Master of Arts in Critical Fashion Practices

Design the future of fashion

Fashion is a powerful tool for activism, identity, and societal change. It has the potential to reshape the creative landscape in ways that are more conscious, inclusive, and open for dialogue. Aimed at emerging designers seeking to critically challenge and redefine the fashion industry and its systems, the Master of Arts (MA) in Critical Fashion Practices at Paris College of Art provides students with the creative tools, research methods, hands-on development practice and professional skills needed to design a more ethical, responsible, and diverse future for fashion.

This one-year, studio-focused program is rooted in the philosophy of “de-sign”: a process that unmakes, disrupts, critical designs and reimagines the industry and its production to advocate for purpose-driven fashion. Students explore how to de-construct established design systems, question dominant ideologies, and envision innovative approaches in fashion that prioritize community, environmental care, and social justice. Applicants are expected to come to the interview with a clear, visually articulated project that will serve as the starting point for their Master’s degree project.

The program balances studio and theory-based courses, offering electives that allow students to hone technical expertise, gain conceptual depth and cultivate an individual point of view. Students develop their personal fashion collections, applying innovative research and process-oriented methods to challenge conventional fashion narratives. They engage with leading fashion professionals and change-makers throughout their studies. Upon graduation, students are prepared to become pioneers in the global fashion industry, redefining what it means to be a cutting-edge designer.