There is a wide variety of jobs in the fashion industry, ranging from well-known jobs such as a designer and patternmaker to lesser-known jobs such as visual merchandiser and CAD operator. The development of the fashion industry knows no stopping, continuously becoming more globalized and speedy to meet customer's needs for new attractive products and to respond to the rapid change of the production conditions. To keep advancing together with Japan's fashion industry, Bunka Fashion College attempts to foster valuable assets and makes a commitment to develop and enhance the educational environment for deep and wide learning.
Bunka Fashion College was founded in 1923 as the first dressmaking school in Japan. Since then, Bunka has had a significant role in shaping fashion education in Japan. Its original, specialised and practical curriculum adapts to the changes in a diversified industry, and it continues to cultivate fashion professionals who can easily adapt to the modern fashion industry.
We have Bunka Gakuen Costume Museum, which houses more than 20,000 articles, a library which has one of Japan's greatest collections of fashion-related books, and Fashion Resource Center, which consistently collects, exhibits and stores new materials and documents about textile, video, costume and so on. With such facilities, we undertake an essential role as a hub not only to collect information from the world but also to transmit information from Japan to the world.
Bunka Fashion College was orignally established as the "Women's and Children's Dressmaking School" with the aim of spreading dress-making skills throughout Japan. In 1923, Bunka was recognized as the first educational foundation of Western-style clothing in Japan and it has since been a leader in Japanese fashion education. It has always maintained a close relationship with industry. Bunka produces a large number of internationally renowned designers as a result of its original curriculum which is closely related to all aspects of industry. The number of Bunka alumni has surpassed 300,000 over the course of its history and it has produced many great designers such as Hiroko Koshino, Yohji Yamamoto and Chisato Tsumori. Bunka Fashion College is one of the most prestigious fashion schools in the world.
As a leader in fashion education in Japan, Bunka has recently established a new course called Creative Design (Advanced Diploma) which is equivalent to a four year university undergraduate degree. Bunka has also established Bunka Fashion Graduate University which is the first specialized skills-related postgraduate institution in Japan. Similarly, Bunka not only promotes practical, specialised education but it also develops joint research with industry and develops collaborative projects with industry, government and educational institutions. Bunka Fashion College is progressing and developing with the times.
Furthermore, Bunka continues to become a center for global fashion information with an international perspective. At the centre of an intelligent campus with the latest facilities is the Fashion Resource Center which displays textiles, images, and fashion-related information on business and academia. The Bunka Gakuen Costume Museum and library also holds many items of international significance. This completes the international fashion information network at Bunka.
In 2009, the chairman of the International Foundation of Fashion Technology Institutes (IFFTI) was selected from Bunka Fashion College. IFFTI consists of 34 member schools from 17 countries, such as the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, and Central St. Martins College and Nottingham Trent University in the United Kingdom. Bunka is the only IFFTI member in Japan and since the chairman of IFFTI was selected from Bunka Fashion College it indicates that Bunka is highly regarded worldwide.
It is important to raise the level of fashion education both domestically and internationally in order to contribute towards the creation of a sustainable society that deals with issues relating to the environment. The mission of Bunka Fashion College is to create a globally recognized curriculum that fosters student creativity and originality on the international stage and produces graduates who will be future leaders.
Bunka Fashion College's educational aim is to foster the originality and beauty of Japanese people and the character of each individual. It also seeks to assist students acquire skills and a sound knowledge that translates on the international stage and assists them to develop personal qualities that create genuine international relationships.
