is authorized to follow. It is a structural reference point and a public-sector competitor in the same ISIA-standard educational category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/IstitutoItalianoDesign
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/istituto-italiano-design

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Istituto Italiano Design