IED Firenze lecturers say the industry now demands professionals who can move between disciplines as roles grow more specialised yet interconnected.
Fashion employers are increasingly seeking professionals capable of operating across creative, commercial and strategic domains, according to three lecturers from IED Firenze's postgraduate programmes who spoke with nss magazine. The shift comes as industry roles become simultaneously more specialised and more demanding of cross-disciplinary flexibility.
Giorgio Ammirabile, who teaches Creative Direction for Fashion, stressed adaptability as a crucial capability amid ongoing industry transformation. Svenja Niessen, lecturer in Fashion Merchandising and Buying, pointed to the importance of recognising industry changes and crafting new responses. Alessandro Maria Ferreri, Fashion Business Coordinator, contended that creative professionals must develop deeper knowledge of business processes and cost structures.
The exchange highlights expanding intersections between creative direction, merchandising, brand management, curation and textile innovation. IED Firenze's postgraduate portfolio encompasses programmes spanning these fields, including a master's degree concentrating on textile design, materials and circularity.
For students and educators, the dialogue signals a professional environment where technical expertise retains its value but now sits alongside business literacy, strategic acumen and collaborative capacity across specialisations. Rather than pursuing discrete traditional positions, new entrants to the field may need to cultivate capabilities that translate across multiple segments of the fashion system.