International Fashion Professional University

What International Fashion Professional University does

International Fashion Professional University (PIIF, 国際ファッション専門職大学) is a private Japanese professional university established in April 2019 and operated by the Japan Educational Foundation (学校法人日本教育財団). It is the first institution created under Japan's new professional university (専門職大学) framework, a regulatory category that had not admitted a new entrant in 55 years. PIIF serves undergraduate students pursuing careers in fashion creation and fashion business, delivering a practice-oriented curriculum that combines classroom theory with a documented minimum of 600 hours of hands-on industry training. Its core product is a four-year undergraduate degree delivered through four academic departments spanning fashion creation and fashion business, supported by faculty drawn from former executives and senior practitioners of global luxury and apparel houses.

The university operates three campuses in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya, with Tokyo serving as the headquarters and the location of the Fashion Business department. Industry partnerships are central to the operating model: PIIF runs Asia's first Maison des Entrepreneurs LVMH Japan Client Advisor Program (April 2021) and a digital-transformation talent-training partnership with Onward Holdings (April 2021), alongside regional craft collaborations such as those with Yamakatsu and Kuno Komamori in Nagoya. International exposure includes exchange and showcase links with Central Saint Martins (UK) and New York Textile Month. The first cohort of 204 students enrolled in April 2019 and graduated in March 2023; subsequent cohorts are building across all three campuses.

PIIF's revenue is generated primarily through recurring tuition and fees from undergraduate enrollment, partially offset for eligible students via Japan's new study support system, which can provide up to ¥1.87 million per year. The pricing model is standard Japanese private-university recurring semester tuition, with student enrollment as the principal volume indicator. PIIF does not publicly disclose revenue. Distribution is anchored by the multi-campus footprint, with a planned 2026 television advertising campaign and elevated media coverage indicating a shift toward brand-led student recruitment. The institution's external validation includes a sweep of all three major categories of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Sustainable Fashion Design Award in 2025.

Name

International Fashion Professional University

Legal name

学校法人日本教育財団 (Japan Educational Foundation)

Website

https://piif.ac.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

International Fashion Professional University (PIIF, 国際ファッション専門職大学) is a private Japanese professional university founded in April 2019, operating three campuses in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya to train undergraduates in fashion creation and business through industry-partnered curricula.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

akta.pro primary industry

Fashion & Apparel Design Colleges (EDAHAJAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

International & Global Research Universities (Multi-Campus/International Footprint) (EDAHABAI)

Keywords

• Fashion higher education
• Professional university programs
• Fashion business degrees
• Fashion creation courses
• Vocational fashion education

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: The university charges tuition and fees for its undergraduate professional university (senmon daigaku) degree programs. Revenue is generated through tuition payments from enrolled students across its three campuses in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

International Fashion Professional University is Japan's only professional university specializing in both fashion creation and fashion business. It delivers bachelor's-level academic programs across four departments and three campuses (Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya), combining classroom instruction with industry internships, Project-Based Learning (PBL), overseas training, and partnerships with global luxury brands such as LVMH and Onward Holdings.

Product overview

International Fashion Professional University is Japan's only professional university specializing in 'fashion' and 'business'. The university offers four academic departments across three campuses (Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya): the Fashion Creation Department (with Art Creation, AI/Technology Design, and Business Creation courses) and Fashion Business Department (with Brand Management, Global Marketing, and Advertising/PR/Press courses) in Tokyo, plus Osaka and Nagoya Fashion Creation Business Departments. The institution emphasizes practical education combining creation and business skills, with partnerships with luxury brands like LVMH and industry leaders like Onward Holdings. Programs include extensive internship opportunities (600+ hours), international training, and Project Based Learning (PBL) curricula.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fashion Creation Department (Tokyo)
• Fashion Business Department (Tokyo)
• Osaka Fashion Creation & Business Department
• Nagoya Fashion Creation & Business Department

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% employment rate for job-seeking graduates
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor, flagship and core.

• Yamakatsu Senko K.K. (山勝染工株式会社)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2021Nagoya traditional craft workshop partner for the Nagoya Fashion Creation & Business Department. Students learn 'Nagoya Kurozome-tsuke' (traditional indigo dyeing) techniques and develop new products using traditional craftsmanship.
• Kuno Komamori Senshoku Co., Ltd. (有限会社絞染色 久野染工場)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2021Nagoya traditional craft workshop partner specializing in 'Arimatsu-Narumi Shiborizome' (traditional tied-dyeing). Students learn traditional techniques and create new fashion products promoting regional craftsmanship.
• LVMH JAPANflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 April 2021Asia's first ME LVMH Japan Client-Advisor Program. PIIF's curriculum was adopted for LVMH Japan's professional training program covering luxury brands including Louis Vuitton, Dior, Bulgari, and others. Programs include special lectures by world brand leaders and internship training at LVMH brand stores. Second cohort launched in April 2022.
• Onward Holdings (オンワードホールディングス)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 April 2021Industry-first academic-DX partnership through the ONWARD Mirai Jinzi Project (ONWARDみらい人財プロジェクト). Includes Onward Venture Award (student teams develop new business proposals for Onward Digital Lab) and Onward Business Internship. First program launched April 2021, with about 120 students participating in the first phase.
• Japanese Traditional Textile Producing Regions (産地)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with Japanese textile and craft production regions where students visit and learn traditional techniques directly from artisans, then create new fashion value to disseminate internationally.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Esmod: International network of fashion schools headquartered in Paris, with branches across Asia. Comparable to PIIF in its multi-country fashion-education model and emphasis on practical fashion creation skills.
• Parsons School of Design (The New School): Top US design school with prominent fashion design and fashion business programs serving a global student body. Comparable to PIIF in combining creative and business fashion education at the bachelor's level.
• Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT): US public fashion and business college offering associate and bachelor's degrees in fashion design, merchandising, and business. Operates at comparable scale to PIIF across multiple specializations within fashion.
• Polimoda: Florence-based international fashion school offering bachelor's and master's programs in fashion design, brand management and fashion business. Closely comparable to PIIF in combining Italian craft heritage with global fashion-business education.
• Central Saint Martins (University of the Arts London): Globally renowned UK fashion school offering bachelor's and master's programs in fashion design and fashion business. PIIF's overseas study-abroad partnership with Central Saint Martins (per its own site) reflects direct comparability in curriculum and target outcomes.
• Institut Français de la Mode (IFM): Paris-based fashion school resulting from the merger of IFM and École de la Chambre Syndicale, with strong LVMH ecosystem ties. Comparable to PIIF as a French counterpart in the LVMH educational partnership space.
• Istituto Marangoni: International fashion school with campuses in Milan, Paris, London, Dubai and beyond, focused on luxury fashion brand management and design. Comparable to PIIF in its luxury-brand curriculum positioning and industry pipeline orientation.

Direct peers

• HAL Tokyo: Specialized fashion and design college in Tokyo operated by the same parent foundation as PIIF. Competes for the same student demographic focused on creative industries, including fashion design and business-adjacent disciplines.
• Tokyo Mode Gakuen: Major Japanese fashion vocational school operating multiple campuses, and a sibling institution under the same Japan Educational Foundation that operates PIIF. Directly competes for the same fashion-aspirational students with a longer-established alumni network.
• Bunka Fashion College: Japan's most established fashion-specialist college in Tokyo, offering degree-equivalent programs in fashion creation, technology, and business. It is the most direct competitor to PIIF in the Japanese fashion-education market, sharing the same target student persona and employer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/piif_official
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCb6VT0dqZdPJ49AQ8rFJt7g
• Facebookfacebook.com/piif.official
• Instagraminstagram.com/piif_official
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/professional-institute-of-international-fashion

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries3 records

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 International Fashion Professional University