Institut Français de la Mode

What Institut Français de la Mode does

Institut Français de la Mode (IFM) is a Paris-based non-profit higher education institution founded in 1986 by representatives of the fashion industry with support from the French Ministry of Industry, operating from a 9,000 m² campus inside Les Docks Cité de la Mode et du Design. It delivers fashion, luxury, and management education across the full credential stack: a Foundation Year, Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Design, BSc in Management for Fashion and Creative Industries, MSc in International Fashion & Luxury Management (with an ESCP Business School double degree), Master of Arts in Fashion Design, a jointly-run Doctoral Studies Program with Sorbonne, the Mastère Spécialisé® Management de la Mode & du Luxe, an Executive MBA Global Fashion Management (with FIT New York and HK Polytechnic University), an Executive MSc in Strategic Management of Fashion and Luxury (Paris and Riyadh tracks), Summer School programs, the Incubateur IFM entrepreneurship program, and the IFM-Kering Sustainability Chair.

IFM's revenue model is a multi-stream tuition-and-services model. Degree tuition ranges from €16,900 to €32,520 per year (€40,100–€50,700 for the ESCP double degree, with a €120 non-refundable application fee and €4,000–€6,000 admission deposit). Executive programs (Executive MBA €32,520 with early bird at €29,400; Executive MSc €31,320 with early bird at €28,200) target mid-career professionals via a 7-stage admissions process. Short-format Summer School programs run €870–€1,950 per participant, and the Incubateur IFM charges €490/month for a 12-month program. A €470 lifetime Alumni Association contribution (4,000 active members across 60 countries) plus corporate partnerships (Kering Sustainability Chair, France Compétences-funded apprenticeship track, Alliance Française language support) diversify revenue. There is no proprietary technology platform; the "technology" dimension consists of curriculum integration (generative AI tools like Midjourney, metaverse, Web3, NFTs) and a campus FabLab (laser cutting, 3D printing, screen printing, digital embroidery). The GTM is event-driven and enterprise-field-sales in nature: open days, corporate relations with Chanel/Hermès/Saint Laurent board executives, and a multi-stage admissions process with jury interviews.

IFM's core technology is its academic content delivery platform and industry network infrastructure. Customer concentration spans students (recent high school graduates, university graduates, mid-career managers, senior executives, PhD researchers, and fashion entrepreneurs) and corporate partners (Chanel, Hermès, Saint Laurent on the board; Louis Vuitton, Dior, L'Oréal, Celine, Louboutin, Alaïa briefing real business cases; Kering's 5-year Sustainability Chair; AMI x IFM Entrepreneurship Prize; Saudi Fashion Commission; and approximately 40+ brands that host the Mastère Spécialisé 6-month internships). Notable technical components include the FabLab (laser cutting, 3D printing, CNC-controlled embroidery machines, Cornely machines, smoking pleaters, sublimation equipment), the IFM Library (Europe's reference collection for fashion/textile publications and databases), and proprietary curriculum modules (Immersive Fashion Day, AI-Driven Fashion Campaign workshop, Cross-Disciplinary Electives).

Name

Institut Français de la Mode

Legal name

Institut Français de la Mode

Website

https://ifmparis.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Institut Français de la Mode is a Paris-based non-profit higher education institution founded in 1986, offering fashion, luxury, and management programs from foundation to doctorate, executive education, and an entrepreneurship incubator, serving students, mid-career professionals, and luxury-industry corporate partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fashion Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

akta.pro primary industry

Fashion & Apparel Design Colleges (EDAHAJAF)

Keywords

• Fashion design education
• Executive fashion programs
• Luxury management training
• Fashion craftsmanship studies
• Higher education fashion

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition Fees — Degree Programs: IFM charges tuition for undergraduate, MSc, Master's Spécialisé, Executive MSc, Executive MBA, and PhD programs. Fees vary by program, nationality (EU vs non-EU), and intake year, ranging from €16,900 to €32,520 per year.
2. Continuing Education — Professional Programs: Short-format professional development and executive education programs (Advanced Management Program, Executive Education), charged at premium per-program rates, targeting industry professionals seeking specialized skills.
3. Summer School Programs: One- to two-week Summer School programs in fashion design, management, and craftsmanship for students and professionals, with fees ranging from €870 (online) to €1,950 (in-person two-week programs).
4. Incubateur IFM — Entrepreneurship Program Fees: The fashion entrepreneurship incubator charges €490 HT/month for 12 months per project (mandatory 12-month commitment). Includes coworking space, workshops, and access to IFM alumni network. Apprenticeship contracts funded by France Compétences for eligible candidates.
5. Corporate Partnerships and Sponsored Chairs: Sustainability Chair partnerships (e.g., IFM-Kering Sustainability Chair) provide industry-funded research and education programs. Kering provides ongoing financial and strategic support for sustainability education with over 2,000 students trained from 74 countries.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Institut Français de la Mode (IFM) is a Paris-based fashion school delivering higher education degrees, executive training, and applied research in fashion design, fashion management, and craftsmanship. It offers programs ranging from undergraduate and master's degrees to executive MBAs, MSc tracks, and an incubator for fashion entrepreneurs, operating as a non-profit association under French law of 1901.

Product overview

Institut Français de la Mode (IFM) is a Paris-based fashion school offering a comprehensive portfolio of educational programs across multiple levels: undergraduate programs (Foundation Year, BA in Fashion Design, BSc in Management); graduate programs (MSc in International Fashion & Luxury Management, Master of Arts in Fashion Design with pathways, Mastère Spécialisé® Management de la Mode & du Luxe); doctoral programs (PhD in Fashion Design and Fashion Theories and Practice joint with Paris 1); executive education (Executive MBA Global Fashion Management with FIT and Hong Kong PolyU, Executive MSc in Strategic Management with Paris and Riyadh tracks); and continuing education (Summer School programs and workshops including AI-Driven Fashion Campaigns, Incubateur IFM for entrepreneurship, and specialized certificates). The school also operates research chairs, a FabLab fabrication facility, and maintains partnerships with industry leaders for student projects and career placement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IFM x AMI Entrepreneurship Prize: Annual entrepreneurship prize created by Nicolas Santi-Weil (AMI director-general) and Alexandre Mattiussi (AMI founder and creative director) to encourage entrepreneurship in the fashion sector.

Products and services

• Executive MBA in Fashion
• Executive MSc
• MS Management Programs
• Fashion Design Higher Education Programs
• IFM Incubator
• Fashion Research Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• 81.8% permanent contract placement rate within 6 months of graduation for Master's programs
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, major, core and flagship.

• Cover Summon (CoverSermon)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 February 2026Lifestyle tech company CoverSermon (operating B2C brand 'keek' and B2B smart textile brand 'CVSM') collaborated with IFM for the opening stage of Paris Fashion Week 2026 F/W on February 2. The collaboration featured 23 student collections, including designer Alexis Lopez Angeles who applied CoverSermon's Air Modules to military-inspired jacket and dress designs. The collaboration originated from an R&D meeting at Première Vision Paris fashion materials fair. CoverSermon stated it will continue leveraging its proprietary AirTech technology to present new fashion possibilities while expanding cooperation with global brands in Europe, North America, and Asia.
• Fashion Commission (Saudi Arabia)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025IFM's Executive MSc in Strategic Management of Fashion and Luxury launched a Riyadh Track in collaboration with the Fashion Commission of Saudi Arabia, targeting Middle East region professionals. The Riyadh track covers international challenges facing the fashion and luxury industry with specific focus on Middle Eastern market characteristics, case studies, and regional industry dynamics. One in-person module held in Paris, three in Riyadh.
• Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) New YorkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024IFM partners with FIT New York for the Executive MBA Global Fashion Management, offering joint international seminars in New York, Paris, and Hong Kong. Participants from IFM, FIT New York, and Hong Kong Polytechnic University attend the same intensive seminars, case studies, lectures, and company visits, developing cross-cultural understanding of fashion and luxury markets in three global hubs.
• Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HKPU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024IFM partners with HKPU for the Executive MBA Global Fashion Management, providing Asian market expertise through seminars in Hong Kong and Mainland China. The partnership covers production and supply chain, Chinese digital ecosystem, Asian market entry, and innovation. Joint seminars with FIT New York create a three-school international cohort.
• ESCP Business SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024IFM offers a limited-seat double degree with ESCP Business School (ranked #6 worldwide by Financial Times) for MSc Fashion & Luxury candidates holding a 3-year bachelor's degree. First year at ESCP (Paris, Berlin, London, Madrid, or Turin campuses), second year at IFM Paris. Graduates receive both the ESCP Master in Management and IFM MSc degrees. Candidates must apply during MSc Sessions 1 or 2 and pass ESCP interview.
• AMI (Alexandre Mattiussi)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022AMI and IFM jointly created the AMI x IFM Entrepreneurship Prize, imagined by Nicolas Santi-Weil (AMI CEO) and Alexandre Mattiussi (founder and creative director). The prize echoes AMI's founding values of friendship, sharing, and inclusion, aiming to encourage entrepreneurship in the fashion sector. Each year, ~10 shortlisted projects from IFM's Fashion Entrepreneurship Center receive 6 months of expert coaching across business, commercial, marketing, image, and digital. Winners receive ongoing mentorship and visibility. Prize history: 2026 TIMISOLA; 2025 MATHO; 2024 Lora Sonney; 2023 CACHÍ; 2022 ATXI x Sed Nove Studio.
• KeringcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021IFM-Kering Sustainability Chair established in 2021 for a 5-year partnership, celebrated at a Paris event in 2025. The chair provides sustainability education and research within IFM's academic programs, training over 2,000 students from 74 countries and producing 50 student-led sustainability projects. Kering's chief sustainability officer Marie-Claire Daveu emphasized that delaying sustainability initiatives would increase operational costs and that technology alone cannot resolve fashion's climate impact. Kering reaffirmed commitment despite ESG backlash and luxury headwinds.
• ChanelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExecutives from Chanel sit on IFM's board of governance, providing strategic oversight of the institution. Students work on real business and creative cases briefed directly by Chanel studios, ensuring curriculum relevance to industry practice. Chanel is among the luxury houses that regularly recruit on the IFM campus.
• HermèscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExecutives from Hermès sit on IFM's board of governance. Students work on real business cases briefed directly by Hermès studios. Hermès is among the luxury houses that regularly recruit on the IFM campus for management and design roles.
• Saint Laurent Paris (Kering)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExecutives from Saint Laurent (part of Kering group) sit on IFM's board. Students work on real business and creative cases briefed directly by Saint Laurent studios. Saint Laurent participates in IFM campus recruitment alongside other major houses.
• Louis Vuitton (LVMH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLouis Vuitton studios brief students on real business and creative cases as part of IFM's industry-integrated curriculum. Louis Vuitton is among the luxury houses recruiting graduates from IFM campus and engaging with the MSc program's business case initiative.
• LVMH Group (Dior, L'Oréal, Celine)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLVMH Group brands including Dior, L'Oréal, and Céline provide real business case projects for IFM students and recruit graduates from campus. LVMH chairs including Chanel le19M, LVMH, and Kering chairs deepen academic-industry ties through research and teaching. IFM MSc program specifically partners with Louis Vuitton, Dior, Hermès, L'Oréal, Louboutin, and Alaïa for real-world business cases.
• France CompétencesmajorOthersFrance Compétences funds the apprenticeship (alternance) track of the Mastère Spécialisé Management de la Mode & du Luxe. Training costs for apprentices are covered by France Compétences, enabling IFM to offer the program at no tuition cost to eligible apprentices (French nationals or EU residents under 30, holding Bac+5). Apprentices receive SMIC-based remuneration from their employer.
• Alliance FrançaiseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFM partners with Alliance Française (France's leader in French language education for foreigners) to offer intensive French courses at the start of the MSc Fashion & Luxury academic year, helping international students integrate and prepare for internships and employment in France.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Istituto Europeo di Design (IED): IED is a private Italian fashion, design, and communication school operating across Italy, Spain, and Brazil. It offers undergraduate and master's programs in fashion design and fashion styling/management and competes with IFM for European and international design-oriented applicants.
• Central Saint Martins (University of the Arts London): Central Saint Martins is widely viewed as one of the top two global fashion schools and a perennial BoF top-3 peer to IFM. It offers BA Fashion, MA Fashion, and fashion communication programs, with deep industry ties to UK and global luxury houses, and competes directly with IFM for international applicants.
• Istituto Marangoni: Istituto Marangoni is a private, for-profit Italian fashion school with campuses in Milan, Paris, London, Dubai, Miami, Mumbai, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. It competes directly with IFM for international fashion and luxury management students, with a more commercial, multi-city delivery model.
• Parsons School of Design (The New School): Parsons is the leading US fashion design school and IFM's most direct global competitor, offering BFA/MFA in Fashion Design and a Fashion Design and Society MPS, with strong ties to US fashion houses and a globally recognized brand. Both compete for top international students seeking careers in fashion design and management.
• Bunka Fashion College: Bunka Fashion College is Japan's leading specialized fashion school, offering both design and fashion business/technology programs with strong ties to Asian fashion houses. It is a direct regional peer to IFM, competing for Asian applicants and offering alternative curriculum perspectives.
• Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT): FIT is a US public fashion school and an active partner of IFM through the Executive MBA Global Fashion Management program. It offers AAS, BS, and MPS degrees across fashion design, fashion business, and textiles, and competes directly with IFM for English-speaking international applicants while also collaborating on executive cohorts.
• ESMOD: ESMOD is a French-founded international fashion school network specializing in fashion design and pattern-making, with campuses across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. It overlaps directly with IFM's fashion design and craftsmanship curriculum and competes for French and international design students.

Broad incumbents

• ESCP Business School: ESCP is a pan-European business school and an active partner of IFM through the MSc–Master in Management double degree. While broader than IFM, ESCP's fashion-track electives and FT top-10 brand compete for the same career-changer audience IFM targets in its MSc programs.
• Royal College of Art: The Royal College of Art is a UK postgraduate-only art and design institution offering MA programs in Fashion and Fashion Design, with a strong research orientation. It is a broader incumbent design-school competitor to IFM, particularly at the master's and doctoral level.

Regional players

• Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Fashion Department): The Fashion Department of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp is one of Europe's most prestigious fashion design schools, historically anchored by the Antwerp Six. It is a regional (Belgian) peer to IFM, comparable in prestige and focus on avant-garde fashion design, competing for top international design talent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institut-francais-de-la-mode

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Institut Français de la Mode