Fashion Studies at AUP

Fashion Studies is a core subject at the American University of Paris and fosters a vibrant and diverse environment. The Fashion Track of the MA Global Communications, Department of Communication, Media and Culture was founded in 2010. We launched a Minor in Fashion Studies in 2020 and a Major in Fashion Studies in 2024. The Fashion Studies community at AUP is very much part of the global Fashion Studies community with which we connect through partnerships, publications, and conferences. Fashion Studies at AUP takes place as much inside as outside the classroom. You will find events, profiles, links and resources below – an illustration of how AUP encourages creative collaborations and critical thinking on fashion. 

Visiting Professors 

• Tanveer Ahmed, Senior Lecturer in Fashion and Race, Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London 
• Nadia Albertini, Embroiderer and independent fashion researcher 
• Marine Chaleroux, Fashion historian and PhD candidate at Angers University (TEMOS-CNRS) 
• Caroline Evans, Professor of Fashion History and Theory at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London 
• Amy de la Haye, Professor of Dress History and Curatorship, London College of Fashion 
• Wickie Meier-Engström, Chief Executive Officer, Kvadrat Really 
• Sanem Odabasi, Assistant Professor in Fashion Studies, Eskisehir Technical University 
• Cécile Poignant, Trend strategist prospectivist 
• Khemaïs Benlakhdar Rezgui, Fashion historian and lecturer, Institut Français de la Mode 

Guest Speakers 

• Orsola de Castro, Fashion designer, Co-founder of Fashion Revolution 
• Clare Farrell, Fashion designer, Co-founder of Extinction Rebellion 
• Cathy Horyn, Fashion journalist, Fashion critic-at-large for the Cut 
• Kim Hou, Co-founder and creative director, ABOUT A WORKER 
• Valerie Steele, Director and chief curator, the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology 
• Laminé Badian Kouyaté, Fashion designer, Xuly Bët 
• Armine Ohanyan, Fashion designer 
• Pascal Morand, Executive President of Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode 
• Natalie Nudell, Fashion historian and documentarian, Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology 
• Séverine Experton-Dard, Independent textile and fashion historian and appraiser 
• and many more!

The American University of Paris offers several pathways to pursue your academic interest in fashion. As a graduate student, you can complete the fashion track in the MA in Global Communications. As an undergraduate student, you can complete a Minor or Major in Fashion Studies. Frequent guest lectures, talks, visits and field trips provide a variety of practical, real-life accounts and experiences of the fashion world to supplement and apply theoretical and practical knowledge gained in the classroom.

Talks and conferences form an integral part of the learning culture within Fashion Studies at AUP and connect students with a great variety of key professionals and academics.  

Many AUP students are drawn to fashion, whether in their personal lives, through academic pursuits or career goals. During their time at AUP, students engage in a variety of fashion-related activities that support their aspirations, including clubs, fashion week, conferences, curatorial projects,  journalism and more. 

Paris is one of the most fantastic playgrounds for fashion. The city offers endless conventional and unconventional sources of inspiration, experience and knowledge. Here is a small selection of museums, galleries, libraries and archives, for more formal explorations. 

At AUP, our students are trained to become professionals aware of the socio-ecological transformation that the fashion sphere is currently facing, and better equipped to contribute to a more sustainable, inclusive and diverse fashion industry.