Is studying at Vogue College of Fashion worth it?

Condé Nast College of Fashion and Design recently rebranded as Vogue College of Fashion. By placing the iconic fashion magazine at the heart of its curriculum, the institution aims to enhance its reputation within the already vibrant landscape of fashion education. But is studying at Vogue College of Fashion worthwhile? FashionUnited takes a closer look.

What is the Vogue College of Fashion?

Vogue College of Fashion, established in 2013 as Condé Nast College of Fashion and Design, offers a wide range of fashion-related courses: artistic direction, management, styling, law, communication, journalism, and even wedding planning. While some programmes award ECTS credits (under the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System), others lack the same official recognition, relying primarily on the school's reputation.

Its extensive course offering is facilitated by partnerships with higher education institutions such as The University of Buckingham, Universidad Carlos III of Madrid, and Universidad Nebrija. Consequently, the institution operates across campuses in London, Madrid, and New York.

Behind Vogue College of Fashion is novelist and journalist Ana García-Siñeriz Alonso. Founder of Condé Nast College Spain, she also leads the institution as a whole. Her professional career has been built within the media industry, notably at Vogue, Marie Claire, CNN, and Canal+.

Network strength

Vogue College of Fashion highlights its network of fashion professionals as a key strength, claiming to provide students with access to this network. "The strength of Vogue College of Fashion lies in its close ties with Vogue and the wider fashion industry," the college’s website reads.

The teaching staff and guest lecturers include current and former employees of Vogue magazine and other Condé Nast publications. Examples include Sara Hassan, who began her career as a fashion co-ordinator at British Vogue; Ángel Perea, creative director of GQ; and Anna Nilsson, a fashion director, fashion editor, and journalist for Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar, and other magazines.

The college website also states that alumni work for several Condé Nast titles, but also for Net-A-Porter, Harvey Nichols, L'Oréal, HLabs Creative Agency, WGSN, TikTok, and Louis Vuitton.

On LinkedIn, among the 2,239 alumni who listed Condé Nast College of Fashion & Design on their profiles, 12 stated they currently work for Condé Nast, 7 for Vogue, and several for luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton or Burberry.

However, at a time when the fashion industry must radically evolve to meet new imperatives such as sustainability, inclusivity, and workplace wellbeing, is the placement of alumni within industry giants necessarily an indicator of success? This question remains unanswered.

Finally, to expose students to market realities, several degree programmes include sessions designed to support career placement. The master programme in Creative Direction for Fashion Media, for example, features a particularly relevant session informing students about ‘the realities of careers in the fashion industry’.

How much does Vogue College of Fashion cost?

Tuition fees vary depending on the programme type, whether in-person or online, and whether it's a degree-awarding course. A three-month online course consisting of a series of live webinars costs 990 euros.

The Vogue Master in Fashion & Beauty Communication costs 14,900 euros and is taught over a period of nine months, while the one-year master programme in International Luxury Business costs 24,950 pounds (29,950 pounds for non-UK students). These high fees are comparable to those of other established institutions such as the Institut Français de la Mode (IFM).

A look at the master in Fashion Journalism & Editorial Direction

Offered over a period of one year in collaboration with The University of Buckingham, the MA Fashion Journalism & Editorial Direction costs 24,950 pounds (29,924.53 euros) and trains students in journalism and editorial direction, preparing them for roles as journalists and various communication positions. Modules cover: ‘Critical Research: Understanding Audiences’, ‘The Future of Fashion Media’, ‘Fashion Writing and Criticism’, ‘Editorial Content Planning and Management’, and the final master Project.

The programme does not include a mandatory internship, but offers an optional four-week ‘work placement’. However, the school states that former students have been offered internships during or after their studies, thanks to connections made with professionals during lectures or networking with alumni.

Our opinion: The programme content offers practical, not just theoretical, aspects, including masterclasses and workshops, which is a positive aspect. However, it would be good to get to know more about the curriculum around social media or artificial intelligence, tools used by all editorial teams.

This article was originally published on FashionUnited.FR, and subsequently translated from French into English using an AI tool..

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