IFM: a school of excellence for technical professions

In fashion, collaborations often bring together the best of both partners...
The same could be said in training for the sector, if the highly successful merger achieved in 2019 between the Institut Français de la Mode (IFM) and the École de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, two world-renowned institutions, is anything to go by.
The former, created in 1986, was originally intended to prepare future fashion managers, including in design. Since 1927, the latter has been providing students with both the technical foundations of Haute Couture at the major Home manufacturers and the model-making, manufacturing, finishing and shaping techniques required by French garment workshops.

The merger of the IFM and the École de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne has resulted in a combination that is unique in the world. "We are the only fashion school in the world to bring together these three pillars of management, design and technical savoir-faire on the same campus", emphasizes Sylvie Ebel, IFM's Deputy Managing Director.

Modern turn

Sylvie Ebel, assistant general manager of IFM. Crédit photos : ©IFM">

The technical training courses originating from the Chambre Syndicale have benefited from this rapprochement.
They "took a slightly more modern turn with the IFM, explains Blenda Clerjon, the director of the CAP and BP educational programs, professor and referent for the IFM's Bachelor of Arts in fashion Design. We have kept the very important origins of the Chambre Syndicale, preserved the heritage and its transmission of French savoir-faire, and given it a more contemporary dimension, thanks to a young and dynamic team.

This updating of teaching has benefited the two historic sandwich courses, set up as early as 1927, delivering Certificats d'Aptitude Professionnelle. These are the CAP Métiers de la mode (level three), which trains dressmakers, fitting mechanics and prototypists, and the Brevet Professionnel (BP) Vêtement sur mesure (level four), "enabling the acquisition of a high level of technical skills in bespoke garment making" necessary for first hands and model/toilet makers.

Two new curricula

Crédit photos : ©IFM">

As proof of the interest in Couture, the technical curriculum has been expanded with the addition of two new courses: in 2019, a Bachelor Modéliste Concepteur (BMC) whose innovative program (level 6) is offered over three years on a sandwich course then, in 2023, a CAP Couture Post-bac in 1 year.

"This full-time, accelerated training program gives students an insight into the sewing professions, and has the advantage of being aimed at both people changing direction (at the end of their career or in the course of their studies) and foreign students with the equivalent of a baccalauréat, eager to learn French savoir-faire and join the IFM", explains Blenda Clerjon.
At all levels, the same observation of excellence is found, and this is reflected in exceptional success and placement rates. Between 98% of the 45 CAP students and 20 BP students graduate. These rates are certified by the French government, which is responsible for marking the exams. The professional integration rate, for its part, is close to 85% within six months of completing the training courses.

170 partner companies

These statistics are all the more satisfying in that the IFM has won the trust and loyalty of numerous French companies, some 170 in all. The panel ranges from the biggest luxury Houses, such as Dior, Chanel, Hermès, Givenchy or Louis Vuitton, to garment making workshops spread all over France, as well as product development units or fashion brands...
To achieve such success, several elements combine, both adapted teaching and a demanding selection of students.

Faculty close to the field

Blenda Clerjon, pedagogical director of the CAP and BP, teacher and referent of the Bachelor of Arts in fashion Design at IFM. Crédit photos : ©IFM">

First major asset: "the team of professionals piloting the courses is largely seasoned in the realities of the field", explains Blenda Clerjon. The whole team regularly exchanges with the students' tutors, via company visits or two half-yearly meetings, but also with the Education Nationale, to make it aware of changes in the field and adapt the teaching. "For CAPs, graduates are trained to the National Education's reference frameworks, namely blocks of skills, emphasizes Blenda Clerjon. Outside these, we have a little latitude to customize the program and meet the needs of our partner companies."

This fluidity between theory and practice is reflected in the school's pedagogy. "We have real-life case studies on manufacturing issues and everything that revolves around them", says the head. Teaching focuses on techniques with a long tradition, such as draping, patternmaking, machine and hand sewing. But since the 2019 merger, it also incorporates new technologies - training in CAD, DTP and 3D prototyping.

Priority to CSR

Crédit photos : ©IFM">

CSR is also now a must at IFM with more and more projects focusing on recycling and circularity of materials, upcycling and ecosourcing. "We raise young people's awareness of social and environmental issues, explains Blenda Clerjon. We try to get them to upcycle both existing materials and products, and even introduce materials other than textiles into their projects". In this way, students can use roll ends or stock donated by partner Home.

Another major explanation for the school's performance lies in the way it chooses its students. "At IFM, we train enthusiasts who come to discover fashion by starting with the basics. Our recruitment is demanding. Motivation, future plans, curiosity, attention to detail, patience, the ability to work in a team, to respond to briefs and follow instructions are all taken into account, as is the ability to demonstrate social intelligence. These qualities are constantly put to the test as our alternants are perpetually in professional situations, even when they are in class", argues Blenda Clerjon.

A demanding selection

Crédit photos : ©IFM">

This translates into a strict selection process on entry to training courses. While there are 300 to 400 applicants per year, the IFM only has 45 places, "divided into three classes to pass on the savoir-faire in the right conditions" for work-study CAPs. And it only has 20 places to offer full-time CAP and BP candidates!

Certainly, there is real demand in the Homes, workshops and Product development units for IFM-trained students... But with insufficient work-study places in companies, the IFM prefers not to increase the current number of students. This requires a great deal of time to study all the applications carefully, and to ensure that no one is overlooked. This is quite a task, given that applications have been on the rise for the last two years, reflecting the growing popularity of handcrafted professions.

Popular technical training

Photo credit : ©IFM">

While the full-time CAP accepts students over the age of 30 (which is not the case in sandwich courses), the manager also sees "people undergoing professional retraining, having studied to reassure their parents. And because they're unhappy in their initial professions, they go back to their initial desire to work in a manual trade". Proof of their motivation: they are ready to invest €12,500, the cost of this non-work-linked training course!

The entry of technical training courses into the IFM fold is also a plus for future managers. At the request of students on its management courses, the Institute has created a certificate so that they can be introduced to sewing techniques, during additional Saturday sessions. "For practical reasons, we had to limit classes to around twenty students, but there's no shortage of candidates" stresses Sylvie Ebel. She is well aware of the major role now devolved to the IFM in the sector.

"We have been entrusted with this school with training courses essential to the specificity of our sector. We're not just "guarding the temple", we're also developing training for these professions that are essential to the French luxury industry. And we're going to do even more, explains the deputy director. In the image of the fashion industry, combining design and technique, the IFM thus demonstrates both imagination and rigor to keep alive the flame of French savoir-faire and its transmission.

To find out more, discover the Institut Français de la Mode website.