Istituto Marangoni

Leading Milanese fashion school Istituto Marangoni wanted to set up a school in London. Think London helped it every step of the way.

The organisation

Founded in 1935, Istituto Marangoni is Europe’s leading fashion school. More than 30,000 people from 71 countries have studied at the college, which now has a campus in each of Europe’s three fashion capitals: Milan, Paris and London. Courses span all aspects of the fashion industry — including creative, managerial and commercial. Students are taught by designers, product managers, marketing experts, fashion consultants, photographers, buyers and fashion editors.

Aim

Setting up the institute’s first outside Italy in London.

Think London helped with

• selecting a location in London’s Spitalfields, an east London district with a legacy of textiles and tailoring stretching back five centuries. Today the area is a magnet for creative and progressive design, commerce and art.
  
• market intelligence.

Market factors

• London ranks among the ‘big four’ fashion centres alongside Milan, Paris and New York.
  
• the UK designer fashion market is the fourth largest in the world, worth more than $2 billion.
  
• international London-based brands include Jasper Conran, Nicole Farhi, Mulberry, Burberry, Ghost, Joseph, Paul Smith and Oswald Boateng.
  
• the bi-annual London Fashion Week is one of the world’s most prestigious fashion showcases.
  
• find out more in our creative industries sector briefing (link to relevant E78 page).

Business success

Istituto Marangoni’s London school was set up in 2003 and is now successfully up and running. It offers courses encompassing fashion design, business, interiors, product and graphic design and intensive language tutoring.

In their own words

“London is an extremely important creative centre for the fashion industry and represents an excellent cultural base where students can develop their skills. Through the synergies and the connections between our two locations, Milan and London, Istituto Marangoni decided to set up in London to give our students the chance of studying in two of the world’s centres of European culture.

We see London as offering Istituto Marangoni the opportunity to start a new era and to carry on the good work we have started in Milan to another creative city.

The help we received from Think London was absolutely vital. We always received everything we asked for quickly and very professionally. We didn’t know much about setting up in London so it was good to have a reference point here that we could turn to with questions or for help. Think London was willing to assist us every step of the way and we would have felt lost without them.”

Ana Nikovska
Istituto Marangoni Director, London

For more information about Istituto Marangoni, please visit www.istitutomarangoni.com

Listen to what Istituto Marangoni's London Director, Ana Nikovska, has to say about working with Think London (wmv: 15MB)