This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/20/world/europe/conde-nast-offers-fashion-industry-courses.html

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
New Condé Nast School Offers Front-Row View of Fashion Industry New Condé Nast School Offers Front-Row View of Fashion Industry
(about 17 hours later)
London — A few months ago, Zuzanna Ciszewska was working at a public relations agency in Warsaw catering to Poland’s nascent technology sector. But a person can always dream, and one day, the 24-year-old with a master’s degree in anthropology and a lifelong passion for fashion saw an ad in British Vogue. LONDON — A few months ago, Zuzanna Ciszewska was working at a public relations agency in Warsaw catering to Poland’s nascent technology sector. But a person can always dream, and one day, the 24-year-old with a master’s degree in anthropology and a lifelong passion for fashion saw an ad in British Vogue.
Now Ms. Ciszewska is one of the first 45 students at the Condé Nast College of Fashion and Design, enrolled in a 10-week course meant to introduce them to topics like the fashion calendar, the history of fashion, important designers, fashion journalism, retail, business, marketing and public relations.Now Ms. Ciszewska is one of the first 45 students at the Condé Nast College of Fashion and Design, enrolled in a 10-week course meant to introduce them to topics like the fashion calendar, the history of fashion, important designers, fashion journalism, retail, business, marketing and public relations.
“The only thing we’re not teaching them is design itself,” said Susie Forbes, a veteran Condé Nast editor who is the college’s principal.“The only thing we’re not teaching them is design itself,” said Susie Forbes, a veteran Condé Nast editor who is the college’s principal.
“In Britain we’ve got design covered. London has some of the world’s best designers and the world’s best design schools. Why would we compete with that?” Ms. Forbes said in an interview at the college, which is in a newly refurbished SoHo building that once belonged to Central Saint Martins and is a short walk from the head office at Vogue House. “What we offer — particularly on the 10-week course — is a broad sweep of business-facing courses intended to enlighten our students about how the fashion industry really works.”“In Britain we’ve got design covered. London has some of the world’s best designers and the world’s best design schools. Why would we compete with that?” Ms. Forbes said in an interview at the college, which is in a newly refurbished SoHo building that once belonged to Central Saint Martins and is a short walk from the head office at Vogue House. “What we offer — particularly on the 10-week course — is a broad sweep of business-facing courses intended to enlighten our students about how the fashion industry really works.”
Also offered is the Condé Nast name and the promise of an association with the company responsible for such fashion bibles as Vogue, Glamour, Allure, GQ and Women’s Wear Daily.Also offered is the Condé Nast name and the promise of an association with the company responsible for such fashion bibles as Vogue, Glamour, Allure, GQ and Women’s Wear Daily.
However, Ms. Forbes said it was important for prospective students to understand that while their tuition bought them a front-row seat in the world of fashion, it would not buy them a job or even an internship at a Condé Nast publication. “We’re not a feeder school for Condé Nast. Our editors and publishers don’t want to feel obliged to take our students,” Ms. Forbes said.However, Ms. Forbes said it was important for prospective students to understand that while their tuition bought them a front-row seat in the world of fashion, it would not buy them a job or even an internship at a Condé Nast publication. “We’re not a feeder school for Condé Nast. Our editors and publishers don’t want to feel obliged to take our students,” Ms. Forbes said.
“In terms of jobs we need to have a very light touch — not just here but in the industry,” she added. “But we can — and do — ask employers what kind of qualifications they are looking for and whether we can send them people to consider from time to time. And they realize we screen our applicants very carefully, so they are picking up the phone to us.”“In terms of jobs we need to have a very light touch — not just here but in the industry,” she added. “But we can — and do — ask employers what kind of qualifications they are looking for and whether we can send them people to consider from time to time. And they realize we screen our applicants very carefully, so they are picking up the phone to us.”
Current students pay £6,600, or $8,500, for a 10-week course leading to a Vogue Fashion Certificate. With speakers from across the Condé Nast collection of titles — which also includes Wired, The New Yorker and Vanity Fair — and field trips to museums, design ateliers and manufacturers, the course resembles a high-powered internship more than an exercise in academic rigor.Current students pay £6,600, or $8,500, for a 10-week course leading to a Vogue Fashion Certificate. With speakers from across the Condé Nast collection of titles — which also includes Wired, The New Yorker and Vanity Fair — and field trips to museums, design ateliers and manufacturers, the course resembles a high-powered internship more than an exercise in academic rigor.
Starting in October the college will also offer a yearlong Foundation Diploma course, in which students will focus on the history and influences on fashion design, fashion publishing, or the fashion business. Students, who will pay £19,560, will be expected to complete an individual creative project. They will leave with 30 credits certified by the Open College Network as the equivalent of a first undergraduate year and will then be able to finish their degrees at other fashion or design schools in Britain or abroad.Starting in October the college will also offer a yearlong Foundation Diploma course, in which students will focus on the history and influences on fashion design, fashion publishing, or the fashion business. Students, who will pay £19,560, will be expected to complete an individual creative project. They will leave with 30 credits certified by the Open College Network as the equivalent of a first undergraduate year and will then be able to finish their degrees at other fashion or design schools in Britain or abroad.
In comparison, the one-year fashion foundation course at Central Saint Martin costs £3,500 for domestic students and £10,800 for foreign students.In comparison, the one-year fashion foundation course at Central Saint Martin costs £3,500 for domestic students and £10,800 for foreign students.
In a post titled “Condé Nast College: A school only for the rich, or everyone?” Farhana Nazir, a blogger for the My Fashion Life Web site, questioned the high cost of tuition and asked whether such programs “further reinforce the idea that a fashion education is only for the privileged.”In a post titled “Condé Nast College: A school only for the rich, or everyone?” Farhana Nazir, a blogger for the My Fashion Life Web site, questioned the high cost of tuition and asked whether such programs “further reinforce the idea that a fashion education is only for the privileged.”
Ms. Forbes replied that the cost of the course was justified by the individual attention paid to students. “The fee structure is a reflection of the extraordinarily high levels of staff contact hours that the students will benefit from, the unrivalled access to industry that they will receive, the almost bespoke nature of each student’s learning experience with us and the enormous financial investment that Condé Nast is putting into the project,” she said.Ms. Forbes replied that the cost of the course was justified by the individual attention paid to students. “The fee structure is a reflection of the extraordinarily high levels of staff contact hours that the students will benefit from, the unrivalled access to industry that they will receive, the almost bespoke nature of each student’s learning experience with us and the enormous financial investment that Condé Nast is putting into the project,” she said.
“This is a for-profit enterprise,” Nicholas Coleridge, managing director of Condé Nast Britain, said in a telephone interview, adding, “We’re providing a minimum of 16 contact hours a week, when other universities offer a lot less.”“This is a for-profit enterprise,” Nicholas Coleridge, managing director of Condé Nast Britain, said in a telephone interview, adding, “We’re providing a minimum of 16 contact hours a week, when other universities offer a lot less.”
The college is to start with 45 students in its foundation course in October and hopes to accommodate 300 students in the next year.The college is to start with 45 students in its foundation course in October and hopes to accommodate 300 students in the next year.
Though accredited by the British accreditation council the school is unable to offer degrees; it has to be operating for a year before it can apply for that. Eventually the plan is to offer a two-year undergraduate degree, possibly in association with another British university, “with courses compressed so that students can finish a year faster than usual,” Ms. Forbes said. After that “we can think about partnering with a university to become a degree awarding institution ourselves.”Though accredited by the British accreditation council the school is unable to offer degrees; it has to be operating for a year before it can apply for that. Eventually the plan is to offer a two-year undergraduate degree, possibly in association with another British university, “with courses compressed so that students can finish a year faster than usual,” Ms. Forbes said. After that “we can think about partnering with a university to become a degree awarding institution ourselves.”
Many famous publications began as campus projects. In the 1920s Henry Luce and Briton Haddon, who worked together on The Yale Daily News, started Time magazine. Granta, the trans-Atlantic quarterly, was originally the undergraduate literary magazine at Cambridge University. Establishing a college out of a magazine is a much rarer feat, though Ms. Forbes, cites the Domus Academy in Milan, a postgraduate design school that traces its origin to the Italian monthly of the same name, as a forerunner.Many famous publications began as campus projects. In the 1920s Henry Luce and Briton Haddon, who worked together on The Yale Daily News, started Time magazine. Granta, the trans-Atlantic quarterly, was originally the undergraduate literary magazine at Cambridge University. Establishing a college out of a magazine is a much rarer feat, though Ms. Forbes, cites the Domus Academy in Milan, a postgraduate design school that traces its origin to the Italian monthly of the same name, as a forerunner.
Ms. Forbes points out that the company also licenses a chain of Russian cafes and bars named after titles like Vogue and Tatler. Condé Nast College is obviously much closer to the company’s heart. “Our chairman, Jonathan Newhouse, challenged the different companies to see if they could do something that didn’t depend on advertising or circulation,” Mr. Coleridge said. “We thought we had the authority to provide something that would be convincing.”Ms. Forbes points out that the company also licenses a chain of Russian cafes and bars named after titles like Vogue and Tatler. Condé Nast College is obviously much closer to the company’s heart. “Our chairman, Jonathan Newhouse, challenged the different companies to see if they could do something that didn’t depend on advertising or circulation,” Mr. Coleridge said. “We thought we had the authority to provide something that would be convincing.”
“We needed to find a way to use the brand, and to keep it protected at the same time,” said Ms. Forbes, adding that naming the school after the company’s most famous fashion title was considered — and rejected. “If we called it ‘Vogue College’ then we’d be putting a marker down that we’re only going to do fashion. I can see us doing technology master classes with people from WIRED or courses on interior design or garden design.”“We needed to find a way to use the brand, and to keep it protected at the same time,” said Ms. Forbes, adding that naming the school after the company’s most famous fashion title was considered — and rejected. “If we called it ‘Vogue College’ then we’d be putting a marker down that we’re only going to do fashion. I can see us doing technology master classes with people from WIRED or courses on interior design or garden design.”
Ms. Ciszewska said she would return to Poland when her course was finished and look for another job in public relations, “but this time in fashion,” she said.Ms. Ciszewska said she would return to Poland when her course was finished and look for another job in public relations, “but this time in fashion,” she said.
However Daniela Perinova, a 29-year-old student with a degree from Prague University and a master’s in marketing from London Metropolitan University, said she hoped to remain in Britain. “I’ve always been interested in fashion. But Prague is such a small market,” said Ms. Perinova, who described her current course as “overwhelming.”However Daniela Perinova, a 29-year-old student with a degree from Prague University and a master’s in marketing from London Metropolitan University, said she hoped to remain in Britain. “I’ve always been interested in fashion. But Prague is such a small market,” said Ms. Perinova, who described her current course as “overwhelming.”
At 19, Alice Carver is one of the youngest students on the course. A London native who has been accepted to study psychology at the University of Exeter in autumn, she had decided to study fashion during her gap year because it offered “a chance to figure out what I’m really passionate about before committing to it,” she said.At 19, Alice Carver is one of the youngest students on the course. A London native who has been accepted to study psychology at the University of Exeter in autumn, she had decided to study fashion during her gap year because it offered “a chance to figure out what I’m really passionate about before committing to it,” she said.