The Business of Fashion have released their annual ranking of the world’s best fashion schools, and London universities are leading the pack. Central Saint Martins, which has presented the world with many of fashion’s greatest talents, topped the list for the second year running, followed closely by Kingston University for undergraduate BA courses. CSM is also ranked number one for Graduate MA courses, with the Royal College of Art coming second and London College of Fashion rated fifth. The decision is made based on three ratings, including global influence, learning experience and long-term value; and this year the list has grown, adding 54 institutions across 17 countries, with over 10,000 students and alumni contributing to the survey.
Universities in the UK must now push to keep the calibre of education at a high, as it’s uncertain how they will be affected in the coming years by the Brexit vote which has many students and educators worried about their futures. British schools could not only face the loss of EU funding, but a post-Brexit Britain could also see a decline in international students from the EU who may find it harder to secure visas to study here.
Willie Walters, who recently retired after 24 years of teaching at Central Saint Martins and features in i-D’s new Female Gaze Issue shared her concerns about the outcome of the Brexit vote with BoF, commenting: “I’m worried about us leaving the EU and it becoming some ‘Little Britain’ situation again. I would be miserable if, when I leave, everything was to plummet and fall apart and some Draconian upper top management cage was to come down on my course. That’s why I want to leave now, while the new people can learn to be as strong as me to prevent that happening in their own time. Because I wasn’t me when I started off. I had to learn so much”.
Let’s hope that London’s institutions will continue to thrive and maintain their position at the top of the fashion world. Take a look at i-D’s pick of the most talented fashion school graduates of 2016.
Credits
Text Lula Ososki
Photography Anabel Navarro Llorens