Skip to content

Studies & Degrees in Accessory Design

Accessory design is the design and making of the pieces that complete an outfit: footwear, handbags, belts, small leather goods, hats, gloves, scarves and jewellery. It sits between fashion design and product design. An accessory has to look right and also work: a shoe must fit and last, and a bag must carry weight and close properly.

Students learn to draw and illustrate their ideas, to choose leather, textiles and fittings, to cut patterns, and to build prototypes by hand and by machine. They also write technical sheets for manufacturers and plan a collection around a common idea. The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York describes its programme as creating footwear, handbags and small leather goods from concept to finished product, while exploring technology, advanced materials and sustainability.

Qualifications and levels

Accessory design is taught at very different levels, from a weekend workshop to a four-year degree.

  • University-level degrees: FIT, which is part of SUNY, The State University of New York, offers Footwear and Accessories Design as an associate degree (AAS) and as a bachelor's degree (BFA). The AAS prepares students for an entry-level position in design, sample making or patternmaking, or for entry to the BFA.
  • Higher design studies in Spain: the official higher arts education in design has four specialities (Graphic, Product, Interiors and Fashion) and takes four academic years of 60 credits each, 240 credits in total. Accessory design is not a speciality of its own.
  • Vocational training (FP) in Spain: two official qualifications cover the field. The grado medio Técnico en Calzado y Complementos de Moda and the grado superior Técnico Superior en Diseño y Producción de Calzado y Complementos each have 2,000 hours. The first requires the compulsory secondary education certificate or a higher qualification; the second requires the Bachiller or an equivalent.
  • Private courses: fashion schools offer shorter courses with their own certificates. In Madrid, the Escuela Internacional de Diseño y Moda ISA has a 100-hour course in Diseño de complementos that covers shoes, hats, bags, scarves and ties, gloves, belts and wallets; the school states that the qualification is private and that enrolment is open all year. Escuela KROOM DOS runs 20-hour workshops in bag design and making and in footwear design, each with a certificate from the school.
  • Craft courses in Italy: Accademia Riaci in Florence, active since 1983, teaches bag making in one-year, semester, master and short courses. FUA, Florence University of the Arts, lists Accessory Design and Technology within its School of Fashion and Accessory Studies and Technology.

Private certificates differ in value from one school to another. Before enrolling, ask the school what recognition its qualification has.

Where to study accessory design

SpainExchange lists 7 active schools for accessory design: three in Spain, two in Italy, one in the United States and one in Singapore. The Spanish schools are all in Madrid and teach in Spanish. Both Italian schools are in Florence, a city with a long leather-working tradition. FUA teaches in English. Accademia Riaci gives its bag-making classes with an English interpreter.

Costs vary with length. Accademia Riaci publishes its prices: the one-year Bag Making course, with 28 weeks of classes, costs €14,200 for EU students and €16,200 for non-EU students, and a semester costs €8,400 or €9,400. ISA gives its price on request. Public vocational training in Spain is organised by the autonomous communities, which set their own enrolment conditions.

Careers

Graduates work for footwear, leather goods and fashion brands, for manufacturers, or for themselves. The Spanish ministry's TodoFP portal lists, for the grado superior, jobs such as technical designer of footwear and leather goods, pattern maker for leather goods, product development technician and production manager. FIT states that its AAS graduates become designers, stylists, product-line builders, merchandisers and production assistants.

A portfolio of finished pieces matters as much as the certificate. Courses that include pattern cutting and real prototypes give more to show than courses based on drawing alone.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an official accessory design qualification in Spain?

Yes, in vocational training: Técnico en Calzado y Complementos de Moda (grado medio) and Técnico Superior en Diseño y Producción de Calzado y Complementos (grado superior), each of 2,000 hours. The ISA and KROOM DOS courses described here lead to a certificate from the school itself.

How long does it take to study accessory design?

It depends on the level. Workshops at KROOM DOS last 20 hours and the ISA course 100 hours. The one-year course at Accademia Riaci has 28 weeks of classes, and the Spanish higher design studies take four years.

Can I study accessory design in English?

Yes. FIT in New York and FUA in Florence teach in English, and Accademia Riaci provides an English interpreter. The Madrid schools teach in Spanish.

Do I need to know how to sew before I start?

Not always. The KROOM DOS bag workshop is aimed at designers, students and creative people who want to make their own prototypes. At Accademia Riaci, students learn both hand sewing and machine sewing during the course. Ask each school about its entry requirements.