The Reasons Behind Bunka Fashion College's New 'Virtual Fashion Course' and Their Future Vision for Fashion Education

The second installment of our feature 'Fashion Tech & Education' introduces the efforts of Bunka Fashion College, a fashion school that has produced more than 300,000 graduates in the fashion industry and is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

Established in 1923, Bunka Fashion College was the first school in Japan authorized for clothing education. Collaborating with the growth and development of the industry, it has built its reputation as a leading fashion education institution representing Japan.
 
From the 1970s up to the present, many designers such as Kenzo Takada, Junko Koshino, Yohji Yamamoto, Jun Takahashi, NIGO®, Akira Minagawa, Junichi Abe, Hiromichi Ochiai, Hidenori Kumakiri, Yoshiyuki Miyamae, Ryota Iwai, and Takuya Morikawa have been active.
 
This traditional fashion school is introducing a new 'Virtual Fashion Course' in 2024 for students in the third year of the Apparel Technology Department in the fashion technology program. The course aims to cultivate 3D modelers who can excel not only in the fashion industry but also with the most advanced digital skills and technology.
 
This time, we asked Sachiko Aihara, Dean of Bunka Fashion College, and Satoshi Tokuoka, a full-time lecturer at the college who launched the course, about why they decided to establish the Virtual Fashion Course, its purpose, strategy, and future development.