Canada Fashion Schools: Fashion School Directory for Canada

Canada's fashion schools range from practical, intensive private career colleges to university programs, concentrated in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver's fashion communities. This directory includes Coco Fashion Design Centre in Toronto's Downsview Park, which builds practical and intensive programs meant to move students into the industry in a shorter span than traditional colleges, alongside other Canadian schools teaching design, pattern work and the business of fashion. Compare programs below by length, credential and how directly each one trains for a first fashion job.

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Coco Fashion Design Centre : Located in the spacious Downsview Park complex, Coco Fashion Design Centre is a unique institution unlike other fashion schools. There is currently no other Private Career College that covers this type of education streams within the region. By developing the programs to be practical and intensive, this will help students to enter in the industry in shorter span of time as compared to other colleges. Their vision is to become a leading provider of vocational programs in fashion and related fields with a goal to provide students with affordable and short industry oriented programs. Coco Fashion Design Centre 65 Carl Hall Rd., Suite 226 Downsview, Ontario M3K 2E1 Bus: (416) 739-0875 Fax: (416) 739-0063

George Brown College George Brown College has fashion and jewelry courses. Here are a few descriptions, but check with them directly for most current course offerings.

Fashion Business Industry (F112) - Two-Year Diploma - Graduates demonstrate technical skills that cross all industry positions as well as the knowledge necessary to navigate the management side of the fashion industry or alternately to be ready to begin their own small business. Qualifying graduates may continue their studies in the International Fashion Development & Management (Postgraduate) program. Through various courses students will have the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of basic technical and related components of fashion with a greater focus on managing fashion at the "small" business level.
International Fashion Development and Management (Postgraduate) (F402) - The one-year post-diploma (with work placement) program provides students with the knowledge to work in the fashion industry in the global environment. World trade issues, import/export practices and business structures that affect and are affected by a firm's global participation are reviewed.
Fashion Techniques and Design
Fashion Management
Fashion Business Industry
International Fashion Development and Management

Academy of Design Humber College - Fashion Management Humber's Fashion Management degree is designed for students interested in the business side of fashion and features a distinctive array of fashion management courses. The emphasis of their fashion management degree is on preparing you for the fashion industry with solid business management skills, with a program focus in areas such as wholesale management, retail operations, or import/export management. You have the first two years of the fashion management program in which to choose your field, and the next two years to complete your specialization. Courses in the first two years of study are not what distinguish your degree – they are what define it. This is a business degree, built on the platform of a solid business education – marketing, accounting, economics and law. In years three and four, you will work toward your fashion management specialization. Gain practical skills through applied projects, such as developing business plans and working on practical industry-linked assignments. You will have the opportunity to develop processes and products from the idea stage through to execution. You will learn from experienced faculty and a network of industry professionals.

Ryerson University, School of Fashion : Ryerson is the place to study fashion design, communication and culture. As an international leader in fashion education, our academically and artistically demanding program focuses on fashion as an art, as a business – and as an intellectual challenge. For 60 years, the School of Fashion has been developing fashion professionals. Our alumni dominate the Canadian fashion industry and quickly are gaining international reputation. Through global initiatives, exchange agreements and membership in the International Foundation of Fashion Technology Institutes (IFFTI), we are counted as one of the top fashion undergraduate schools worldwide. Commencing Fall 2010, Ryerson will introduce an innovative program leading to a Master of Arts (MA) degree in Fashion. This program will be the first of its kind offered in Canada.

Seneca College of Applied Arts & Technology : they have courses in fashion arts, fashion business development, fashion business, and fashion studies. They also have event management and other helpful study programs.

Do you know a fashion school in Canada that is not listed on this page? Please tell us.

Learn more about fashion relevant to Canada from the fashion industry links below:

Montreal Fashion News

Plastic Bag Suffocation Warning : English and French

Canada Fashion Industry

Canada Fashion Group

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Fashion Industry

Fashion Models

Private Career College or University?

Canada offers both routes, and they suit different students. A private career college such as Coco Fashion Design Centre — which notes there is no other private career college covering its type of education streams within its region — designs programs to be practical and intensive, with the explicit goal of helping students enter the industry in a shorter span of time than other colleges, at an affordable cost. A university fashion degree takes longer and adds academic breadth: textiles, business and liberal studies around the studio core. Neither route is a shortcut past the portfolio — every employer will ask to see your work — but the career-college route gets you producing work sooner.

Studying Fashion in Canada

Toronto and Montreal anchor the industry: Toronto for corporate retail, buying and head-office careers, Montreal for design and manufacturing heritage and a bilingual fashion culture. International students should check each school's eligibility and work rules directly, and every applicant should ask about class size in studio courses, the equipment students actually use, and where recent graduates work. The Canadian fashion weeks and fashion industry pages linked from this directory give a feel for the community you would be joining.

Common Questions

What makes Coco Fashion Design Centre different?

Located in the spacious Downsview Park complex in Toronto, it is a private career college whose programs are developed to be practical and intensive, helping students enter the industry in a shorter span of time compared with other colleges.

What types of fashion schools does Canada have?

Both private career colleges with intensive, job-focused programs and universities offering longer fashion degrees — this directory lists schools across that range for comparison.

Where is Canada's fashion industry concentrated?

Toronto and Montreal are the main centres — Toronto for retail and head-office careers, Montreal for design and manufacturing — with fashion communities in Vancouver and other cities as well.