Fashion Design at School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Artwork by Agnes Hamerlik. Several mannequins clothed in floral garments and surrounded by dried flowers hanging upside down and large sculptural objects suspended from the ceiling.

Agnes Hamerlik, 2022

Fashion Design Department

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago's (SAIC) Department of Fashion Design provides a unique, interdisciplinary experience that challenges students to bring an artistic and theoretical approach to the work, and benefit from rigorous artistic and professionally oriented training.

Elnaz Javani, If I'd Known That Beforehand, Detail, 2015

Undergraduate Application and Merit Deadline: January 15

Submit your application and portfolio by January 15 to be considered for fall 2024 admission and merit scholarship.

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Graduate Programs Application Deadline: January 10

Apply to SAIC's Graduate and Post-Bacc programs by 1/10 for Fall 2024 admission.

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In its 89th year, the Fashion department has evolved into a unique place to train the next generation of designers, artists, and thinkers. Our mission is to develop and alarm our graduate's voices to participate in the global discourse. Our multidisciplinary approach to fashion is grounded in teaching technical, digital, artisanal and visceral ways of making, pairing artistic exploration with concept development and skill-building.

The faculty’s national and international professional experience offers unique opportunities for student learning, travel and global internships.

The Department of Fashion Design Supports the Following Degree Programs:

Bachelor of Fine Arts: Fashion Design
Master of Design in Fashion, Body and Garment
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Fashion, Body and Garment

SAIC’s Fashion department offers one of the most intense, interdisciplinary fashion design programs in Chicago. You emerge not only as a skilled designer, but with an awareness of the social, political, and technological forces shaping the 21st century.

Within our Fashion program, you will explore the most progressive achievements in the world of dress and fashion through our Fashion Resource Center, a hands-on collection of late 20th- and 21st-century designer garments representing extreme innovation. The world-renowned art exhibitions and research facilities of The Art Institute of Chicago are located one block from campus.