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Official launch of the new Institut Français de la Mode.

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Official launch of the new Institut Français de la Mode

IFM and Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne become Institut Français de la Mode

The official launch of the new Institut Français de la Mode took place on Tuesday 8 January 2019 in the presence of Bruno Le Maire, French Minister for Finance.

Institut Français de la Mode brings together Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne and IFM. Both schools have made their mark on the world of fashion. ECSCP has embodied excellence "à la française" since 1927 and IFM was a pioneer in fashion management education from 1986 onward. Today their union offers Paris a new, open-minded and visionary "grande école" which nurtures tomorrow’s fashion talents.

Institut Français de la Mode now provides educational programs ranging from vocational to doctoral level, bringing together fashion design, management and craftsmanship under one roof. Its objective is to grant France a school fit to be a worldwide standard.

"It is not a simple addition of two entities but, based on the strengths of each, an offer of excellence that is recomposed and enriched along 3 dimensions: creation, management and craftsmanship. We will thus strengthen the leadership of French fashion", explains André Beirnaert, President of IFM.

Bruno Le Maire, Minister of Economy and Finance, said: " Tomorrow, I am sure, when we ask about the world's greatest school of creation and fashion, everywhere on the planet, the answer will spontaneously be "It's in Paris and it's the Institut Français de la Mode. Sometimes France records defeats in certain sectors, but sometimes we have victories. Fashion has been a huge French victory over the past 10 years and has become a conquering industry."

Two new programs will be launched in September 2019: a Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Design in French and English and a Master of Arts in Fashion Design in English.

"The union of Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne and IFM provides Paris with an academic institution whose ambition is to establish itself as the best fashion fashion school in the world, based on a unique combination of management, technique and design, ranging from vocational to doctoral level, including Bachelor’s and Master’s, installed on a new innovative and open site, actively promoting social diversity, and at the forefront of technology and sustainable development," says Ralph Toledano, President of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode.

"The new Institut Français de la Mode is launching two new fashion design programs, Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts, immersed in the fashion ecosystem, and which actively promote links with culture and technical know-how.", says Dominique Jacomet, General Manager of the IFM.

In order to encourage social diversity and promote research and educational innovation, Institut Français de la Mode announces the creation of a Foundation under the aegis of the Fondation de France. The purpose of the Institut Français de la Mode Foundation is to support any project of general interest that helps to promote equal opportunities through a major scholarship scheme for students and the development of research and teaching chairs.

By Autumn 2020, all the programs of Institut Français de la Mode will move to the Docks – Cité de la Mode et du Design - in completely overhauled spaces of nearly 8,000 m², in order to quickly accommodate 1,000 students and more than 3,000 managers in executive education programs, as well as an academic and applied research activity.

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Press conference, official launch of the new Institut Français de la Mode Press conference, official launch of the new Institut Français de la Mode
Press conference, official launch of the new Institut Français de la Mode
from left to right: Frédéric Hocquard (Mairie de Paris), Eric Lombard (Caisse des Dépôts), Bruno Le Maire (Finance Minister), André Beirnaert (IFM President), Ralph Toledano (President of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode), Dominique Jacomet (Dean of IFM), Sidney Toledano (CEO LVMH Fashion Group), Sylvie Ebel (IFM Executive Director), Francesca Belletini CEO Yves Saint Laurent)
© Sacha Héron
Press conference, official launch of the new Institut Français de la Mode
from left to right: Bruno Le Maire (Finance Minister), Sidney Toledano (PDG LVMH Fashion Group), Pascal Morand (Executive President of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode), Francesca Belletini (PDG Yves Saint Laurent), Guillaume de Seynes (Managing Director Upstream and Investments, Hermès International), Bruno Pavlovsky (President of Fashion Activities, Chanel)
© Sacha Héron
Press conference, official launch of the new Institut Français de la Mode
Bruno Le Maire, Finance Minister, meets students of Institut Français de la Mode
© Sacha Héron