On March 25, “Growing Around a Square”, the first show put on by the Fashion Design Joint Program—a collaboration between the Schools of Design at ECNU and NABA (Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti ) in Milan—was held on ECNU’s Zhongbei Campus. The show attracted more than 300 teachers, students and professionals in the fashion industry.
Chen Qun (center) meets Marc Ledermann before the show.
Distinguished guests present at the show included Gabriele De Stefano, Vice Consul General of the Italian Consulate in Shanghai, who congratulated the show on behalf of the Italian Government. Also in attendance were Marc Ledermann, CEO of NABA & DOMUS Academy and Senior VP of Laureate Design Universities, Nicoletta Morozzi, head of the postgraduate program of Fashion Design at NABA, Zhu Ziqiang, President of Shanghai Normal University, Chen Qun, President of ECNU, Sun Zhenrong, Vice President of ECNU, Fan Jun, former Vice President of ECNU, and Wei Shaonong, Dean of ECNU’s School of Design.
The show attracts more than 300 teachers, students and professionals.
The show was directed by Paolo Bazzani, a famous fashion director from Milan. The show was divided into three parts: first came works by Zhang Siwei, a famous designer and part-time teacher from the School of Design; then followed works by students from NABA; and finally there were works produced by a summer program for fashion students from the two universities. The colorful and innovative designs enticed more than 20 media outlets to cover the show.
The joint program conducted by ECNU and NABA is the first and the only double-degree and -diploma program in fashion design recognized by China’s Ministry of Education. Its aim is to meet the market needs for high-end design talents as Shanghai continues to develop its reputation as a city of fashion and design. The program has adopted a training mode of “2+2”; that is, students will study at both ECNU and NABA (in Milan) for two years, respectively. After finishing all required courses, students will receive certificates recognized by the two universities and the Ministries of Education from both countries. Through this joint program, ECNU and NABA will match courses and manage credit exchanges in their fashion design major. They will also share educational and practical resources, which will help foster this newly established venture and serve as a model for innovative fashion design programs with high standards.
