Message from the President
Everything at BFGU fosters the talent needed to breathe new life
into the competitive global fashion industry.
The first fashion professional school in Japan bringing together 100 years of know-how in fashion education.
President, Bunka Fashion Graduate University
The fashion business in Japan has come to occupy a certain position in world. Yet, it faces a string of problems that designers do not have sufficient understanding about management and the management level in corporates, on the contrary, do not understand about design and technology. When considering fashion as a global business, it is necessary to incorporate different perspectives such as management, finance, production control, quality control, as well as original designs and excellent technologies. It is, hence, necessary to nurture more future leaders for the fashion industry from the two perspectives of “creation” and “management”. BFGU was established in 2006 as the first fashion professional school in Japan combining the achievements and know-how of Bunka Gakuen, a school corporation that has been playing the leading roles in the fashion education in Japan for 100 years. The school bridges up theories and practical techniques; its greatest objective is to establish a unique brand and business model so as to fostering “new creators” as proactive global leaders in the fashion industry for future generations.
History of Bunka Gakuen
What is a Professional Graduate School?
A Professional Graduate School is a new type of graduate school that has been newly established in 2003. Traditionally, graduate schools have focused on training students to become researchers. However, professional graduate schools focus on specialized training so the students can become business leaders with high professional business ability. A major feature of professional graduate schools is the promotion of high level, professional training and practical business education through practical lessons, by inviting professors and lecturers who play an active role in the forefront of their field.
Message from the Dean
We form talented people who are not only able to
create ‘fashion’ but also capable of creating ‘fashion business’
Dean, Graduate School of Fashion Business
As Japan’s only graduate university that aims to nurture fashion professionals, the BFGU offers unique and excellent features. First, it integrates the field of fashion creation with fashion management to learn the practical skills required to manage creative and design skills. With the unprecedented combination of these two divisions, the graduate school implements high-level education to foster the growth of professionals. Second, the graduate students can make extensive use of the world-leading premises and facilities that Educational Foundation Bunka Gakuen has developed and accumulated over the years. Third, the graduate university organizes various industry-academia collaborative projects to offer students opportunities to gain practical business experience. Based on this thorough, all-round environment for education and research, students are able to acquire not only theories but also practical knowledge and techniques as their first step and nice equipment for their development in the fashion industry.
Feature
Division, Course
At BFGU, we provide two divisions of specialization, Fashion Creation and Fashion Management within the Graduate School of Fashion Business. The aim is to educate talented people who have the intellect and skills to prevail in the world’s fashion market. In agreement with the previously mentioned three fields of study in fashion business, we have established three courses: Fashion Design Course, Fashion Technology Course, and Fashion Business Administration Course.
Structure Chart of Graduate School
| Graduate School of Fashion Business Professional Graduate |
Division of Fashion Creation Academic degree： Master of Fashion Creation |
Professional course to foster designers who will lead world fashion
Fashion Design CourseFields where graduates can work in the future： Business: Designer brands, Fashion apparel makers Occupations: Owner designer, Creative designer, Knit designer, Textile designer |
Professional course to foster technologists who will convert designs to commercial
Fashion Technology CourseFields where graduates can work in the future： Business: Designer brands, Fashion apparel makers, Sewing factories Occupations: Modelist, Patternmaker, Production plan |
||
| Division of Fashion Management Academic degree： Master of Fashion Management |
Professional course to foster executives, entrepreneurs, and producers in the fashion industry
Fashion Business Administration CourseFields where graduates can work in the future： Business: Fashion apparel makers, Fashion general merchandise makers,Trading companies, Fashion retailers, Fashion related shopping centers Occupations: Entrepreneur, Executive, Brand manager,Merchandiser, Store manager, Buyer, Store development planner, Sales manager |
TOPICS
Learning of how the fashion industry works in a practical way “Fashion Business Methods (Practical)”
“Fashion business Methods (Practical)” is a compulsory course in which an apparel brand is collaboratively created by three streams altogether as a group, and a simulation model of apparel manufacturing and wholesale is constructed with features of the streams. In the design domain, we plan to create a design concept based on the brand concept, propose a season concept, and develop a core item design and 20-inch design. In the technology domain, it’s pattern making, creation of virtual samples using 3D CAD software “CLO Enterprise”, examination of production methods, and creation of sewing specifications. Last but not least in the management domain, measures for products, prices, distribution channels, and communication are implemented for planning the sales, profit, and loss of the season. All of this processes are going to be summarized in a business plan and a presentation. We aim to nurture proactive leaders who are able to discover issues in the fashion industry, create ideas, plan strategies, and formulate product development for the realization of the brand concept. We also make efforts for the future apparel industry by making the production of virtual samples using 3D CAD mandatory.
“Sustainable Fashion I & II” and “AI, Metaverse & Fashion”- new courses in line with the modern times
Our graduate school always aims to fit our curriculum in modern times so as to cope with the fast-changing fashion industry. We are glad to have launched “Sustainable Fashion I & II” in 2022. In this course, students are able to acquire basic knowledge about sustainability and the newest issues in the fashion industry, identify advanced issues of concern at different stages of the supply chain, and explore solutions and models for the future.
【Syllabus】「Sustainable Fashion I」（Japanese page）
【Syllabus】「Sustainable Fashion II」（Japanese page）
In 2023, we are opening a new course called “AI, Metaverse & Fashion” in which students can get to know more about the issues of the industry as well as other interesting topics (e.g. consumer needs) through the utilization of AI, which has become close to essential in the modern society. Students are also going to learn how to solve the inventory issues in the apparel, fashion, and technology fields through the utilization of Metaverse as a new scheme for new fashion creation.
【Syllabus】「AI, Metaverse & Fashion」（Japanese page）
NEWS
Patent acquisition for the production method of circular knit pleats
A part-time lecturer at our graduate school and a graduate student of the fashion design course collaborated and developed a method to manufacture circular knit pleats without rips, distortions, or burdens on the material, which attained a patent on December 7th, 2022. Conventional circular pleats could only be produced by pasting different components together or processing materials with chemicals. With the new technology, it can now be created aesthetically and more naturally through the utilization of the features of fibers.
The Launch of “Graphic Project”, a collaboration product by PUMA × BFGU
The “Graphic Project” is a collaboration between PUMA and BFGU. This course is supported by PUMA Japan K.K. designed for 2nd-year fashion creation majors. It is a social contribution activity of PUMA Japan K.K.. in the field of education; students will be divided into three teams to work on their original graphic designs and garments for PUMA retailers. Each team will be assigned a PUMA Japan K.K. representative as the coordinator. The teams will have to work on one selected method and then go through the actual production process of the company. A final presentation and screening will be held at the end of the course and the creation will be commercialized and released as a Puma Japan product.
INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE
Bunka Fashion Graduate University was founded in order to cultivate talent in individuals who can develop intellectual property for the fashion industry, bring creative visions into reality, and establish business models for unique fashion brands that will be globally relevant.
Participation in overseas fashion weeks and contests
Initiated by the exchange with the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague, BFGU has been participating in the Mercedes-Benz Prague Fashion Week in Prague, the Czech Republic where students showcase their creations. As the only educational institution that specializes in fashion in Japan, BFGU has been participating in the fashion show with UMPRUM and has received high praise from several media outlets every year. In addition, BFGU has been invited to participate in the annual fashion contest International Contest for Young Designers ‘Admiralty Needle’ hosted by Saint Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design of Russia. There students from BFGU display their works to represent Japan alongside students from Russia and Europe.
Exchanges with international students
Academic staff members and students from overseas institutes such as ESSEC Business School in France and the University of Salford in the UK have weaved visits to our graduate school as in-depth exchange activities including facility tours and discussions with our graduate students. Since 2022, an exchange program with graduate students from the Parsons College of Art in the United States has also been implemented aiming at more interactions and thus more mutual stimulation for future research and projects.
Holding Global Seminars
The Global Seminar, planned and held by the Bunka International Communication Center for Bunka Gakuen students, invites industry professionals such as teachers and designers from overseas partner schools. It is always an opportunity to learn the latest global standards, as well as to improve communication skills in English and become aware of the need to do so.
BUNKA International Communication Center
INDUSTRIAL-ACADEMICGOVERNMENT COLLABORATION PROJECT
BFGU conducts a number of collaborative projects with the fashion industry and government agencies.
A collaboration research project between BFGU × YKK Corporation AiryString®
In 2021, we started a joint research project with YKK Corporation as a collaboration between the industry and academia sectors. In this collaboration, our Fashion Technology majors created a work using AiryString® without fastener tapes. The work was created by researching pattern making and sewing methods with an aim at commercialization utilizing AiryString®, followed by a presentation. We aim to equip students with problem solving skills by the independent learning in this project. In the future, our school will definitely continue to foster capable human resources through the collaboration with the industry sector.
AiryString is a registered trademark of YKK Corporation
in Japan and other countries / regions
Participation in the “XR Collection & Museum”
We have provided exhibits for “XR Collection & Museum”, the collaborative project of NTT DOCOMO and Odakyu Railway – a total of 14 works created by graduate students of the fashion design course in 3D and virtual works created by graduate students of the fashion technology course using 3D CAD, which are virtual merely in smartphone or tablet. It is, as a matter of fact, a perfect match with the current era with “the brand-new form of fashion show with no crowds and available at anytime” brought by XR technology.
A collaboration project by KSG Co., Ltd. × Paronym Inc. × BFGU
Our Fashion Business Administration Course realized a joint research project with KSG Co., Ltd., and Paronym Inc. as a collaboration between industry and academia, which included research on the optimal solution for “video quality, content amount, and posting frequency” for the enhancement of non-store sales under the theme of “research on the possibility of non-store sales using DX”. As for the research methodology, Paronym Co., Ltd.’s “Tig Creator” app is used for the creation and distribution of promotional videos for Americaya Co., Ltd. (a subsidiary of KSG Co., Ltd.) for a thorough analysis of consumer views and presentation of findings.
Tig is an interactive video technology for users to obtain information in certain videos simply by tapping the screen as users will then be redirected to various previously installed second actions.