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The Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) is an Italian design school headquartered in Milan with campuses across Italy, Spain and Brazil. Its educational focus aims to give the next generation of fashion designers the essential skills to navigate an ever-evolving industry.
To date, IED has offered undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in disciplines across fashion design, fashion marketing and communications, product and interior design, graphic and video design and painting. Notable alumni include Pierpaolo Piccioli, creative director of Balenciaga, who was appointed to the position earlier this year, and Maria Grazia Chiuri, former artistic director of Dior.
Recently, IED introduced a new postgraduate course within its “Design x Commons” (DxC) initiative, a set of programmes that encourage students to think critically about the implementation, integration and sharing of common resources derived from natural environments, while creating frameworks for leveraging technologically advanced design tools.
One of the new programmes is a Master of Arts in “Textile Design, Eco-Threads: Materials and Circularity”, taught at IED’s campus in Florence, Italy. This MA examines how fashion and its ecosystem is evolving to focus on sustainable resources that generate positive change in society and the environment.
With new sustainability regulations incoming thick and fast — such as the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles, due to enter into force by 2030 — adhering to sustainability requirements is no longer a voluntary value-add, but is fast becoming an essential legal requirement.
In addition, IED is launching a Master of Arts focused on responsible practices for the fashion industry at its Milan campus.
With the MA in Textile Design, Eco-Threads starting in October 2025, BoF sits down with Umberto Sannino, the head of IED Milano’s fashion school and coordinator of the MA in Textile Design, to learn more about the programme and what it offers postgraduate students entering the fashion industry.
How would you describe IED’s overarching educational approach?
At IED, we understand the importance of honing in on the particular needs of each student. We figure out exactly what each individual needs to develop, with teachers on hand to guide students through a warm, but direct approach.
We like to understand how our students think — and after gaining an initial idea, we help them extend their knowledge and give them the keys to build their own futures.
Students today need to be prepared to answer what the world is asking for — and we guide them through our “learn-by-doing” approach.
What are students taught on the Textile Design: Eco-Threads MA course?
The Eco-Threads MA course was developed to address some of the fashion industry’s most urgent needs — and builds critical values that hold long-term industry relevance. Students on the course are not just taught to create, but to consciously understand how everything connects to production processes and the environment.
The Eco-Threads MA course was developed to answer some of the fashion industry’s most urgent needs — and builds critical values that hold long-term industry relevance.
— Umberto Sannino, head of IED Milano's fashion school.
Not only do our students gain an understanding of how the industry works from a design perspective, they also understand how materials are produced, where and how material resources are used, and how production processes can be made reliable and transparent. We find that students who are aware of the industry’s processes are more likely to innovate.
How does the Textile Design: Eco-Threads MA prepare students with the necessary skills to enter the fashion industry today?
By marrying digital and traditional fashion design techniques, students will enter the industry equipped with a future-ready approach to design practices.
One highlight of the programme is the sketchbook students carry with them over the full two years, to be presented at the end of their second year. They add to it gradually, which helps them reflect on their development throughout the course, and to think beyond trend-driven outputs. This ability to be thoughtful in design execution is of increasing importance in today’s fashion industry.
Students also actively engage with the industry. They get the opportunity to work at some of Italy’s best fashion companies, to gain further, practical insight into the entire design and production process. These learnings allow them to develop ideas that answer real industry needs.
What are you looking for in prospective students for the Textile Design: Eco-Threads MA?
The course is open to all types of undergraduates — whether they come from a creative degree or not. We currently have people with backgrounds in marketing, accessories design, furniture design and interiors.
What matters most is whether students are prepared to expand their vision — and ready to think about how their current skillset can be applied to new practices. Prospective students should be interested in how things work in fashion — across topics from creative processes to ethics and sustainability.
It is also important for our students to understand the production process for materials — with the ability to think critically about how, and why, things are made. We are fostering a new generation of talent who want to be part of the efforts that prevent overproduction we see throughout the industry.
This is a sponsored feature paid for by The Istituto Europe di Design as part of a BoF partnership.
