Classes in cutting at the ESMOD International school

From the first cutting lessons to today’s classes

Since the 1900s, one of the school’s ambitions has been to export its know-how on an international scale to enrich its methods through contact with other cultures and crafts.

At the beginning of the 1960s, young people demanded fashion that was designed for them. The aesthetic criteria were changing. Everything was speeding up. Faster means of communication, and the internationalization of goods, people, and ways of thinking, contributed to profound changes in fashion. Style was the watchword of this highly creative decade: everything had to have style.

Just as the 1960s were marked by the arrival of fashion design, it was in the 1990s that people began to think about fashion in terms of marketing. The ESMOD group therefore created the ISEM (European Higher Institution of Fashion) in 1989 to respond to the new demands of the market.

With the creation of ESMOD Tokyo in 1984 by Satoru Nino, the current president of the ESMOD group, the school established its internationalization strategy with a genuine desire to provide coherent teaching practice as well as cultural diversity. Nowadays, 21 schools in 14 countries make up a unique creative network that shares ESMOD's know-how around the world. While the courses are identical in every school in the network, each one demonstrates a strong identity, marked by the culture and know-how of the country in which it is located.

Located in a dynamic capital that is constantly in motion, ESMOD Tokyo, created in 1984, draws on the energy of the Shibuya fashion quarter to make its mark with a unique style that falls between Kawaii and structural design research. Its students have a real sense of detail and how to create a look, happily drawing their inspiration from the architecture that surrounds them and the flashy and colorful world of the new artistic scene. 

In a country that has completely embraced the era of the Internet, ESMOD Jakarta opened in 1996 and echoes international and cutting-edge fashion, in the style of the great fashion magazines. If the students break the rules when designing their clothes, this does not mean that they have not mastered the techniques that they use in their off-the-wall creativity, which knows no bounds. Benefiting from proven local expertise, the school stands out in the fields of accessories and knitwear. Thanks to the patronage of the Indonesian Design Development Foundation, ESMOD Jakarta really sets the standard in Southeast Asia and now offers training focused on the fashion business.  

To counteract the severe Scandinavian cold, the Norwegian capital has developed a "lifestyle" culture based on cocooning and nature. This culture has a strong influence on fashion and ESMOD Oslo exploits it perfectly, training its students to create pieces worthy of a Fall/Winter wardrobe (coats, sweaters, etc.) that call on a high degree of technical sophistication. Far from being confined to the basics, the Oslo students like to stylize casual wear to create chic and contemporary collections. The typically Nordic skills of leatherworking, working with fur, and working with knitted fabrics are undeniably advantageous in the perfection of their training.  

Located in the third most populated city in China, neighboring Shenzhen and Hong Kong, ESMOD Guangzhou opened in 2014 and is a beacon of French know-how, creativity, and technique in the south of China. As young Chinese people are turning more and more towards the West, with unrestrained open-mindedness, the school has achieved a creative equilibrium between the still coveted Couture style and the world of high-end, ready-to-wear fashion, so prized by lovers of fashion products. The school benefits from the energy of the "T.I.T Creative Park" campus—a platform dedicated to artistic and cross-cultural expression, linking fashion, art, culture, and design and supporting their legitimacy. At the beginning of the 2017 academic year, ESMOD will open a school in Beijing, consolidating their strategic presence in the Chinese market

In a country situated at the crossroads between Eastern and Western cultures, ESMOD Istanbul (opened in 2010) has established itself as a model of creativity, fed by varied inspirations, the fruits of a unique internationalism. One of the school's assets is the dynamism of the Turkish textile and clothing industry. It is supported by the large industrial group VAKKO, and provides its students with comprehensive technical training. This industrial and multicultural context allows ESMOD Istanbul to position itself as a point of reference for original and cutting-edge fashion.  

At the beginning of the 21st century, ESMOD maintains the legacy of its founder, Alexis Lavigne, whilst always striving to stay one step ahead of the fashion of tomorrow. As a result, today more than ever, the school directs its teaching towards innovation. From computer assisted design and 3D printing to the new distribution methods created with the development of the Internet and the evolution of consumer behavior, ESMOD explores and shares its constantly evolving expertise.