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Studies & Degrees in Fashion Styling

Fashion styling is the work of choosing and combining clothes, accessories and looks to create an image. A stylist prepares the outfits for a magazine editorial, an advertising campaign, a catwalk show, a film or a music video, or advises private clients and brands on how to dress. The designer creates the garment. The stylist decides how it is worn, with what and in which setting.

Courses teach fashion history and culture, trend analysis, colour, the building of a look, fashion photography and production, and how to organise a shoot. Many programmes add fashion communication, marketing, social media and personal image consulting, because stylists often work across these areas. Students usually finish with a portfolio of their own shoots.

Qualifications and levels

In Spain there is no single route. Styling is taught at several levels, and the type of qualification varies a great deal.

  • Higher-level cycle. Escuela KROOM DOS in Madrid teaches the Ciclo Formativo de Grado Superior en Estilismo de Indumentaria, which the school presents as an official qualification. It lasts 1,875 hours: 1,710 hours of modules at the school, 75 hours of practice in companies, studios or workshops and a 90-hour final project. It leads to the title of Técnico Superior en Estilismo de Indumentaria.
  • Higher arts studies in fashion design. The official higher studies in Design have four specialities, one of which is Moda (fashion). They last four academic years and have 240 credits, and the titles are official throughout Spain. Styling is one of the subjects of the fashion speciality. Several schools in the directory, such as Hacer Creativo in Zaragoza and Escuela de Diseño CEADE Leonardo in Seville, also teach fashion design.
  • University lifelong-learning qualifications. Spanish universities can award their own postgraduate titles: the Máster de Formación Permanente (60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits), the Diploma de Especialización (30 to 59 credits) and the Diploma de Experto (fewer than 30 credits). The regulation requires them to be clearly distinguished from official university degrees. Idep Barcelona offers a master's programme in Estilismo y Comunicación en Moda, a Máster de Formación Permanente of 60 ECTS credits awarded by the Universitat Abat Oliba CEU and taught from October to June, and a postgraduate course in Estilismo en Moda, a Diploma de Especialización of 30 ECTS credits. The Escuela de Unidad Editorial (ESUE) offers an online expert course in Estilismo de Moda y Asesoría de Imagen of 24 ECTS credits, run with UNIR. It lasts five months and its listed price is €4,200.
  • Private short courses. The Escuela Internacional de Diseño y Moda ISA in Madrid has a 200-hour styling course and states that the qualification is private. CEADE Leonardo offers a Diploma de Especialización en Estilismo y Comunicación de Moda with seven modules, from fashion styling to fashion photography and production and a final project.
  • Vocational training in image consulting. A related official route is the Técnico Superior en Asesoría de Imagen Personal y Corporativa, a 2,000-hour higher-level cycle. One of the jobs it leads to is consultant on styling in dress.

Because the names are similar, always ask the school what kind of qualification the programme leads to and what recognition it has.

Where to study it

The 10 schools listed for this subject in the SpainExchange directory are all in Spain. Four are in Madrid: IED Madrid, Escuela Internacional de Diseño y Moda ISA, Escuela KROOM DOS Diseño de Moda and the Escuela de Unidad Editorial. Barcelona has LCI Barcelona and Idep Barcelona. The others are in Zaragoza (Hacer Creativo), Seville (CEADE Leonardo) and Valencia (ADEIT, the university-business foundation of the Universitat de València).

The programmes described here are taught in Spanish, on site or online. International students should ask each school about the language of instruction and, for on-site courses, about timetables: Idep's programmes, for example, are taught in the evening in Barcelona.

Admission

Requirements depend on the level. The expert course at ESUE asks for an official university degree or at least one year of professional experience in the field. Idep's postgraduate course asks for experience in fashion or other creative areas, shown by an academic record or a portfolio. CEADE Leonardo admits people interested in fashion after a personal interview. Short private courses usually have no academic requirement.

Careers

Stylists work for magazines and digital media, brands, advertising and audiovisual producers, showrooms, shops and private clients, often as freelancers. Idep lists outlets such as stylist for editorials, campaigns or audiovisual fashion productions. CEADE Leonardo lists fashion stylist and personal image consultant, and visual merchandiser. We found no official employment statistics specific to fashion stylists, so this page gives no figures.

Frequently asked questions

Is fashion styling the same as fashion design?

No. A fashion designer creates garments and collections. A stylist selects and combines existing garments and accessories to build an image for a shoot, a show, a brand or a person. Styling is one subject within official fashion design studies in Spain.

How long does it take to study fashion styling?

From a 200-hour course, as at ISA, to 1,875 hours for the higher-level cycle in Estilismo de Indumentaria at KROOM DOS. University postgraduate titles range from 24 to 60 ECTS credits in the examples above.

Are fashion styling qualifications official?

It depends on the programme. Lifelong-learning titles such as the Máster de Formación Permanente are the university's own titles and must be distinguished from official degrees. ISA states that its course gives a private qualification. Ask each school what recognition its qualification has.

Do I need previous studies?

Not for every course. Postgraduate programmes ask for a university degree, professional experience or a portfolio, while short private courses are usually open to anyone interested in fashion.