Otago Polytechnic fashion degree ranked among world’s best
Otago Polytechnic’s undergraduate fashion degree has received major international recognition, being named as one of the
world’s top 50 bachelor’s degrees in fashion.
Coming in at number 47 in the latest Global Fashion School Rankings, the Polytechnic’s Bachelor of Design (Fashion) is
the only New Zealand degree included on the list, and one of just four from Australasia.
The Rankings are established by London-based The Business of Fashion, a digital resource for fashion creatives,
executives and entrepreneurs that provides news, analysis and business intelligence. Each academic programme was
evaluated on three key dimensions:
Global influence – assessing global reputation and influence by surveying industry, academic and HR professionals around the world,
assessing the selectivity and admittance rates, and analysing finalists at nine prestigious international fashion
prizes;
Learning experience – considering the student experience by surveying student satisfaction with the calibre of fellow students, the quality of
teaching and available resources;
Long-term value – assessing students’ readiness for the real world based on graduation rates, and student satisfaction about employment
opportunities, career preparedness and accessibility of alumni.
“We are absolutely thrilled to receive this international stamp of approval,” says Margo Barton, Academic Leader:
Fashion at Otago Polytechnic’s School of Design in Dunedin. “We are the world’s southern-most design school and this
ranking is an acknowledgement of the wonderful, world-class team we have here – staff, students, graduates and industry
– working, learning and achieving together.”
Otago Polytechnic nurtures creative potential by recognising the individuality of each student, encouraging
experimentation, innovation and the challenging of fashion conventions.
“We see our small size and location as a luxury,” says Dr Barton. “Because of our geographical isolation, we actively
create opportunities for engagement for all students on national and international platforms.”
The Polytechnic facilitates a range of international exchanges to Europe, Asia and the Americas, both outgoing and
incoming. Students and graduates regularly show at iD Dunedin Fashion Week, New Zealand Fashion Week, Shanghai Fashion
Week and Mittelmoda the Fashion Award in Italy.
In 2005, the iD International Emerging Designer Awards were conceived by Dr Barton as a means to attract international
emerging talent to the city, and to offer the opportunity for Otago Polytechnic students and alumni to interact with
these emerging designers. These remain the only international fashion design awards in Australasia.
Distinguished alumni of the Bachelor of Design (Fashion) programme include Anna Ross (Kester Black), Anjali Stewart
(Twenty-seven names), Charmaine Reveley, Cheryl Burtenshaw, Sara Aspinall (Company of Strangers/Strangelove), Jessie
Wong (Yu Mei), Cara Mitchell (Carlson/Cherry Cotton Candy), Meg Gallagher (Camilla and Marc) and Bailey Meredith (Kate
Sylvester). Many more fashion graduates are located in the hundreds of associated positions in the fashion industry.
Today’s announcement coincides with the opening of New Zealand Fashion Week tonight, and on Thursday three recent
graduates of the Bachelor of Design (Fashion) will showcase their collections as a part of the NZFW Graduate Selection
show.
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