For aspiring fashion professionals in New York dreaming of an education rooted in both the bustling commercial hub of Manhattan and the historic atelier culture of Paris, LIM College is about to make that journey a reality.
Earlier this month, the private higher education institution, widely recognized for its specialized focus on the business of fashion, announced a groundbreaking new bachelor’s degree program developed in direct partnership with its esteemed French sister school, ESMOD. Beginning with the fall 2027 semester, undergraduate students enrolled at LIM will have the unique opportunity to pursue a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Fashion Design and Business. This comprehensive academic track will allow students to spend their sophomore and junior years studying abroad at ESMOD, widely celebrated as the world’s oldest fashion school, which was originally founded in Paris back in 1841 by the visionary master tailor Alexis Lavigne.
This pioneering hybrid program has been meticulously structured to provide students with a holistic, dual-faceted education that seamlessly bridges the often-siloed worlds of creative design and corporate strategy. Under the curriculum framework, incoming freshmen will begin their academic careers directly at LIM’s Midtown Manhattan campus. During this crucial first year, students will establish a robust and comprehensive foundation in the core principles of marketing, commercial management, and global communications, ensuring they understand the commercial realities of the industry before ever picking up a sketchpad for technical design.
As they transition into their sophomore and junior years, the academic focus undergoes a dynamic shift toward the technical art of creation. Students will immerse themselves fully in ESMOD’s rigorous, technique-driven curriculum while simultaneously absorbing the rich history, culture, and endless fount of inspiration that Paris inherently provides. Following this immersive international experience, participants will return to LIM’s Midtown Manhattan campus for their senior year, synthesizing their international design education with advanced business strategies to prepare for entry into the global workforce.
To successfully complete the program and earn their degree, candidates will be required to meet high professional standards, including participating in two substantive industry internships and conceptualizing, developing, and presenting a complete fashion collection as their senior capstone project.
According to LIM President Ron Marshall, the unique dual-literacy afforded by this collaborative academic program is precisely what contemporary fashion and lifestyle enterprises are actively seeking in today’s increasingly competitive global job market. In Marshall’s view, exceptional creative concepts alone are no longer sufficient to sustain a modern apparel brand. Professionals must possess both the technical design skills required to properly execute a vision and the sophisticated business acumen necessary to implement and commercialize it effectively in the marketplace.
Elaborating on the strategic vision behind the initiative, Marshall noted that students enrolled in the program will no longer be forced to choose between pursuing an education solely centered on fashion design or one dedicated entirely to the business aspects of the industry. Instead, they will graduate equipped with comprehensive knowledge, hands-on experience, and invaluable international professional networks spanning both critical sectors. This dual expertise will teach them not only how great products are originally conceived and created, but also how successful, enduring brands are strategically built and sustained over the long term.
The establishment of the LIM and ESMOD Fashion Design and Business degree program is part of an ongoing strategic dialogue and deeper institutional integration between the two schools. This close relationship was formally catalyzed last year when LIM College joined ESMOD under the umbrella of the Japan Educational Foundation (JEF) portfolio, creating unprecedented avenues for academic collaboration and resource sharing across continents.
Reflecting on the growth of this partnership, Marshall explained that the corporate and academic alignment under JEF has opened doors to work together in ways that were simply not possible previously. As a tangible demonstration of this cross-continental synergy, students from ESMOD recently contributed striking creative looks to LIM’s landmark 81st annual fashion show, which took place in April at The Glasshouse in New York City and carried the theme "Global Fashion Fusion."
Looking ahead, Marshall emphasized that this collaborative degree is merely the beginning of a broader strategic vision. He stated that LIM and ESMOD, alongside other distinguished educational institutions within the global JEF portfolio, will continue to explore and develop multiple opportunities to create integrated academic programs designed to benefit ambitious students around the world in innovative ways.
