The key points
- Istituto Marangoni was founded in 1935 in Milan and is now based in 9 cities around the world
- A new school will open in Dubai in September 2022 with degree courses in fashion, visual and interior design
- Objective: to open a door on the Middle East and GCC
Istituto Marangoni lands in the Emirates, opening its ninth school in Dubai. And it confirms the growing importance of the Middle East and the Gulf countries in the fashion-luxury sector.
“We started researching Dubai about three years ago – says Stefania Valenti, managing director of Istituto Marangoni, now part of the Galileo Global Education Group which has 54 schools in 13 countries – and we were surprised to discover that there was no university training offer focused on the themes of fashion and luxury ». Yet Africa and the Middle East, together with Asia, are the most promising areas for the training market: “It is estimated that the number of students who will access university-type training between now and 2040 in these areas will grow on average by 4 % per year, compared to 1% in Europe and North America », says Valenti.
Hence the idea of opening a branch of the Milanese Institute – which has an 87-year history behind it and has “churned out” numerous talents: from Dolce & Gabbana to Riconstru – also in Dubai, in the Difc district. “It will be our ninth school after Milan, Florence, London, Paris, Shanghai, Shenzen, Mumbai and Miami, and will offer preparatory, bachelor and master degree courses in fashion, interior and visual design”, continues Valenti. The school will open in May, but the graduation courses will start in September 2022, while starting from January 2023 some shorter courses of three weeks and courses dedicated to executives, lasting three months (and hybrid) are scheduled. Most of the teachers (70%) will be selected from those working in Italy.
The opening of Istituto Marangoni Dubai will not be an end in itself, but the company’s plans are the beginning of a potential expansion in the Middle East and in the Gulf countries, and in particular in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar. Furthermore, it will serve to strengthen the bond with Asian students: from the very beginning, for example, Marangoni will give the possibility to those enrolled in the Mumbai office to also attend the one in Dubai.
The announcement comes during Milan fashion week and at the end of a difficult two-year period in which Istituto Marangoni has experimented with hybrid forms of education. However, without losing ground on the placement front: according to a research conducted by Ipsos at the end of 2020, 94% of students found their dream job one year after finishing their studies. «Before the pandemic the percentage was 96% – comments Valenti – but this slight loss gives us an account of the fact that our bond with brands and companies has remained strong. Not to mention that 30-35% of our students after graduation found their own brand “.