First fashion course graduates in Russia

Assisted by the VOGUE magazine and Alexander Vasilyev, a famous arts critic and fashion historian, the Lomonosov Moscow State University, the leader of Russia's higher education, has trained Russia's 20 unique experts. They have finished a two-year experimental course, Management and Fashion Theory.

Nowadays, Russian designers more often win prestigious international contests and open their boutiques in the world fashion capitals. But fashion is both art and business. For any artist to put into practice his best wish - to have his art in demand -- he must have people near in charge of marketing, advertising, public relations, production organisation and sales management.

So far, Russian higher education establishments have not trained such experts. The work was started two years ago when the department of sociology of Moscow State University invited students to attend a master course, Management and Fashion Theory.

Those who worked or would like to work in the sphere of marketing, fashions sales management, fashion projects management, fashion analysis or public relations management were invited to attend the course. The course targeted people with higher education background mostly.

The would-be fashion experts mastered such disciplines as culturology and art criticism. This allowed them to have an insight into the history of styles and epochs, the history of dress and dynamics of accessories, to learn the peculiarities of international and Russian fashion markets. The knowledge of sociology, marketing and advertising practices were just as necessary.

Entrants to the new course will be asked to submit documents from June 25th, while on October 1st, those admitted will launch the education programme.