The Pak France Higher Education Week was celebrated in Pakistan from 13 to 18 March 2017. In this week twenty French universities visited different cities of Pakistan for five days which lasts with the celebration of a “French Day” at the Higher Education Commission. The Ambassador of France suggested developing a long lasting agenda of cooperation among both nations in academic and scientific fields. This plan will explore new prospects for cooperation and academic excellence.

France, the Fashion Hub:

An annual ranking of the leading fashion capitals by Global Language Monitor has issued top-fifty six fashion capitals; according to its rankings Paris held the top position. In future, Fashion Designers will experience rapid growth within their industry. A 5.0% rate of growth is generally expected in upcoming years.. Paris remains today an official fashion capital competing with Milan, New York and Barcelona, Berlin, and Singapore. Fashion is an innate feature of France’s culture and seems to dominate in future also.

For Pakistani students to pursue fashion designing career, studying in France would be a golden opportunity. Let’s explore the prospects of studying Fashion designing in France.

What Courses are offered in Fashion designing?

There are many institutes in France that are offering degree programs and exclusive courses in Fashion designing .They give degree at Bachelor’s ,masters and post graduate level as well as several other courses are also designed to get skilled in fashion designing.

Bachelor’s degree:

• Fashion Marketing, B.A
• Fashion Design & Technology, B.A
• Fashion Design, Bachelor

Master’s Degree:

• MSc IN INTERNATIONAL LUXURY AND BRAND MANAGEMEN
• Contemporary Fashion Design, M.A.
• Perfume and Cosmetics Management, MBA

Special Courses:

• Pre-Master’s Course in Fashion at ISTITUTO MARANGONI
• Business Management In Anglophone at IAE Bordeaux University School of Management
• Course in Fashion Promotion & Communication Intensive at ISTITUTO MARANGONI

The Study Plan:

Students enrolled in a fashion design degree program would be introduced to the concept and history of art. They will comprehensively learn about fabrics and textiles and in the end they are skilled enough to design and market their own brand. Here students can distinguish between several fabrics, draw sketches of models, and develop their creative abilities. In fact the technicalities in designing or creating fabric will automatically incite the student’s own concepts .Within a fashion design study programme, students can choose a sub-category,

·         Modern couture

·         Costume design

·         Accessories

·         Business of fashion,

·         Financial plan of a fashion concept/brand

Students taking a fashion design course have to do a lot of practical work .Apart from their practical assignments they have to attend workshops and fashion shows held in the university and it is generally obligatory for a student to complete his internships within fashion companies as assistant.

The Worth of French Fashion Designing study:

In France you are learning from fashion legends, the leading designers, photographers and editors of fashion publishing houses and stylists. Students will get the opportunity to learn from mentors who has been working with big names like Calvin Klein, Karl Lagerfeld and Louis Vuitton.

Renowned fashion Institutions in France:

Living cost in France:

France is an expensive destination. A table of average monthly living cost regardless of tuition fee and study material is given below

 It would be very expensive for a self-financing student to study fashion designing in France; therefore it would be better to apply for a scholarship. Many scholarships are awarded to outstanding students with fringe benefits.

 For applying to any scholarship, firstly the student has to enroll in the respective study program of the hosted institution, after that he can apply for the grant. Some France scholarships for international students are:

The exclusive scholarship program for prospective fashion designer is:

Fully-funded Scholarships at International Fashion Academy in France, 2017Scholarships:

Fashion design schools also offer meaningful scholarships to international students like IFA Paris awards three types of scholarships for its undergraduate and postgraduate programs to support outstanding students:

·         Full Scholarship (100% free tuition)

·         Excellence Scholarship (40% reduction)

·         Distinction Scholarship (20% reduction)

Scholarships are open to all international students. Scholarship applicant should submit a complete application file and paid application fee (€150) to the institute before May 31st, 2017.

The Admission Process for enrolling in a France fashion designing course:

A student can apply for France international scholarships. The admission is based on the student’s academic background. A personal statement or an essay with good IELTS score is generally demanded as many courses are also offered in English. After this an interview session will take place.

 Visa:

Once you are selected you have to apply for the visa. Visit the France institution website then visit the French Embassy or Consulate in your country. There are three different types of French student visas. The visa which is used to stay for three months is called Schegen visa, while other two visas have their specifications

Work While Study:

In France, student visa holders are allowed to work, not more than 18.5 hours per week, and the job duration must be under 52 weeks.

Accommodations:

Generally dorms or on-campus accommodations are the cheapest housing available as off-campus apartments charge too high.